Marine Technology Cooperative Education Syllabus
Whidbey Island Campus
Fall 2006
Instructor: Robin Bridges
Cooperative Education Coordinator
Skagit Valley College, Whidbey Island Campus
1900 SE Pioneer Way
Oak Harbor, WA
98277-3099
Appointments: (360) 679-5319
Direct number: (360) 679-5326
FAX: (360) 679-5375
Old Main, Room 100
Email:
Website: http://www.skagit.edu/news.asp_Q_pagenumber_E_1327
This website contains information on the programs, potential work-sites, and required paperwork.
Office Hours for Fall Quarter:
You may make an appointment for a specific time by calling the Student Service office at 679-5319 to determine my availability. It is best to call first if you intend to drop in, as this schedule is subject to change throughout the quarter. I do maintain a large number of drop-in and appointment times throughout the week
Office hours:
Monday: 10:30-12:00noon
Tuesday: 1:30-3:30pm
Wednesday: 8:00-9:30am
Thursday: 9:00-10:30am and 4:30-6:00pm
Friday: By appointment only
Marine Tech Orientation: Orientation will be arranged as an appointment in my office or I will meet with the group at the Marine Technology Center
You do not need to wait until Orientation to start your Co-op process. I recommend talking to potential Sponsors (employers) well before the quarter you plan to do your Co-op, especially if you want to find a Sponsor who is willing to pay a wage or stipend.
Cooperative Education (Co-Op) Co-Op is an educational program at Skagit Valley College that helps students apply knowledge and theory gained in the classroom to practical work situations. This is accomplished through placement in an employment or volunteer position within the community that is related to the student’s classroom study, and educational and career goals. This process of cooperative education, which combines college level classes with relevant work-based learning experiences, further allows students to explore possible career choices and learn what preparations they need in order to be successfully employed. The student, faculty sponsor, and coordinator work closely together to ensure a successful learning experience.
Why is co-op important?
Making the transition from school to work can be a difficult. We realize most of you may have been in the workforce already, either military or industry. We understand that many of you feel that you should not have to pay tuition to go to work. But, please realize that many of you have not necessarily worked in THIS industry yet, and if you have, you may not have used your new knowledge. Co-op is a time for you to use your new knowledge and apply it before graduating. This is a state requirement.
Possible benefits from your Co-op experience:
· Gain greater knowledge of tasks and skills required in your industry
· Ability to assess the culture and work environment of a particular workplace
· Chance to determine how to obtain a full time position in the field by networking
· May lead to an offer of employment
· Opportunity to decide if more education would be beneficial for greater advancement or earnings potential
Student Rights and Responsibilities
Co-Op students, as any other employee, will be expected to follow the host organization’s rules and regulations, unless a specific exception has been made. Students will, for example, provide their employers adequate notice if they are unable to attend work due to illness, or if they are accepting a position with another employer. It is the policy of Skagit Valley College not to discriminate on the basis of sex, race, color, disability, religion, age, or national origin. Sexual harassment of any type will not be tolerated.
Three people are involved in helping you make this experience successful.
Roles:
1. Cooperative Education Coordinator: Robin Bridges, keeps a current file of the required paperwork and will assist in determining your final grade. The coordinator can help you find a compatible worksite and can also serve as a Faculty Sponsor if one from your program is not available
2. Faculty Sponsor: Mike or Larry or any other instructor from the MT program. Provides guidance in helping you to create learning objectives, supports you in the project by answering questions, and assists in determining final grade (The Co-op Coordinator is your faculty sponsor during summer quarter)
3. Supervisor: If you are doing an independent contractor project, you will not need a supervisor. However, if you are working for an organization, then the person in charge of you at that site will be your supervisor. Your supervisor can help you with your learning objectives. This person will also complete the supervisor evaluation form. They will work with the coordinator to determine your grade. You must have an independent project approved by Mike or Larry before starting. The Co-op Coordinator cannot approve an independent project.
Steps to make the Co-Op Experience Successful (Explained in more detail below)
q Get Permission from your program department (Mike or Larry).
q Determine the number of credits you need to earn for the quarter.
q Register for the appropriate class, MT 199.
q Attend a Cooperative Education Orientation session (Arranged)
q Read every detail of the syllabus
q Ask the Co-op Coordinator questions about anything that is not clear
q Find a suitable paid or unpaid internship(co-op) placement with an employer
q Complete and turn in a Learning Contract (must be signed by relevant stakeholders)
q Create and submit Learning Objectives for the quarter (must be signed by relevant stakeholders)
q Begin working for your Co-op Ed employer…do a good job
q Complete reflective writing component of the Co-op Ed experience (Summary paper and journals) Complete and turn in all necessary forms and final paperwork on time
Marine Technology Credit and Grading Requirements
You will be completing 200 hours of Co-Op in an employer’s worksite or you may do an independent contract project with permission of your Faculty Sponsor. These 200 hours translate to 4 credits. You may divide the 200 hours between quarters or work at a different site in different quarters; however, please be aware that you will have additional written work assignments if you choose this option.
The Requirements of Co-Op MT 199:
Please go to the WIC Student Services website for any additional forms you may need.
Due Dates
Learning Contract / Friday, October 13, or soonerLearning Objectives Worksheet / Friday, October 13, or sooner
Journals (due weekly every Tuesday) / Weekly by Tuesday after starting Co-op
Student Self Evaluation / Wednesday, November 29, or sooner
Time Sheet / Wednesday, November 29, or sooner
Supervisor Evaluation / Wednesday, November 29, or sooner
Analytical Paper / Wednesday, November 29, or sooner
Supplemental Assignments (per Faculty sponsor) / Wednesday, November 29, or sooner
Quarterly Uncompleted Hours Form (If necessary) / Wednesday, November 29, or sooner
1. Learning Contract The student learning contract identifies the job description and work-based learning objectives. If a student splits the 200 mandatory hours between two work sites there must be a contract for each site.
The objectives are designed to focus the student on exactly what they want out of their learning experience. The learning objective statements should have several different components: what you will be doing, how you will do it, how it will be measured, and lastly, who will evaluate it. Objectives should be specific, measurable, and reasonable. They should also have a clear timetable and describe accountability.
There two mandatory learning objectives per Co-Op Site for MT. (If a student chooses to do co-op with more than one employer to complete the 200 hours the same two mandatory objectives must be accomplished at each site). The student must formulate one additional learning objective per credit. Each objective, including the ones the student creates and the mandatory two per site need to be addressed in the weekly work-notes and analytical paper (See instructions for both assignments below).
You should have a total of six objective statements on the worksheet.
4 credits=6 statements
The two mandatory objective statements (per work site placement if you choose to work at different sites) are:
1. I will learn more about the place where I am working by discussing with my supervisor what my place is in the organization and the order in which work jobs are delegated. I will complete this task by talking with my supervisor and this task will be done by the end of the quarter.
2. I will learn how to go about ordering materials. I will accomplish this task by learning who specifies orders, how orders are received, who accounts for the supplies and parts, and who the suppliers are. I will learn how to do this by talking with my supervisor and this will be done by the end of the quarter.
The objective statements you write should be written in this format:
What are you doing, how will you do it, when will you do it by, and who will evaluate it.
I will do (WHAT-task) ______by___ (HOW-example: research) ____and ___ (example: interviewing) _____, _ (WHEN -by the end of the quarter______. This will be evaluated by___ (WHO-immediate supervisor) ___.
Here are some examples of complete objective statements:
~~By the end of the term, I will design a billing record to document work completed and parts purchased that will satisfy the customer and their records and government agencies for tax purposes. This will be evaluated by my supervisor.
~~By the end of the term, I will install a new AC/DC electrical panel on a boat by research how they are installed this will be evaluated by my supervisor.
~~By the end of the term, I will install a heart freedom Model 20 inverter/charger and main AGM battery bank to support the inverter. My supervisor will evaluate this installation.
Additionally, you must include a job description with the contract (It may be attached as a separate document.) Please write a complete job description in sentence format or use one that was provided by your co-op site. The contract in not valid without all four signatures. You are responsible for obtaining the first three signatures prior to submitting the contract to the Co-Op Coordinator for the fourth signature.
· Objective Statements need to be written on the Objective Worksheet and signed by your sponsor, site supervisor, and lastly, you. Please attach the worksheet to the learning contract before turning it in to the Co-Op Coordinator.
Work Notes –Due weekly for a minimum of 5 weeks of journals. These must be emailed as a MS Word document or in the content of the email to and your Faculty Sponsor
Your work notes are a reflection of what you have done towards completion of your objectives. The notes should be at least three complete paragraphs. All work-notes are due weekly for a minimum of 5 weeks. Every day your work-notes are late, one point is deducted.
All Work Notes must have the proper heading in order to be accepted:
Student Name
Co-OP course number/number of credits
Quarter and Year
Work Week of (starting day/date to day/date)
Number of Co-Op hours worked for the week
Cumulative Number of hours to date
1. List key activities you performed for each objective.
2. What specific skills did you use that you learned from the classroom?
3. Did you use any skills that were not learned in the classroom?
4. How far along are you to completing your objectives?
5. What have you learned from the activities you did this week?
6. Overall, how is the co-op working for you?
Student Self Evaluation
The student needs to complete a self evaluation by the end of the quarter. This evaluation form is attached to the syllabus or found at the WIC Student Services Website. Use full sentences.
Supervisor Evaluation
The student is responsible for having the employer complete the evaluation in a timely manner as to be able to turn it in by the due date. The student is responsible for returning the form, not the employer. The employer will evaluate the student employee in the areas of attitude, dependability, quality of work skills, and achievement of learning objectives among others.
MT Co-Op Summary Paper
This paper needs to be typed, double-spaced, and a summary of your Co-Op experience. Your paper should be 2-3 pages in length. This paper should indicate the knowledge gained, new skills learned, new insights acquired, and how the objectives were accomplished. There are specific questions to address in your paper. Turn in a copy to the Co-op coordinator and your Faculty sponsor.
1. State what each objective was and whether you met it or not. Explain how you met the objective. Did you accomplish other objectives in the process?
2. Explain what you learned about yourself
3. How did this work-based learning experience expand your knowledge of your professional/technical field?
4. What specific experiences contributed to expanding your knowledge?
5. What new skills did you acquire?
6. Did you adequately feel you were prepared for this experience? Why?
7. If you were not prepared, what do you feel you wish you learned more of in the classroom.
8. If the transfer of skills from the classroom to the work-site went smoothly, what skills helped you the most?
Grading
20 points - Learning Contract with objective statements
10 points for completely filled out contract
10 points for complete objective statements
25 points - Work Notes-
5 points each for a total of five
20 points - Student Self Evaluation
5 points for completely filling out form
5 points for content and complete reflection
5 points for clearly answering the specific skill needed to be successful in field
5 points for stating the lessons learned from the experience
15 points - Supervisor Evaluation
20 points – Co-Op summary Paper
5 points stating objectives again
5 points for discussion of finishing objectives
5 points for reflection (3rd paragraph)
5 points for overall Content and Layout
5 points - Time Sheets
Credit is awarded at the rate of one credit per completion of all work hours and the completion of ALL assignments and paperwork. The Co-Op Coordinator along with your sponsor and work site supervisor will determine your grade.
Grading Breakdown
A: 100-95 A-: 94-90