As students venture off campus for university-sponsored activities, are they at risk, given that universities are better able to control risk factors on campus than they can for their off-campus activities? Co-operative education is a formalized and longstanding academic program that often sees students spend upwards of a third of their time off…

A research and development effort was undertaken to provide definition and validate the emerging role of the Work-Based Learning Teacher Coordinator through the use of a DACUM process in cooperation with the Pennsylvania Cooperative Education Association with funding support provided by the Pennsylvania Department of Education, Bureau of Career…

Big business continues to request universities to produce graduates who possess both technical and generic skills. Although work-integrated learning (WIL) programs can be used to develop these skills, WIL placements in Australia are undertaken by a minority of students. Perceiving a gap, one Australian university undertook a major WIL revamp to…

The best way to maintain the integrity of the on-the-job aspect of cooperative education is through a written plan of learning activities developed by the teacher-coordinator of the cooperative program and the employer of the student-trainee. (Author/MU)

Performance appraisal is an appropriate method for evaluating cooperative education students. Coordinators should use them to give students feedback on job performance, help improve communication between co-op students and job supervisors, measure student progress for grading purposes, and help students establish performance objectives for the…

Cooperative education coordinators (n=383) identified the following quality indicators of worksites for student placement: promote students' professional development, encourage professionalism in the co-op experience, help develop thinking and communication skills, provide challenging learning experiences, and encourage pride and competence. (SK)

The purpose of this study was to analyze Work Experience and Diversified Cooperative Training in-service teacher-coordinator perceptions to determine: (1) acceptance/rejection of 13 postulates, (2) acceptance/rejection of concepts/elements complementing the postulates, (3) the rank ordering of accepted concepts/elements, (4) acceptance/rejection…

Summarizes the findings of a national study assessing cooperative vocational programs at the secondary level. Highlights the characteristics of successful programs, including teacher-coordinators, participating students, training sponsors, organization and governance, and special populations. Available from W.C. Publications, Inc., P.O. Box 1578,…

Among the 201 respondents to a survey of 250 co-op directors/coordinators, most have master's degrees, held their positions 3 years or less, underuse informal educational opportunities such as conferences, and do not see much hope for advancement. (SK)

Identifies effective motivational techniques for cooperative education coordinators to share with supervisors and provides suggestions for supervisors to follow to help make a student's cooperative experience productive. (JOW)

Step-by-step preparation of performance goals in cooperative education described and illustrated with a prototype entitled, Applying for a Job.'' (MU)

Discusses a task analysis survey of cooperative education coordinators in Michigan. Indicates that the majority were teacher-coordinators, i.e., responsible for school-related vocational instruction as well as coordination of students' work experience. Lists coordinator tasks and duties. (Available from W. C. Publications Inc., P.O. Box 1578,…

This paper analyzes credibility and sensitivity in conjunction with cooperative education program development. The author also discusses several phases of program development (student orientation and employer contact) and how they tie in with credibility and sensitivity. (CT)