February 12th, 2024

ChE300/ChE400 SUMMER PRACTICE - Policies and Procedures

This document includes everything that is expected from a successful summer practice. Below you will find the requirements for summer practice and expectations from the two summer practice classes, together with some suggestions that will help the students to benefit more from it. It is your duty to fully comply with the rules and regulations, so please read this document carefully and completely in order not to run into problems. Read all email notices and updates sent by the coordinator to the undergraduate email list – the department is not responsible for emails or deadlines that you miss.  

BEFORE YOU START – RESTRICTIONS, PREREQUISITES AND GENERAL RULES

• ChE300 Summer Practice I Requirements: 
  • Prerequisites to ChE300 are ChE102-ChE203-OHS301. Only the students who have satisfied the prerequisites by the time of the summer practice will be assigned to the course. If the students are in Probation condition at the end of the semester, they will not be able to perform their internships.
  • For ChE300, the internship MUST be carried out in a factory where production takes place. Internships in pilot plants, research laboratories, sales, planning or quality control departments are not allowed.
  • The internship should last at least 20 working days (uninterrupted), although longer durations, if possible, are encouraged.
  • ChE400 Summer Practice II Requirements:
    • Prerequisites to ChE400 are either of ChE222 or ChE327. Only the students who have satisfied the prerequisites by the time of the summer practice will be assigned to the course.
    • The internship can be done in a factory that is approved by the department.
    • The internship should last at least 20 working days (uninterrupted), although longer durations, if possible, are encouraged.
    • The internship can be done in a Research and Development Center accredited by the Ministry of Industry and Technology (https://www.sanayi.gov.tr/arge-tasarim-merkezleri-ve-tgb) and approved by the department. The duration should be at least two months (40 Work Days).

 

• Both Summer Practices are meant to be carried out during the summer break.
• The students are expected to find the internship companies on their own. Internships will only be arranged by the department for students who could not arrange it themselves. The internship positions available to the department, however, are limited and may not be enough for all students.
• There is a 1-2 week period for the documentation before you start your internship at the company. Please act accordingly.
• The internships will be coordinated by the department chair and the summer practice advisor of each student in collaboration. Official correspondence with companies will be done by the summer practice advisor of each student.
• Advisor assignments: A summer practice advisor among Chemical Engineering Faculty will be assigned to each student during add-drop week and announced via e-mail.

 

 

 

PROCEDURES__________________________________________________________________________________

The students who are planning for summer practice during Summer 2024 are expected to follow the procedures below. It is the student’s responsibility for timely planning to the summer practice. Read all email notices sent by the coordinator – the department is not responsible for emails or deadlines that you missed. 

Step 1: Preparation for summer practice

              i.  Before you start applying for summer practice, make sure you are going to satisfy the prerequisites for summer practice classes (ChE300 or 400) by the date of the start of your summer practice.

             ii.  Make sure you have read this document throughout and indicate your intention for summer practice in the online questionnaire. The questionnaire will be delivered some time at the beginning of the Spring Semester.

           iii.  You may now start searching and applying to the summer internship positions available. If your summer practice advisor has been assigned, it is a good idea to ask in advance their opinion on the firms you are planning to apply.

           iv.  If a “Mandatory Summer Practice Form (Zorunlu Staj Belgesi)” is needed in your applications, fill in the form number “S1-F1” (provided below) fully and submit it to Mr. Yüksel Karataş (kayuksel@metu.edu.tr). You are responsible for the correctness of the information in the petition.

Step 2: When you find a place(s) for a summer internship

1. i.       Arrange a meeting with your summer practice advisor to discuss the suitability of the place for summer internship. Make sure you have enough information about the (i) company, (ii) their field of production, and (iii) the department of your internship. Make sure both the company and your duty there satisfies the requirements for the summer practice classes (information on the previous page given as ChE300/400 Requirements).
2. ii.     After approval of your summer internship place, prepare the followings;

• Summer Practice Notebook (diary): obtain one staple-bound notebook, fill in the first page with your name, student ID, place of your summer internship, date and your signature. Have your advisor sign the first page as well.
• Summer Practice Booklet (‘Staj rehberi’, under the Documents heading further below), Fill in the pages with the required information, stick your photograph in the designated fields and have your advisor sign on top of your photographs. Note that the English versions are in case the practice is in another country.
• Summer Practice Evaluation form: (‘Staj değerlendirme formu’ under Documents) Download this form and take it to your advisor for his/her signature. You will present this to your mentor at your place of internship.  
• Meet with your advisor to finalize the paperwork required to start your summer internships. The meetings may be in-person or via e-mail and the approvals will be electronic. In your meeting with your advisor before the internship, discuss also the expectations from the internship and the intermediate and final reports.
• For insurance, complete the insurance documents required. More info on that below.

Step 3: Insurance documentation:  Start out by filling in your information into the 

StajyerOgrenciBilgiFormu.xls 

file form (below, under Documents). In this file, among other information, you will also declare whether you currently have General Health Insurance (Genel Sağlık Sigortası/GSS) from your family or legal guardian. Note that the university will make sure that you have complete coverage regardless, so fill in the form accurately. 

Additionally, fill in only one of the forms related to this matter: 

ailesi_uzerinden_saglik_hizmeti_alanlar_icin_taahutname.doc

ailesi_uzerinden_saglik_hizmeti_almayanlar_icin_taahutname.doc 

The first file is for those who do have insurance by affiliation from family, and the second one is for those who don’t. Send the completed forms to Ms. Sedef Araz (araz@metu.edu.tr) in our Department Secretarial Office and cc the message to your assigned advisor.

Workplace Insurance is typically met by the University, or in less frequent cases, by the Company of your internship. If your occupational insurance will be met by the Company, please contact Mrs. Güven and provide proof that the Company has indeed insured you. Processing of your insurance requests may take up to 2 weeks, so schedule your application accordingly.

Step 4: During your summer internship

• The internship should last at least 20 working days (uninterrupted).
• Keeping a summer practice notebook: It is very important to keep a well-documented notebook during your summer practice. During the summer internship, record all your observations in the summer practice notebook. Make sure you have placed the date and sign each page, and there are no blank or torn pages. Examples of what to include in the summer practice reports are: the flowcharts of the processes that you have seen, the data you obtained, the details of the equipment that you have seen, information about the utilities available, the quality control tests that are done to the products of intermediate products, etc. NOTthe information that you find online or from catalogues etc. 
• Intermediate reports: The students should contact their advisor, by any means arranged by the two before the internship, to give an intermediate report during the course of the internship.
• At the end of the internship make sure you have the “Summer Practice Booklet” signed and all the evaluation forms filled and placed in a sealed envelope by the company.

 

Step 5: Summer practice reports

• The summer practice reports are submitted during add-drop week of the Fall semester. Students are strongly recommended to prepare it in advance. Late submissions will not be accepted.
• The reports will be checked in terms of format, content and originality, NOT in terms of the length or the well-accepted information that can be found from the internet or any other sources.
• The format of the report should be consistent, the reports should be free of grammar and spelling errors and should fully be in English (all charts, tables, figures, etc.). Tools such as Word spell-check and Grammarly to check the language are recommended. Also visit: https://lib.metu.edu.tr/tr/duyurular/grammarly-premium-aboneligi
• Originality reports: The summer practice reports will be submitted digitally to the Turnitin system through the ODTUClass interface before the end of the add-drop period. Together with the report, a copy of the Turnitin “scorecard” showing the degree of overlap of your report with the documents in the Turnitin database should be submitted. A significant (above 20%) overlap will be considered as plagiarism and will result in an Unsatisfactory (U) grade.
• A guideline of what to include in the summer practice report is given as Appendix (Summer Practice Report Format).

 

Step 6: After Internship

Make sure you send/submit the following documents to the Department.

1)     Summer practice report

2)     Summer practice notebook (diary) : First page should be signed by your mentor at the place of your practice

3)     ChE 300 or 400 Summer Practice Student Evaluation Form.docx (filled by you)

4)     The company will fill in the Summer Practice Evaluation form, and the grade sheet of the Summer Practice booklet (staj rehberi  staj başarı belgesi) and present them in a sealed envelope. The company may prefer sending these themselves, which is OK.

5)     Remaining pages of the Summer practice booklet (staj rehberi)

Mail address:

Yüksel Karataş

Orta Doğu Teknik Üniversitesi Kimya Mühendisliği Bölümü

Dumlupınar Bulvarı No: 1, Çankaya, ANKARA 06800.

 

FINAL NOTE: Your summer practice course is evaluated based on your success during the summer practice and the content of your report. It is a good opportunity to revise what you have learned theoretically during the courses you have taken and employ them in practical applications. It is important to keep your summer internship reports concise, brief, original and precise in terms of the content that exhibit good integration of theory and practice.

APPENDICES

A1. Flowchart summarizing the Summer Practice Procedures

A2. Form S1-F1 to request the Mandatory Internship document.

A3. Summer Practice Report Format

A4. Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)

Documents:

Staj rehberi

Ailesi üzerinden sağlık hizmeti alanlar için taahütname

Ailesi üzerinden sağlık hizmeti almayanlar için taahütname

ChE 300 öğrenci değerlendirme formu

ChE 400 öğrenci değerlendirme formu

S1-F1 formu

Stajyer öğrenci bilgi formu

Staj değerlendirme formu