Co-operative Education Programs
Co-op programs provide students with the opportunity to integrate their classroom learning with hands-on work experience related to their field of study in which they alternate periods of paid, full-time, supervised work experiences with their academic terms.
According to the Canadian Association for Cooperative Education (CAFCE; http://www.cafce.ca/en/coop-defined), a co-op program is one which alternates periods of academic study with periods of work experience in accordance with the following criteria:
- each work situation is developed and/or approved by the co-operative educational institution as a suitable learning situation;
- the co-operative student is engaged in productive work rather than merely observing;
- the co-operative student receives remuneration for the work performed;
- the co-operative student’s progress on the job is monitored by the co-operative educational institution;
- the co-operative student’s performance on the job is supervised and evaluated by the student’s co-operative employer; and
- time spent in periods of work experience must be at least thirty per cent of the time spent in academic study.
Co-operative education programs can be either for credit or zero credit endeavours, and are generally noted on the transcript and degree. Co-operative student positions are most often 4 to 8 months in duration, with a commitment of 12-16 months in total over the course of the degree. Given the alternating nature, co-operative education programs tend, in most cases, to necessitate alignment with a trimester system.
Key Features
How do students engage in EE?
Students engage in work activities where they practice the discipline or course specific competencies and skills in an authentic work context.
To what extent are community partners engaged/involved?
The work experience requires some form of learning agreement that is shared by the partner organization, the faculty supervisor and the student. The student’s work progress is monitored by York University and work performance is supervised and evaluated by the partner organization.
Is priority given to student learning outcomes or community partner needs?
Supervised work is done so that it benefits both student learning and the partner organization.
How long and how frequently do these experiences occur?
Co-op work terms typically take place after a student’s second year of study for 4-8 months of consecutive work with a commitment of 12-16 months in total over the course of the degree (or 30% of time spent in academic study). Students alternate periods of academic study with periods of work experience.
How are students remunerated?
Co-operative education programs can be either for credit or zero credit endeavours, and are generally noted on the transcript and degree. Co-ops are typically paid work experiences.
Course Example
Lassonde School of Engineering
Lassonde’s co-op program will comprise at least four months of work before third year, and a continuous period of at least eight months after third year, for a total of 16 months. Students will receive career skills workshops in preparation for their jobs, on-the-job evaluation by work managers and university staff, and grading of work reports by academic staff. In keeping with Lassonde’s focus on entrepreneurship, student entrepreneurs can do co-op at their own start-up companies. All engineering programs at Lassonde will be Co-op. The first co-op work term will take place in summer 2015.
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