itslearning externships offers University of Bergen students real-world experience

Posted by: Vania Hasegawa, itslearning
Nov, 10th 2022

In late October, we were visited by two grad students from the University of Bergen. Peter Hasund (left) and Hans Christian Botnen (right) spent three days with our tech team, which gave them the opportunity to work in a professional environment.

This externship was arranged by the organization Sammen – Studentsamskipnaden på Vestlandet. When the students applied, they were looking for a way to bring value to their future careers, and itslearning was the right fit.

According to itslearning product owner Frøydis Hamre, “the externship program is a great opportunity for students to visit workplaces and learn how their university education can be applied in the real world. We are proud to contribute to this program and we always have interesting conversations with the students during their visits.”

“We had three days of real work experience. It was great to see that what we are learning at the University is useful in the real world. The methods that we learn at school are the same as they use here.”
Hans Christian Botnen, bachelor’s degree student in Information Science, UiB

It’s safe to say that programs like these help students learn more about their chosen field and professional goals. It also benefits our company to get input from a new generation that is familiar with using LMS platforms.

“The experience was great. We were hosted by kind people. It’s nice to learn the different roles of designers, developers, support reps and product teams. And getting to know the humans behind a tech company makes us look at the platform in a different way,” adds Hans.

For the product team, it’s good to become familiar with emerging trends. “It’s nice to give students first-hand insight into how we are working. When we meet them and involve them in our work, it’s always interesting to get their input and ideas,” says Hanne Lorentzen, product owner at itslearning.

The externship consisted of more than just meetings and getting to know how things work – the students also had the chance to be active. “They took part in usability testing and were given the practical task of looking into ongoing design work and contributing ideas.”

“I recommend that my fellow students take advantage of externships like these, to help gain a better idea about the next steps in their career.”
Peter Hasund, bachelor’s degree student in Information Science, UiB