General information on the Unit

ECTS: 7
Contact hours: -- (presence at the host institution).
Personal work hours: 175 (140 contact hours at the industry or institution where the internship is carried out).
Character: Compulsory
Venue: In each edition of the Master, placements adapt to the availability of the collaborating industries and institutions and to the students’ learning preferences. The Spanish Foundation for the Development of Animal Nutrition (FEDNA), coorganizing institution of the Master programme, collaborates in selection and contact with industries. At each industry or institution a staff member is appointed to supervise the internship (tutor).
Scheduling:
- Assignment of the industry or institution where the internship will be carried out: April.
- Internship period: May.
- Submission of the final report: first week of June.
- The Unit assessment is made through a written report and the tutor’s evaluation.
Requisites and permanence
There are no previous requisites.
Learning methods
Personal work under the supervision of a tutor (staff member from the industry or institution).
Language
During the internship, the tutored training is usually performed in Spanish, although by agreement between the students and the tutor and his working team, this may be done in another language. The report may be submitted in Spanish, French or English.

Presentation of the Unit

The last month of the first part of the Master is dedicated to a professional internship to apply the knowledge acquired, to gain practical experience and to gain insight into issues pertaining to the sector. These internships are organized in feed mill industries, modern livestock farms and other types of institution related with the sectors of animal nutrition or animal product quality. Upon completion of the internship in the firm or institution, the student must present a written report, following the detailed instructions provided.

Context within the syllabus

This Unit completes the learning acquired during the first part of the Master and allows the student to apply previously gained knowledge and to perform in a real professional environment in order to widen practical experience in the use of methods and techniques, to better understand the processes and to deal with current professional issues.

Competences

Specific competences

• SC3 Performing well in professional environments, such as the feed mill industry, and being aware of the practical application of methods and techniques.
• SC7 Developing feeding strategies with a favourable influence on end product quality and animal health and welfare, minimizing environmental impacts ensuring the sustainability of productions.

General competences

• GC1 Integrating scientific and technical knowledge and applying them discerningly.
• GC3 Analyzing results or strategies and elaborating conclusions which contribute to clarify the problems and to find possible solutions.
• GC4 Making decisions and generating new ideas and knowledge in complex systems.
• GC5 Learning and working autonomously, responding to unforeseen situations and re-aiming a strategy if necessary.
• GC6 Team-working and promoting exchange and collaboration attitudes with other students, researchers and professionals.
• GC8 Writing presentations and synthesis, preparing and presenting oral communications, and defending them in public.

Objectives of learning

The objective of this Unit is for the student to apply the knowledge acquired throughout all the units of the programme in a real professional environment, and to gain further knowledge and practical experience in contact with the issues of the sector. Likewise, the student is expected to be able to write a concise professional report of the internship, describing the industry or institution and its related specific sector, making a critical appraisal of its activities and strategies and self-assessing the learning acquired.

Learning outcomes

Importance of the learning outcomes acquired in this unit

It is of utmost importance that the learning acquired in the lecture room, despite its practical component, be complemented with a vision of the real professional situation and the opportunity to apply and develop knowledge, abilities and attitudes. The student must learn how to perform by analysing situations, confronting problems and seeking solutions. Likewise, the contact with other sector professionals is important, joining a work team and assimilating the learning and advice provided to carry out the assigned tasks.

Learning outcomes

In a real professional environment of an industry, livestock farm or other type of institution linked to the sectors of animal nutrition or products of animal origin, the student, at the end of the learning of this Unit:

• Develops skills in the analysis of situations, in decision making processes and in the management of real problems.
• Favours the exchange of ideas with professionals of the sector directly involved in development activities.
• Evaluates the activities carried out by the host institution, and develops the capacity of assessment and critical analysis.
• Is competent to synthesize the characteristics of the host institution, its strategies and the activities carried out in the field of animal nutrition, as well as in the assessment of the learning and personal value of the work carried out during the internship.

Contents

This Unit has an applied orientation and is based on the student’s personal work supervised by a staff member from the industry or institution (tutor) where the internship takes place. The guidelines for the industries or institutions for planning the student’s work and assigning activities are:

• The activities assigned to the student must be mostly related to nutrition.
• The industry/institution must provide the student with information regarding the technical context of the activities assigned.
• The industry/institution must inform the student about their characteristics and activities and on the current issues of the sector concerned.

At the end of the internship the student has to prepare a written report. This report must contain the characterization of the industry/institution, its activities and strategies (also considering the most significant situation and issues of the sector concerned), and the description and analysis of the activities carried out during the internship, specifying degree of involvement in the tasks performed and the new knowledge, techniques and methodologies learned. The reports must be concise and include only the required information.

Learning activities

Learning activity 1: Individual tutored work, performing the tasks assigned by the industry or institution (specific for each student).
ECTS: 5.6
Hours: 140
Percentage of contact: 100%

Learning activity 2: Preparation of a written report including:
(1) Characterization of the industry/institution where the internship has been carried out and description of the specific sector concerned.
(2) Description and analysis of: (i) tasks carried out by the student during the internship; (ii) previously acquired knowledge, methods and techniques that the student has had the opportunity of applying during the internship; (iii) new knowledge, techniques and methodologies learned and applied during the internship; (iv) student’s relationships with the industry/institution and involvement in analysis and management activities.
(3) Critical analysis of the industry/institution activities and performance concerning animal nutrition.
(4) Synthesis of specific learning outcomes acquired during the internship.
ECTS: 1.4
Hours: 35
Percentage of contact: 0%

Assessment method

Assessment system 1: Assessment of the written report by the scientific directors of the Master.
The following aspects from the written document will be valued: (i) relevance of the information included; (ii) significance of the analysis and critical assessment; and (iii) writing and presentation of the text.
Weighting: 50% of the final score of the Unit

Assessment system 2: Assessment through a survey answered by the staff member from the industry/institution tutoring the internship.
The following specific assessment criteria are considered: (i) attitude towards work and interest in assigned activities; (ii) understanding of the assigned tasks and quality of work; (iii) competence to plan his own work and carry it out autonomously; (iv) command of techniques and methods applied during the internship; (v) capacity to adapt to unforeseen circumstances; (vi) attitude towards guidance, dialogue and interaction with staff.
Weighting: 50% of the final score of the Unit

Collaborating industries and institutions

Unit supervisor

José Antonio GUADA, Univ. Zaragoza, Spain
jguada@unizar.es

Internship industries and institutions

In each edition of the Master, placements adapt to the availability of the collaborating industries and institutions and to the students’ learning preferences. By way of example, the following list shows the industries/institutions where students carried out the internships in the academic year 2013-2014.

ABERE, Sociedad Cooperativa, Vitoria-Gasteiz
ACRIFLOR, Asociación Nacional de Criadores de Ganado Caprino de Raza Florida, Córdoba
ALENDI, fábrica de piensos, Gurrea de Gállego, Huesca
ARPISA Aragonesa de Piensos S.A., Utebo, Zaragoza
BYNSA, fábrica de piensos, El Burgo de Ebro, Zaragoza
CADEBRO, fábrica de piensos, Casetas, Zaragoza
GEPISA General de Piensos de Soria S.A., Garray, Soria
Grupo Cooperativo Pastores, Zaragoza
Laboratorio Agroalimentario, Diputación de Pontevedra, Lalín, Pontevedra
Laboratorio Agroalimentario, Gobierno de Aragón, Zaragoza
NANTA, fábrica de piensos, Casetas, Zaragoza
Proucciones avícolas El Granjero, Cuéllar, Segovia
Servicio Regional de Investigación y Desarrollo Agroalimentario (SERYDA), Villaviciosa, Asturias