Remote work and learning have seen an exponential rise in adoption since the COVID-19 pandemic, and are here to stay. How has this physical-to-virtual shift impacted internships? While the available literature on internships is heavily focused on student perceptions, perspectives from supervisors are relatively scant. A cross-sectional study was conducted to examine both supervisor and student perspectives on the impact of remote internships (“e-internships") on learning. 26 undergraduate students undertaking e-internships in a public health internship course and 21 supervisors were surveyed using questionnaires with both open-ended and close-ended questions on various aspects of the internship experience. The data were analysed quantitatively using descriptive statistics, chi-square and Fisher’s exact tests, and qualitatively using thematic analysis, and triangulated with course evaluation reports. Both interns and supervisors reported high levels of satisfaction and documented internship learning gains such as the development of technical skills and soft skills unique to remote work. 42% of interns reported having developed presentation and related communication skills, while 62% mentioned that they were unable to adequately develop teamwork and interpersonal communication skills during the e-internship. Interns appreciated the support, flexibility, and autonomy given by supervisors, although supervisors were more critical about the quality of supervision provided. Other significant challenges were highlighted, such as an increased sense of isolation, inadequacy of feedback, and difficulty in providing close guidance. We propose recommendations to optimise the e-internship learning experience.

Keywords: e-learning, internship, technology, education, supervision, distance learning, public health.