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Co-op: Deadlines and Step-by-Step Guide

 

Summer 2012 Co-op Deadline!

 
Required documents for co-op:
1.   Student Agreement/Job Approval Form (signed by all 3 parties)
2.   Learning Objectives Form (signed by all 3 parties)
3.   Job Description
 
FINAL DEADLINE FOR 1 CREDIT:
Most majors: Friday, July 6*
 
Accounting/Finance Majors: TBD*
 
    *    You may not count work hours toward your co-op if you worked
them before submitting co-op paperwork.  You may not count
work hours in the summer toward a fall co-op.
 
Note: Tuition will be charged just like any other course.
Last day to drop with 100% tuition reimbursement: May 15
Last day to drop with 50% tuition reimbursement: May 24

How do you co-op?

A step-by-step guide

What is cooperative education?  Cooperative Education (or co-op) is paid work experience in your field of study.  Students participating in co-op must work in a position related to the declared major or minor.  The co-op positions are approved by a Faculty Coordinator in each academic department.

Co-op paperwork must be completed, signed, and returned to the CDC by the co-op deadline, which is 4 weeks before the last day of class.  So you’re ready to get some hands-on experience in your career field while earning academic credit and getting paid.  Follow these steps to complete your co-op! 

1.    Are you eligible?  In order to co-op, you must have a declared major, at least a 2.2 GPA, and at least 30 credit hours.  If you are a transfer student, you must also have completed 1 semester at NKU.  Students seeking Associate Degrees need to have completed at least 15 credits. 

2.    Find a job in your major or minor.  If you are already working in your field of study, you may be able to turn your current job into a co-op.  If this is the case, skip to #4.  If you will be searching for a job in your field, move to #3.

3.    Get help with your job search.  To find a co-op job, start with the following:

a.    Create (or update) your résumé.  There are samples available in the Career Development Center to help you get started.  Once you are ready, bring your résumé to the CDC to have someone proofread it and provide feedback.  Walk-in hours are from 2:30- 4 pm, Monday to Thursday, or call 859-572-5680 to make an appointment.
b.    Sign up for the Career Development Center’s online database Norse-Recruiting by visiting the CDC or go to http://cdc.nku.edu for information and tools to help you with your job search.
c.    Talk with family, friends, and even your current employer, to discuss your co-op goals.  You may be able to move into a position related to your major without leaving your current company.

4.    Talk with your employer about turning it into a co-op, once you have found a job in your field of study.  Talk to your academic advisor about how much credit should be earned.  Keep in mind that co-op credit, for most majors, is the course CEP 300, which is upper-level, elective credit.  The grading is pass/fail and students do pay tuition for this credit, similar to any other course credit.

5.    Complete the Student Agreement / Job Approval Form Be sure to attach your job description to it.  This form is a contract allowing all relevant parties to make this job into a co-op.  This must be signed by you, your employer, and your Faculty Coordinator.  You must return the white copy (or the copy with original signatures) to the CDC to get enrolled for academic credit.

6.    Complete the Learning Objectives Form.  This allows you to specify 3 things you would like to learn from your co-op since it is an academic experience, as well as a work experience.  You, the student, should write the learning objectives, though you should be sure to discuss these objectives with your employer and faculty coordinator.  This form must also be signed by you, your employer, and your Faculty Coordinator.  See attached “Setting Learning Objectives” guide for assistance.  You must return the white copy (or the copy with original signatures) to the CDC to get enrolled for academic credit.

7.    Enroll for CEP 300/600.  Return your Student Agreement/Job Approval Form, Learning Objectives Form, and job description to the Career Development Center (UC 305) before the co-op deadline – four weeks before the last day of class.  The CDC staff will enroll you for CEP 300 or give you other instructions.  The following table shows how many academic credits may be earned, based on the number of hours being worked.

Academic Credit Hours	Hours Worked Per Week	Hours Worked Per Semester
1	8	120
2	15	225
3	20	300
6	37.5 or more	560 or more

 8.  Make it a co-op!  Enroll for CEP 300/600.  Return your Student Agreement/Job Approval Form, Learning Objectives Form, and job description to the Career Development Center (UC 305) before the co-op deadline – four weeks before the last day of class – or earlier for some majors.  The CDC staff will enroll you for CEP 300/600 (according to your request on the Student Agreement/Job Approval Form) or give you other instructions.         

9.    Check myNKU to ensure you are in the correct section of CEP 300.  Check Blackboard to find the CEP 300 course online.  There are several documents online for download including a Co-op Syllabus which contains all course requirements and deadlines, though both are subject to change by your individual Faculty Coordinator.

10.    Continue to communicate with your Faculty Coordinator throughout the semester.  This person is your professor for the course so communication is essential.  If there are any additional assignments, be sure to work on them as needed and complete them on time.

11.    Keep a journal of activities you’re doing at work.  Jot down a few sentences describing the projects you’re doing, successes and failures, and opportunities you’ve had to apply your classroom knowledge to your position.  Talk with your faculty coordinator about how often this journal should be turned in.  Some faculty coordinators collect the journal once per month, some once per semester.

12.    Write a final paper to discuss your co-op experience.  There is an outline (attached and also available on Blackboard) for you to follow.  The paper should refer to your journal entries and is typically due the last day of classes, as determined by your Faculty Coordinator.

13.    Complete the Student Evaluation, available on Blackboard, and return it to your Faculty Coordinator.

14.    Ask your employer to complete the Co-op Performance Appraisal, available on Blackboard, and return it to your Faculty Coordinator.

Glossary of terms:

College Liaison – a Career Development Center staff person who specializes in your major and can assist you with the co-op paperwork and finding a position.

Faculty Coordinator – a faculty or staff member in your academic department who will approve (or deny) your co-op, collect your journal, grade your final paper, and assign you a final grade.

Internship – a curricular work experience for academic credit which may or may not be paid.

Co-op – a paid work experience related to a student’s area of study for academic credit.

 Setting Learning Objectives

In order to get the most out of your experiential education experience, you should consciously think about what you want to accomplish.  One way to do this is by setting learning objectives, which is a required portion of the co-op paperwork.

Along with the Job Approval Form, your Learning Objectives Form must be signed by you, your employer, and your faculty coordinator.  This will help all parties assist you with your co-op goals. 

What is a learning objective?

A learning objective is a written statement describing measurable achievements to accomplish during your co-op experience.  The learning objectives you develop should relate to your job assignment, represent the job functions and duties you will perform, assist in your professional growth and development, and relate to your course of study or major.  They should be realistic enough for you to attain during the semester.

Categories for Objectives:

Routine Duties – improving your performance in day-to-day job functions and activities.
Problem Solving – solving specific problems in your job area with measurable results.
New Skills and Assignments – learning a new job skill, increasing your knowledge and usefulness, or starting a new assignment on the job.
Personal Improvement – developing interpersonal skills, improving communication skills, or developing other social skills that will permit you to function more effectively in the work environment.
Creative Opportunities – trying new approaches, showing initiative, or having new ideas relative to your work assignment.

Examples:

“I will improve my oral communication skills by preparing a formal briefing for my supervisor; he will meet with me to give me feedback about the briefing.”

“I will observe the interaction of the social service team and produce a report analyzing the role of each team member, which will be reviewed by the team for accuracy.”

“I will develop an Access database, which will be used to conduct market research on the positive/negative impact of a new product.  A report of this research will be generated at the end of the semester.”

“I will learn to operate digital editing equipment and rearrange, organize, and edit an hour of footage for a new local sports program.”

Final Paper Outline

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 typed, double spaced and 5-6 pages in length plus a title page.  Correct grammar, punctuation, and spelling are 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.

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

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

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