Expanding Experiential Learning at Scale: University of Cincinnati’s Co-Op Innovation

At the University of Cincinnati (UC), experiential learning isn’t an afterthought; it’s a requirement. For students in IT and cybersecurity, five co-ops are mandatory before graduation. That commitment to real-world readiness takes coordination, creativity, and an openness to new approaches.

That’s why UC’s School of Information Technology partnered with Virtual Internships to offer students a flexible, globally connected work experience that complements their traditional co-op model.

Watch the full interview with Kelli Anderson, Faculty Co-Op Advisor at University of Cincinnati here

"Experiential learning is everything at UC."

UC’s co-op legacy runs deep, but evolving student needs, market dynamics, and enrollment growth called for new, scalable pathways.

“Everything that we are doing, really, as a whole, is: how can we make students aware of what's happening beyond the University of Cincinnati, and how can we best prepare them for their future?” – Kelli Anderson, Faculty Co-Op Advisor.

Some students, especially first-time co-op participants and international learners, needed more accessible options to gain valuable experience early in their academic journey.

That’s when Virtual Internships entered the picture.

A Seamless Partnership

“My unit head met someone from VI at a conference and started inquiring about what VI was doing, what sets VI apart, and how it could integrate into what we're already doing.” – Kelli Anderson, Faculty Co-Op Advisor

Rather than overhaul existing systems, UC introduced Virtual Internships as a pilot program for students seeking structured, remote work-based learning. The first cohort included 30 students from the School of IT.

The team was looking for a complementary experience, not a replacement.

“This relationship came about through networking. What we teach our students in the job search is that you can press apply as many times as you want, but in today’s world, you have to be willing to network and talk to people. That’s exactly what we did and what your team did to be able to come together and collaborate.” – Kelli Anderson, Faculty Co-Op Advisor

Students Need Options to Fit Their Schedules

“We have international students who may want to go home for the summer and still get co-op credit. We also have students who are trying to take care of family members at home, and going to work in an office just isn’t in the cards for them. We have to look at our students as individuals instead of an overall population.”

By offering remote internships through Virtual Internships, UC was able to support diverse student needs without compromising academic standards or outcomes.

“To us, this is just us providing another opportunity to students to meet them where they are.”

"The Support That Virtual Internships Offers is Unprecedented."

“We’re teaching, we are advising students, and adding one more thing into the mix can be difficult. But we quickly found that the support that VI offers our students allows us to be hands-off, and that’s unprecedented to me.”

Kelli highlighted the wraparound support system from onboarding to feedback to coaching, which enabled her team to remain involved without additional workload.

“The students have said they love that it’s not just working for a company and getting matched. There are professional development opportunities that are mixed in there as well.”

96% of Students Satisfied with Their Virtual Internship Experience

The outcomes spoke for themselves:

• Learners felt seen, supported, and challenged

• A few even reapplied for a second Virtual Internship experience

One of UC’s students, Vedika, made a particularly strong impression during her internship at Irish Taylor & Co.:

"Vedika played a crucial role in identifying and mitigating a potential security vulnerability within our network infrastructure. She conducted thorough penetration testing, uncovered the vulnerability, and proposed a robust solution to address it. Her technical skills and ability to troubleshoot complex issues were instrumental in safeguarding our systems." - Supervisor at Irish Taylor & Co.

From the student's perspective, the experience was equally meaningful. Parth Patel, a UC student, shared how the internship with International Coach Masters OÜ helped him grow professionally:

"My remote internship allowed me to gain skills in network security and blockchain development. Virtual Internships helped me to get exposed to what work is like in the corporate world.” – Parth Patel, University of Cincinnati

These kinds of outcomes reinforce the value of offering flexible, supported internships, even for learners at the start of their careers.

“Students want the opportunity. Students want to work, and so this is just an opportunity for us to give them, and they see such value, and we see such value as well.” - Kelli Anderson, Faculty Co-Op Advisor

A Thriving Partnership

“Someone once said to me, 'I know you have many clients, but you make me feel like I’m your only one.' And I feel similar about VI.”

Kelli closed the interview with high praise for the collaboration and responsiveness of the Virtual Internships team.

“Even though, internally, who knows what things look like, externally, VI is doing an excellent job of making sure that all of the pieces are in place to take care of their clients.”

Finally, Kelli left with advice for other universities: 

“Get creative about different ways that you can look at experiential learning. Not necessarily ways to take over what you're doing, but really, as I said earlier, seamlessly integrate this program into what you're already doing.”

Learn how Virtual Internships can help your institution scale work-based learning access for all learners without an extra administrative burden.