Requirements for the semester

Assignments and Due dates: 

1. Learning Objectives - Due Monday, January 27, 2014 to Faculty Coordinator & Career Development Center

Students are required to outline specific and measurable learning objectives (goals) on the form provided on Blackboard.  These must be pre approved by your employment supervisor and by your faculty coordinator.  It is advised that you meet with your faculty coordinator as soon as possible to discuss your position and employment objectives.  It is your responsibility to schedule the meeting with your faculty coordinator.   If you are not able to contact your faculty coordinator in person, please leave a message with the department secretary (within the major) and/or e-mail.  If all of these avenues fail contact the Career Development Center.  

The Learning Objectives serves as an agreement between you, the co-op program and your employer, and it outlines the responsibilities of each party.  After this form has been completed with signatures from your supervisor and faculty coordinator, make sure that you submit the appropriate copy to the Career Development Center in the University Center Room 230.

Objectives should be periodically reviewed and re-evaluated, as the relevancy of an objective may change.  You should set realistic timetables.  It is possible an objective may take more time than one semester.  However, what is to be accomplished each semester should be clearly stated.

2. Job Approval/Student Agreement - Due Monday, January 27, 2014 to Faculty Coordinator & CDC

This form must be completed prior to enrollment in CEP 300 or CEP 600.  A new form must be completed every semester you are enrolled in a co-op.  The Job Approval/Student Agreement must contain a job description and signatures from your supervisor, your faculty coordinator and yourself.  This is to be submitted to the Career Development Center in UC 230 upon completion. 

3. Weekly Log Book - Due to Faculty Coordinator at the end of semester (or as determined by Faculty Coordinator)

The purpose of the log is to record work activities that indicate progress toward your outlined objectives.  Length and format of work logs is determined by the faculty coordinator for each major.   Check with your faculty coordinator for specific guidelines for additional format requirements.  In addition, they may wish to review your log entries throughout the semester.  Your log is due to your faculty coordinator at the same time as the final report unless otherwise specified by the faculty coordinator.

4. Final Paper - Due Friday, May 3, 2014 to Faculty Coordinator

At the end of the semester, you are required to submit a written report summarizing your experience as a co-op student.  This report must be type written, double spaced and 5-6 pages in length plus a title page.  Accuracy in grammar, punctuation, and spelling is required and may be taken into consideration when determining the final grade.  The report should be "open ended" to provide freedom of expression, but also related to the following topics:

I.        Summary statement of job duties and responsibilities.

A.     Mental processes used on job.

B.     Work output (results).

C.     Interpersonal relationships.

D.     Job satisfaction.

II.     Statement of present learning objectives.

A.     How you have met objectives.  Give examples of how accomplished (cite entries in log).

B.     Why you did not meet a certain objective.  This does not reflect negatively on experience; in fact, not meeting an objective can sometimes be a more valuable learning experience than meeting one.

III.   Relevancy of experience.

A.     Personal maturity or growth.

B.     Academic application.

C.     Identification of special interests.

D.     Improvement in technical areas.

E.      Improvement of interpersonal skills (communication).

F.      Significance of co-op assignment.

IV.  Formulation of “next level” learning objectives (objectives should be established whether or not you will co-op next semester).

A.     Should be challenging but within practical attainable limits.

B.     Should be measurable as to achievement.

C.     Can be either technical, interpersonal, or both.

V.     Summary statement describing the effect of your job and co-op on your career plans.

VI.  Constructive and frank recommendations concerning current policies and operations of program.

5. Student Evaluation - Due Friday, May 3, 2014 to Faculty Coordinator

At the end of the semester, you are requested to evaluate the program.  This evaluation form (which can be downloaded from Blackboard) should be turned in to your faculty coordinator, who will then share it with the Career Development Center as needed.

6. Performance Appraisal - Due Friday, May 3, 2014 to Faculty Coordinator

On Blackboard, you will also find information for your supervisor to complete.  It is your responsibility to provide this performance appraisal form to your supervisor and have the appraisal completed before the due date.

7. Any other assignments assigned by your faculty coordinator - Due Friday, May 3, 2014 to Faculty Coordinator

It is your responsibility to discuss the grading criteria and any other additional assignments with your Faculty Coordinator at the beginning of the semester.