KeelWorks Foundation

Pros: I learned some principles of ID through reading case studies, participating in discussions, and the detailed feedback the director consistently gave to interns. Cons: - Despite the org. being active for over a decade, the structure and aesthetics of the program looks like the first iteration of a university LMS. It doesn't inspire confidence in the value of the program. - Interns are coming and going, which makes collaboration difficult, esp. as the director inflexibly insists on webcam conferencing and not Google Doc, emails, or chat. - The director is knowledgeable, but also very rude, condescending, and talks negatively about interns who decide to leave. He does not understand that his program does not have the value he thinks it does, esp. being unpaid. Plenty of dedicated and smart interns will be labeled as "unmotivated" by him. I can't learn from someone who is not reflective and thinks interns should swoon that he is sharing his knowledge. I did not feel valued.

I was initially very excited to work with this organization as a virtual e-learning design intern. However, on the day I was to Google Meet with the executive director, Thomas, he did not show up at our scheduled time (which I was not upset about because I realize things can come up). Understanding this, I waited about 5 minutes for entry into the meeting and then e-mailed him to make sure he was still available to meet. I waited another 5 minutes for either an e-mail response or entry into the Google Meet (a total wait time of 10 minutes) before I left the Google Meet. When I checked my e-mail later, I received messages from Thomas in which he called me "unmotivated" (without us having a single conversation) and, in so many words, he had a "you need us more than we need you" attitude. Not once did he apologize for being late to our meeting. I found these actions to be extremely unprofessional and, unfortunately, he left a bad taste in my mouth about interning here.

I joined the KeelWorks internship program and became an Instructional Designer. I really appreciate the support from the peers, mentors, and the organization. I hope more people could join us to support the people in need.