Co-op Students Research Articles

Interest and its associations with university entrance grades, lecturers’ perceived support, and student dropout

AbstractMotivation decreases in higher education programs and is associated with dropout. Consequently, analyzing the development of motivation and subsequent student behavior is needed. We focused on factors that influence subject interest through the cognitive–rational aspect (university entrance grades) as well as the emotional aspect (perceived support from lecturers) and associated these variables with student dropout. We used data from 2301 co-op students in their first academic year collected by cross-sectional survey and university administration. We identified direct effects of interest, support, and university entrance grade on dropout rates and found that interest mediates lecturers’ perceived support and student dropout.

Employability skills in architecture and design: toward bridging the gap between academia and practice for Saudi women employees

PurposeThe role of women in the architecture and design industry is aligned with Saudi Arabia’s Vision 2030, which aims to increase the participation of women in the Saudi construction sector. Saudi female graduates from architectural and design schools are currently working in most of the mega projects underway in Riyadh; however, they face certain challenges at the beginning of their working lives due to the gap between the skills acquired during an architectural and design education and those needed for employability.Design/methodology/approachThis study evaluates the employability skills of Saudi female cooperative education (COOP) students and graduates from architectural schools in Riyadh. A quantitative approach is taken, and two questionnaires are administered: one for female COOP students and graduates from the college of architecture and design in one of the private universities in Riyadh and the other for employers from different architectural firms and governmental organizations in Riyadh. Descriptive and inferential statistics were used to analyze the research data.FindingsThe research findings suggest that practical experiences and on-site observation activities should be provided, and sustainability solutions and applications should be incorporated into the curriculum to bring architecture education closer to the architectural profession and highlight the role of universities in supporting graduates' skills development.Research limitations/implicationsIt is worth mentioning that the results of this study were based on the survey distributed to architecture and interior female students in a private university in Saudi Arabia. The number of students surveyed in this study is not large enough to generalize the survey results to the entire population of architecture and interior design students in the kingdom and in the world. The study will be extended to include more participants from male and female students in other universities in Saudi Arabia to investigate the gaps in employability skills in the field of architecture and interior design in the Kingdom.Practical implicationsThe study has practical and policy implications for further development and upcoming challenges as the labor market seems to improve and innovate every day. The study suggests providing practical experiences and onsite observation activities and incorporating sustainability solutions and applications into the curriculum.Originality/valueThe originality of this study is that it focuses on the importance of some employability skills, such as research and budgeting aspects, Sustainability solutions and applications for students that have not been mentioned in the previous studies.

Food Security Status in Relation to Co-operative Enrolment Among University of Waterloo Undergraduate Students: A Cross-Sectional Analysis.

Purpose: Co-operative (co-op) education facilitates development of workplace competencies but may have unintended consequences for financial stability and food security. This study examined the association between co-op program enrolment and food security status among a sample of undergraduate students. Financial insufficiency and strategies to cope with it were also characterized.Methods: Cross-sectional data were collected from 167 co-op and 89 non-co-op students at the University of Waterloo from January to March 2019. Logistic regression assessed associations between co-op program enrolment and food insecurity.Results: Twenty-four percent of co-op and 39.3% of non-co-op students lived in moderately or severely food insecure households. Adjusting for confounders, the odds of living in moderately or severely food insecure households were lower among co-op students (adjusted odds ratio: 0.51, 95% CI: 0.27-0.97), though no association was observed when marginal food insecurity was included within the food insecure category. One-quarter (26.3%) of co-op students and 38.2% of non-co-op students reported financial insufficiency, which they tried to cope with by asking parents or friends for assistance or initiating paid work.Conclusions: Co-op program enrolment was weakly associated with lower odds of living in moderately or severely food insecure households, and food insecurity prevalence was high overall. Efforts are needed to alleviate food insecurity among postsecondary students.

The role of education in the growth of the Georgian economy

The article - "The role of education in the growth of the Georgian economy" – is dedicated to the economic problem of Georgia, particularly unemployment, and explores the connection between the quality of education and this issue. An even more significant concern is the disproportionately high number of unemployed individuals, accounting for 18.5% of the working population. Among them, a remarkably large percentage consists of graduates from higher education institutions (32.3%) and vocational schools (over 40%). The author attributes this situation to the low quality of education in both types of institutions and the mismatch between the professions and competencies acquired by students and the labor market requirements. The article mentions that Europe experienced a similar problem before Georgia has faced it. To address this issue, the European Commission launched several programs and, in 2006, adopted an official document, “Knowledge into practice”. This document recognized the new model of higher education, known as the "Triple Helix" and European countries gradually started transitioning to this model. The authors of the article recommend the Ministry of Education and Science of Georgia, along with all its affiliated universities, to get acquainted with this model. By adapting it to the local conditions of Georgia, they should commence preparatory work for its practical implementation. It is suggested that each university in Georgia be encouraged to identify a “Center of Excellence” they are proud of and can expand to create a strong bond with local business firms. The relationship should serve students well. The strength of the "Triple Helix" model of higher education in the article is the close cooperation of universities with the business sector and the government of the country. The government of the country establishes the educational framework and regulations, while the business sector provides specific demands for skilled professionals and universities fulfill these. Graduates trained under this model are subsequently employed by the businesses that requested their specific skills. The author of the article claims that this model has worked in the UK, USA, Germany, Serbia and elsewhere, and will work in Georgia as well. In addition to the Triple Helix model, the article also emphasizes the significance of human capital as an essential factor of production contributing to economic growth. This has been developed by Professor Gary Becker of the University of Chicago (Becker, 1975). Furthermore, the article highlights the successful implementation of Co-Operative Education in the US, where students are placed in the workplace alternating with their academic studies. This program has been in place since 1906 at the University of Cincinnati and has resulted in half of the Co-Op students being offered full-time employment upon graduation (University of Cincinnati, 2021). The article notes that the necessity for education to collaborate with business has emerged in recent years. This was related to the acceleration of technical progress, which led to (and still leads to) the "aging" of professions. Added to this is the already outdated traditional thinking about education that education is the transfer of knowledge and the conduct of research. The new XXI century required education to play the role of a "public servant". This should be reflected in the smooth employment of the staff trained by it. This can only be achieved through deep and solid ties with the business sector. In this way, Georgian universities will be transformed into full-fledged market entities. They will realize that the "product" they create in the market (graduate specialist, research innovations) depends on consumers or employers and tailor the education process to their needs. According to the authors of the article, this will be a major turning point in Georgia's higher education, which will play a major positive role in the country's economic growth.

Gen Z students' work-integrated learning experiences and work values

PurposeThis study aims to explore the relationship between the number of co-operative (co-op) education work terms that students completed and the importance they attach to employer and job attributes (i.e. work values).Design/methodology/approachData were collected from a large cross-sectional survey of co-op students (N = 2,097) from one Canadian university.FindingsOf the 19 work values measured, only six were related to work experience. Whereas work experience was related to several of the least important work values, such as geographic location, it was unrelated to many of the most important work values, such as work–life balance. Further, evidence suggests that changes in work values occur when work experience is first introduced in the curriculum (e.g. first co-op work term), not at subsequent work experiences.Research limitations/implicationsThe findings extend the understanding of how work-integrated learning (WIL) prepares students to make decisions about their careers in the future of work and provide insights to address the challenge of scaling WIL. However, the study draws on cross-sectional data from one single Canadian university and does not explore potentially confounding factors including time itself or critical events such as the COVID-19 pandemic.Practical implicationsWIL educators may leverage these findings to improve their understanding of how students' work values evolve as they complete WIL experiences. They may also use insights from the study to align students' needs and employers' understandings of those needs.Originality/valueThis study is the first to explore how work values might change throughout a WIL program, particularly among Gen Z students whose work values seem divergent from those of previous generations.

Measuring the Effectiveness of a Hybrid Pedagogy in a Large-Scale Community College Soft Skills Intervention

ABSTRACT In 2013, an urban college developed a mandatory soft skills course. Unique among postsecondary institutions, the course has been running since fall 2015. Research has now been conducted into the effectiveness of the course. A mixed-methods research study collected primary data and a literature review of the pertinent secondary data. Data sets include a comparison of co-op employer ratings of students in a semester before the course was mandated and a semester after the course was mandated; a survey of co-op employers to rate their co-op student’s soft skills achievement; and a pre-post/post-pre survey of current students asking them to rate the importance of soft skills, their knowledge and demonstration of soft skills, and their intention to use soft skills. All data strongly support the claim that the course has been a positive soft skills intervention. Hypotheses are shown to be valid: current students see the course as an effective way of improving their understanding of soft skills, their ability to deploy soft skills, and their intention to deploy soft skills in future; and, co-op employers see it as a positive intervention by reporting more effective demonstration of soft skills among co-op students who have taken the course than among co-op students from other institutions who have not taken the course. We conclude that offering a course that follows our pedagogy is the most effective way to increase postsecondary student soft skills capabilities and ensure employers continue to be satisfied with graduate soft skills.

Effectiveness of Work-Integrated Learning Partnerships: Case Study of Cooperative Education in Agricultural Tertiary Education

The growing demand for promoting the role of higher education institutions in sustainability has contributed to creating new partnerships with other actors. In the field of education, the formation of cooperative education (co-op) partnerships was adopted as a strategy for work-integrated learning in cooperation with industry. This study investigated the effectiveness of co-op partnerships and the factors that influence them in the context of tertiary agriculture education in Saudi Arabia. A random sample of 130 co-op students was selected within the Bachelor of Agricultural Sciences delivered by the College of Food and Agriculture Sciences at King Saud University. The satisfaction level of students was explored in terms of four main areas, namely, the quality of the program design, organizational climate, personal and professional qualities, and program learning outcomes. The majority of students (70%) were highly satisfied with the quality of the program design, while they had a moderate level of satisfaction regarding the organizational climate of the co-op program (74.6%). Furthermore, 85.4% of students were highly satisfied regarding the learning outcomes they gained. The results also revealed that there were significant positive relationships between the level of satisfaction of students regarding program learning outcomes and their quality assessments of the program design, personal and professional qualities, and organizational climate. The measurement scale used in this study may assist in assessing the sustainability of co-op partnerships. Moreover, understanding the satisfaction level of students can help to identify areas that should be improved and, in turn, contribute to improving the governance and sustainability of co-op partnerships for all stakeholders.

Practice Makes Perfect

Co-op placements are vital components of an LIS edcucation. Co-op programs allow students to gain relevant work experience, apply their theoretical knowledge of librarianship in the field, and identify new areas for professional development; however, one aspect is often overlooked in these programs. LIS co-op students can expand their experiential learning by proposing and pursuing new projects in the field, which will enhance their overall education and support their institution and profession at the same time. In this article, I will reflect on my co-op experience with the Collections and Content team at the University of Guelph, and I'll discuss how a group of co-op students started the first Co-op Community of Practice at Guelph.

How do the digital competences of students in vocational schools differ from those of students in cooperative higher education institutions in Germany?

Digital skills are thought to be a key competence of the twenty-first century. With the rapid growth of internet and communication tool (ICT) usage among both students and teachers, cooperative (co-op) education programmes, like other educational institutions, face the challenge of integrating and supporting digital skill development. However, little is known about how these skills are developed prior to entering cooperative education programmes. Against this background, a sample of 893 freshers, ranging from vocational students to co-op students, were tested according to their digital skills. The analysis shows that co-op students have a higher level of competence than vocational students. In addition, we found that in our sample social background has no impact on digital competences. The results are discussed and classified in the context of the current state of research.

CO-OP STUDENT INVOLVEMENT IN THE ADVANCEMENT OF A FACULTY’S SAFETY EDUCATION AND CULTURE: A LARGE-SCALE PROJECT OF VIDEO CREATION FOR LABORATORY COURSES

Safety is one of many imperatives considered by engineers as they design, build, test, and maintain solutions to meet client needs. The mindset and relevant knowledge of individual engineers toward safety is formed n the tertiary classroom, which students then carry with them into their careers and influence the safety culture of heir workspaces. As an innovative means to include safety content in the University of Alberta’s Faculty of Engineering undergraduate programs, a large-scale project tasked co-op students with creating videos promoting and instructing on safety concepts and procedures in laboratory spaces. Beyond the deliverables, this authentic, active learning experience increased the safety knowledge and commitment of both students and staff, infiltrating and positively impacting the safety culture within all engineering and science programs.

The perfect synergy: Alumni, donors, students, employers — A case study in Silicon Valley

This is a case study about overcoming internal institutional silos to develop a new market for alumni engagement, donor cultivation, and student and alumni job opportunities. Simon Fraser University (SFU) was unknown in the Bay Area until three key areas of the university banded together to form the Bay Area Working Group — a cross-functional team to develop a comprehensive strategy for that region. The paper discusses specific strategies that were developed to address the following goals: (1) increasing the number of activities delivered in the region, while maximising strategic outcomes for broader institutional needs, (2) coordinating a single delegation to participate in one or two annual trips to the region, (3) increasing the number of organisations that hired co-op students by using alumni as door openers, (4) integrating current students into alumni-based activities in the region, (5) increasing university pride and loyalty held by alumni in the region, and (6) increasing recognition and acknowledgment of the SFU brand. Five years later, SFU is a leader in the region with record levels of alumni engagement, an increase in the number of financial gifts being realised, significant growth in the number of student co-op positions being posted, and the likes of Facebook, Google, Microsoft and Apple recruiting on an active basis on campus. A list of recommendations are provided to guide others who are keen to both enhance the outcomes realised in existing areas and expand activities into new markets.

Using learning environments to create meaningful work for co-op students

ABSTRACTFor students in cooperative education (co-op) programs, meaningful work is a critical aspect of participation and a key component of program success. However, studies have not explored how meaningful work can be created for co-op students. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the relationship between co-op students’ perceptions of a learning environment, perceived relatedness of the work experience (to their potential careers and to their academic studies), and self-reported meaningfulness of work. Data were collected from undergraduate co-op students in a Canadian university immediately following a co-op work term. Results from testing a parallel mediation model showed that both forms of relatedness partially mediated the influence of learning environments on self-reported meaningfulness. These findings offer insight into the ways in which work terms can be designed to enhance co-op students’ work experiences.

Lifelong learning characteristics, adjustment and extra-role performance in cooperative education

Many organisations hire students from cooperative education (co-op) programmes. These organisations are interested in students’ performance, particularly in their extra-role performance. Previous studies show that socialisation processes play an important part in establishing adjustment and performance. It may also be the case that students’ approach to learning (their motivations, attitudes and strategies) influences the socialisation process, and consequently adjustment and performance. The purpose of this study was to examine the influence of co-op students’ lifelong learning characteristics on two organisational socialisation outcomes (role understanding and social acceptance) and three types of extra-role performance (proactive, adaptive and prosocial). Data were collected from a cross-sectional survey of undergraduates (n = 1698) enrolled in co-op who had just completed a work term in a new role. Regression analyses showed that lifelong learning characteristics influenced both forms of adjustment, and all three forms of performance. Further mediation analyses showed that both forms of adjustment partially mediated the relationships between lifelong learning and all three forms of performance. These results suggest that co-op students’ lifelong learning characteristics play an important role during organisational socialisation and subsequent extra-role performance. Implications for future research and for practice are discussed.

Organizational supports and individuals commitments through work integrated learning

Purpose – The development of individual work competencies through work integrated learning (WIL) emanates from expectations of students to learn from both the workplace and their educational institution, and an assumption that WIL stakeholders will support them. This exchange between individuals and organizational insiders, according to the social exchange norm of reciprocity, may also nurture organizational behaviors. WIL student-workers may perceive support from insiders, and orient their behaviors to increase their contribution to the host organization in terms of performance, by developing specific bonds of commitment toward different targets. The paper aims to discuss these issues. Design/methodology/approach – By designing a “WIL perception of workplace support system” including four core stakeholders as a predictor of bonds of commitments, the author tested these relationships on a sample of 2,457 co-op students enrolled in a North American University. Findings – Results globally supported the hypotheses. Student-workers perception of co-workers and supervisor supports developed commitment to team. Student-workers perception of co-workers, supervisor, and organizational supports developed commitment to the host organization and to the work. However, the effect of perception of University support on commitment to host organization and to work was non-significant. Originality/value – Given the lack of studies in the WIL field from an organizational approach, the author propose to investigate what supports are perceived by WIL student-workers, and whether these supports develop specific bonds of commitment.

Interview anxiety across the sexes: Support for the sex-linked anxiety coping theory

The sex-linked anxiety coping theory states that females’ anxiety levels may be less detrimental to their selection test performance because they have more available coping resources and engage in more constructive coping strategies prior to and during selection tests. This research project sought to investigate whether gender moderates the link between interview anxiety and interview performance. Co-op students (N=125) participated in a mock interview as part of a course requirement. The results indicated that gender moderated the relation between self-rated interview anxiety and interview performance. Males were no more anxious than were females, but experienced significantly greater impairments to performance in the job interview as a result of interview anxiety. Of interest, interviewer-rated interview anxiety did not interact with gender to predict interview performance, which supports preliminary research evidence that perceptions and the experience of interview anxiety are not necessarily congruent.

Crossing Boundaries: Co-op Students Relearning to Write

This article reviews the deeply conflicted literature on learning transfer, especially as it applies to rhetorical knowledge and skill. It then describes a study in which six students are followed through their first co-op work term to learn about which resources they draw on as they enter a new environment of professional writing. It suggests that although students engage in little one-to-one transfer of learning, they draw on a wide range of internalized rhetorical strategies learned from across their academic experience.

Gauging Workplace Readiness: Assessing the Information Needs of Engineering Co-op Students.

Librarians at the Science and Engineering Library at the University of Minnesota surveyed engineering students participating in a work placement as part of the cooperative education program. The survey asked about students' on-the-job information usage, comfort level accessing different types of engineering literature, and experience learning to use specific resources. All respondents indicated having to find some sort of information during their work placement. Industry standards and books had particularly high usage. A variety of levels of comfort and history of instruction were also reported. The goal of this study was to get a better idea of the practical information needs that undergraduate engineering students could expect to encounter in the workplace and better tailor our information literacy instruction to meet those needs in the future. These findings will further strengthen our case for curriculum integration in future conversations with engineering faculty. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Educational Effects and Problems on Cooperative Education for Training Practical Engineer at Anan National College of Technology

In recently years, Kosen colleges have been started to address the cooperative educations that are mainly formed by introducing industrial engineers into practical subjects in curricula. But, a new cooperative education has been conducted at Anan college of technology in Japan since 2007, and that consists of the practical work programs at manufacturing industries to enhance communication skill and work ability before graduation by iterative work. The new cooperative education succeeded in enhancing work ability by return ability evaluation to the first-third coop students. And the coop students acquired to problem-solving skill by addressing the practical design projects as graduation work. The results of questionnaire surveys for coop students are follows ; it was necessary for each student to design optimum work program to enhance work ability furthermore, and to reinforce the cooperation between faculty and industrial engineer to achieve concrete results in the practical design projects.

Professional Development for College Students in Tough Economic Times: The Drexel University Co-op Program Model

The United States is currently experiencing a financial recession with large and lasting consequences.College students and recent college graduates have certainly felt the impact of the current recession.The staff and faculty at Drexel University’s Steinbright Career Development Center (SCDC) inPhiladelphia, Pennsylvania have developed many initiatives to help both graduating seniors andstudents enrolled in our cooperative education program land meaningful, relevant employmentopportunities. One initiative aims to provide our co-op students with the most effective preparation tonot only secure jobs, but to excel at those jobs and make lasting positive impressions on theiremployers. To accomplish this goal during these extraordinarily tough economic conditions, the facultyrevised the curriculum of our Career Management and Professional Development course, otherwiseknown as COOP 101. This required course provides students with the practical tools they need to besuccessful during their job searches as well as on the job. By changing the course from a lecture inclass, practice out of class model to a demonstrate in class, practice in class model the COOP 101faculty aimed to prepare students for the realities of a difficult job market.

Co-operative(Co-op) Education at University of the Pacific And Its Assessment for ABET Accreditation of Mechanical Engineering Program

Co-operative (Co-op) education is a college program that integrates classroom studies with paid, productive and real-life work experience. A mandatory Co-op program for the degree is introduced with a sample curriculum from the Mechanical Engineering program at University of the Pacific. The mandatory Co-op program requires a minimum of 7 months of work experience with the option of pursuing a 12 month program. Students also have the opportunity of participating in an Engineering Industry Fellowship (EIF) program or an International Engineering Co-op program (IECP). University of the Pacific has engineering programs in Bio-Engineering, Civil Engineering, Computer Engineering, Electrical Engineering, Engineering Management, Engineering Physics, and Mechanical Engineering. All the programs are ABET-accredited except the Bio-Engineering program, which is relatively new. The Co-op employers evaluate the Co-op students at the end of the working period before returning to school, and the students also provide an evaluation of their Co-op experience. Co-op employer evaluations of student work are used in ABET assessment methods developed by the Mechanical Engineering program at University of the Pacific.