the teaching methods which improve stu- Cheryl Cates in both the theory of their profession and dent information processing, motivate stu- the practice of today’s marketplace. But dents and get students involved in their AssociateProfessor why is cooperative education such an ef- own learning. Over the last twenty years University of Cincinnati there have been numerous studies to de- fective teaching methodology? Patricia Jones If we in the field of cooperative educa- termine ways in which more effective Co-op Director tion want to promote the educational value teaching differs from less effective teach- University of Michigan-Dearborn of cooperative education, perhaps we ing. We will discuss the teaching behav- should start with the basics of how stu- iors that have been identified as essential PresentersCherylCatesandPatriciaJones dents learn. By developing an expertise of for good teaching based upon these stud- will discuss the importance of designing our own on relevant learning theories and ies. To ensure that your co-op program is higher education co-op programs to en- their connection to cooperative education, built around the principles for student hance learning outcomes. Stipulating that we will be in the best position to teach learning, behaviors that maximize student co-opís purpose is individualized student others. learning could be build into co-op pro- learning, Cates and Jones will use ex- There are several theories on how stu- grams.Someofthebehaviorstoguidestu- amples and guidelines on how to maxi- dents learn. Some of these theories at- dent learning through cooperative educa- mize learning and measure outcomes. tack the learning process from a systemic tion are: Group discussion will center on co-op pro- point of view. Others look at each of the Set Expectations:Make sure that the stu- gram goals and objectives, methods and individual aspects of learning. We will look dentsunderstandwhatisexpectedofthem benefits of designing a learning workplace, at several of these theories to gain insight and what they can expect from the coop- learning theories, the importance of an into the complex process of educating the erative education program. academic orientation to cooperative edu- co-op student and the implications these Expectancy for Success: Students are cation, strategies to build a co-op program theories have in cooperative education. motivated when they have a high expecta- around principles for maximum student Robert Gagne’s Conditions of Learning tion of success and believe that the diffi- learning, and authentic assessment strat- culty of the task is reasonable. An excel- egies. This session was created with the HowardGardner’s Theory of Multiple Intel- ligence lent technique is to use senior co-ops as co-op practitioner in mind, but is also rel- role models for junior co-ops. evant to employers interested in the as- Benjamin Bloom’sTaxonomy of Educa- pects of co-op that differentiate it from job tional Objectives Transfer of Knowledge: Co-opprofession- placement. als can develop tools, methods and instru- Atkinson’s Model of Achievement Motiva- ments to facilitate a transfer of knowledge Cates and Jones have authored the tion book, LearningOutcomesandtheEduca- and monitor that transfer through indi- tional Value of Cooperative Education, Jean Piaget’s Cognitive Development vidual meetings. which will be published by CEA in time for Theory EncourageFeedback: Studentsshouldre- the conference. The book will be available Albert Bandura’s Social Learning Theory ceive both formal and informal feedback for purchase after the session. At the time David Kolb’s Experiential Learning Model. from their co-op employer. Co-op profes- this was being written, the book is a work sionals should establish an organized sys- in progress. However, some excerpts are As co-op professionals become more tem to document student learning and available: familiar with the theories related to stu- performance during the co-op work term. dent learning they will be able to more ef- fectively convey the learning benefits of co- FromtheUniversity’sPerspective— Design EXCERPTSFROMCHAPTER1: your cooperative education program us- How do Students Learn? operative education. They will also be able to structure the co-op program around stu- ing the academic model of designing a What is it about cooperative education that dent learning. course. The first step is to define your edu- makes it so exciting to those involved? Talk cational purpose. This could become to anyone connected to the process— stu- EXCERPTSFROMCHAPTER2: somewhat of an educational mission state- dents,employersandeducators— andyou Building a Co-op Program Around the ment that defines what your purpose is in will likely receive glowing recommenda- Principles for Effective Student Learning terms of educating students. The next step tions and strong endorsements of coop- is to establish goals. These are specific erative education as the most comprehen- FromtheStudent’sPerspective— Oneofthe learning outcomes that you want your stu- sive methodology for educating students ways to think about structuring the coop- dents to achieve through their co-op edu- erative education program is to consider 2 is only natural to maximize co-op’s attach- We will look at creating a learning work ment to the academic world whose pri- site from start to finish. We will review the mary purpose is also student learning. We principles of learning in the workplace, will discuss methods to enrich co-op by discuss the role of the co-op supervisor cation. Make sure that your goals are in linking it with academic goals and the and the principles for facilitating learning, line with the goals of the institution and benefits of this approach. Then we will dis- go through the steps for setting up a learn- the academic departments. Next, select cuss learning-based program goals, use ing program at the work site, and consider and arrange content of your program that of instruments that guide and enhance the use of mentoring to maximize student shouldsupportyourmissionandgoalsand student learning, use of a syllabus, assess- learning. maximize student learning. Next, write a mentplanandevaluationofprogramgoals, As partners in the educational process, syllabus. Cooperative education should be links to academic faculty, and alignment cooperativeeducationemployersaresome described to students using the academic with institutional goals. of the most powerful instructors that co- languagewithwhichtheyarefamiliar— the The most important benefit from linking op students will ever have. They provide a syllabus.Last,gatherfeedback. Everygood co-op with academics is that we optimize real world perspective and timely real world teacher uses feedback to improve his or student learning. As a second benefit, we situations that prove invaluable to stu- her teaching, so too should the co-op edu- can form and assess clearly defined goals dents’learning, growth and development. cator. for student learning in an academic con- While it is the role of the educational in- FromtheEmployer’ sPerspective— Develop text. This not only crystallizes our own pur- stitution to provide the framework for the your co-op program to maximize student pose, but it allows us to do valuable out- cooperative education experience, it is up learning. There are some simple activities comesassessment. Athirdimportantben- to the employers to execute and often to that you can build into the program that efit is that the co-op program may ensure improve upon that framework. will help students learn. Some of these are: its survival in this post-Title VIII funding atmosphere by reaching for academic EXCERPTSFROMCHAPTER5: • Provide students with a “just-in-time” goals. When we can contribute to the aca- Activities to Guide Student Learning education on those specialized areas demicmissionofthecampus,wemaypre- Over nearly 100 years of co-op history, co- that have not been covered by their vent being marginalized or worse, seen as op programs around the world have de- classroom studies during individual one- redundanttotheservicesoftheplacement veloped a myriad of activities to guide, on-onesessions. office. document, measure, and evaluate student • Create special seminars for co-op stu- When cooperative education empha- learning. Whether or not academic credit dents to provide specific industry knowl- sizes learning outcomes, this necessitates is awarded for cooperative education, us- edge that their coursework will not cover. an academic approach that includes em- ing well-designed activities will enhance • Allow them to attend seminars and phasis on learning, use of academic as- student learning and offer concrete evi- workshops that are already in place for signments, planned learning experiences, dence of learning to the institution and to regular full-time employees. and site selection based on learning op- theemployer.Learningoutcomescanonly portunities. Academic components of co- be known from use of such instruments • Create a library of useful information operative education are linked with the ap- that make learning conscious and make that co-op students can reference to plicationoflearningtheories.Together,they the co-op job meaningful. learn independently. strengthen the co-op program and there- • Talk to the students about their elective fore are critical for maximizing learning Co-op Preparation Activities— To set the coursesandencouragethemtotakethe outcomes. stage for maximum student learning, sev- electives that you see as most valuable eral activities will aid in assessing learn- to their growth and development. EXCERPTSFROMCHAPTER4: ing outcomes later. They include: skills/ Developing a Learning Work Site interests/values assessment, learning ob- These will be discussed in further de- jectives essays, learning contracts, and a tail, along with additional activities. Each While students are at the co-op work site, co-op preparation seminar. of these activities will help students learn they are typically learning on a continu- and develop their skills and at the same ous basis. But they may not be aware of Activities used During the Co-op Term— timegiveemployerstheopportunitytoview their learning without our intervention and During the work term, some additional ac- studentsperformanceandassessthemas direction. To maximize student learning we tivities will enhance student learning. In future leaders of the company. must bring that learning into the students’ some cases, these instruments are best consciousminds.Throughaseriesofques- used in conjunction with co-op prepara- EXCERPTSFROMCHAPTER3: tions, reflection, and feedback from their tion activities. We will discuss the use of Tying Co-op Learning to Academic Goals colleagues, co-op students begin to cre- work journals, the concurrent co-op semi- ate a deeper understanding of their ev- nar, mid-term evaluation, portfolio devel- Cooperative education is a program pri- eryday activities. opment, and academic projects. marily designed for student learning, so it Reflective/EvaluativeAssignmentsforthe than would be possible in strictly a tradi- 3 End of the Co-op Term— At the end of the tional classroom situation. And employers co-op term, it is vital that students reflect contribute to and benefit from a workforce on what they have learned. Assignments that has the skills deemed necessary for at the end of the term can help students success in the workplace. learning to view themselves less as a stu- gather insight from their co-op learning, Are there specific learning outcomes dent and more as a professional. apply what they have learned to their stud- that each student receives through coop- From the standpoint of educators in the ies and their career preparation, and pre- erative education? Can we isolate the field of cooperative education, co-op de- pare for their next co-op assignment. Re- learning acquired and skills developed velops several learning outcomes to the flective/evaluative assignments take many throughcooperativeeducation?Manyhave benefit of our students. But what are the forms such as the student evaluation form, attempted to answer these questions, and learning outcomes that industry requires? the short-answer evaluation, the evalua- there seem to be several recurrent themes Doescooperativeeducationaddressthose tion essay, and the employer evaluation. in those attempts to define cooperative needs?Major research studies to deter- All these activities, discussed in detail education learning outcomes. These are: mine skills and competencies that are and in the book, should be designed to en- will be required of industry to create an Learning that is Related to the Student’s hance the student’s learning and to dem- effective workforce will be discussed. Curriculum: Co-op provides students onstrate co-op learning outcomes. Of with the opportunity to develop specific course, in order for these instruments and EXCERPTSFROMCHAPTER7: competencies,professionalskillsandtech- tools to be effective, they must be used Co-op as a Model for Authentic nical knowledge related to their academic wisely. Evaluations that students and su- AssessmentofStudent majors. Students to learn from profession- pervisors submit must be reviewed by the LearningOutcomes als in the field for which their disciplines co-op educator and used in consultation are preparing them. Educators have paid surprisingly little at- sessions with the student, not just put into tention to the assessment traditions and the portfolio or file. Students need feed- Learning that is Related to the “World of practices of experiential education. But co- back on their assignments, and in many Work”: Through cooperative education, op in particular has much to contribute to cases the co-op educator has to take the students are able to develop a better un- the on-going debate over assessment in time to help students see the link between derstanding of how to interact with others higher education, especially with respect working and learning. In order to compel in the workplace. They develop an under- to the utility of authentic assessment tech- students to put thought and effort into the standing of the culture, technology, and niques. In fact, cooperative education pro- assignments, it is best that they are re- practices of employing organizations. vides a model for assessing learning out- quired, not just encouraged. They must be Developing Connections Between comes in higher education. taken seriously by the student, the super- Theory and Practice: The coordination Thehallmarksofassessmentarereadily visor, and the co-op educator. Many dif- of work experiences with the campus edu- foundinco-op.Theyincludemultiplemeth- ferent outcomes can be found if these in- cational program provides a closer rela- ods of data collection, multiple perspec- struments are used well. tionship between theory and practice tives, student-constructed evaluation, pro- therefore students find more meaning in gram-based assessment, portfolios, and EXCERPTSFROMCHAPTER6: their studies. Students develop greater feedback loops. A further dynamic of as- SpecificOutcomesof clarityabouttheiracademicgoalsbecause sessment is that it takes place throughout Cooperative Education they have been able to see the connec- the student’s contact with the co-op pro- Cooperative education provides students tions between academic theory and work- gram. Students are developing personally with the opportunity to develop those skills place practice. and professionally at all phases. Co-op is which industry has identified as critical for The Ability to Test Aptitudes and Career uniquely equipped to sense subtle success. It also provides students with the Goals: Cooperative education provides changes and document development of opportunity to develop maturity and re- students with the ability to learn about op- students’skills. sponsibility as they make the transition tions as they define career plans and clarify Assessment in co-op can be helpful in from the role of student to professional. their career goals. They are able to explore many ways. Co-op professionals should Cooperative education is so powerful be- their abilities and determine their strengths consider the benefits of assessment to: cause its outcomes serve both educators andweaknesses. • The students: When evaluation instru- and employers and all to the benefit of The Transition from Student to Profes- ments sense and document their own students. Students receive an education sional: During the transition from student developing skills, students can appre- that is more valuable because it includes to full-fledged professional employee, co- ciate and build on what they are learn- the perspectives of both educators and op students are developing a sense of re- ing. employers. Educators are able to provide sponsibility and maturity. They are learn- • Theco-opprogram:Gatheringfeedback a better overall education for their students ing to rely on their own judgements and can improve the program, and publiciz- and Emerging Leaders Program. She is cur- 4 rently the Region IV representative on the CEA board, and has served several years on the board for MCEA and the Michigan Council for - ing assessment data that documents Cooperative. In addition, she has been involved student learning gives the program in career planning and education for 14 years and in co-op for 10 years. She has a Master of clout. Public Administration degree • The institution: Co-op assessment data includes excellent external feedback that can be helpful for accreditation and for program reviews. The session discussion will conclude with the steps that co-op programs should take to create and use an assessment strategy: • Definetheco-opprogram’s goals, keep- ing in mind our connection to the mis- sion and goals of our academic units and institution. • Establish specific learning outcomes that students will be achieving through participation in your co-op program. • Design evaluation instruments to mea- sure these specific learning outcomes and capture students’achievements. • Gather results of evaluation on a regu- lar and systematic schedule for use in measuring student learning as well as programevaluation. • Use the results of your evaluation pro- cess to promote the value of coopera- tive education. ••• Presenters: Cheryl Cates is an Associate Pro- fessor at the University of Cincinnati with nine years of experience in cooperative education. She has been an active member of the Ohio Cooperative Education Association and is cur- rently Secretary of that organization. She has presented at the World Association for Coop- erative Education, the Cooperative Education Association, and the Cooperative Education Di- vision of the American Society of Engineering and the Ohio Cooperative Education Associa- tion. She has been awarded the MCEA and OCEA Research Grants for 1999. Patricia Jones is Director of the College of Arts, Sciences & Letters co-op program at Univer- sity of Michigan-Dearborn. She is also chair of the college’s Experiential Learning Committee