COOPERATIVE EDUCATION
COLLEGE CREDITS THROUGH WORK EXPERIENCE
An opportunity to:
 Get involved with your learning;
 Test out what you want to do with your life; and
 Earn money!!
TAKE A LOOK AT
COOPERATIVE EDUCATION AT
THE UNIVERSITY OF MAINE AT MACHIAS
FILE AN APPLICATION WITH:
BRENDA FREY
COOPERATIVE EDUCATION COORDINATOR
UNIVERSITY OF MAINE AT MACHIAS
TORREY HALL
116 O’BRIEN AVENUE
MACHIAS, ME 04654
COOPERATIVE EDUCATION PROGRAM
UNIVERSITY OF MAINE AT MACHIAS
GENERAL INFORMATION FOR STUDENTS
WHAT IS COOPERATIVE EDUCATION?
Cooperative Education (Co-op) is a method of integrating classroom theory with practical experience through a
work situation. The word “cooperative” emphasizes an arrangement that combines the efforts of employers,
educators, and students to form a superior educational program for students. Co-op is a college course that
takes place in a work environment rather than a classroom environment.
WHY GET INVOLVED?
There are a variety of benefits to be derived from being enrolled in Cooperative Education. Specifically Co-op
may:
 provide an alternative to classroom learning
 give an orientation to classroom learning
 increase the potential for placement, advancement, and remuneration after graduation
 provide an opportunity to test our occupational choices
 help bring reality to classroom theory thereby developing greater understanding of the field of study
 help to develop personal characteristics which aid in obtaining a successful career
 develop connections for full-time professional employment
WHAT ABOUT MY UNIVERSITY/STUDENT STATUS? DO I RECEIVE CREDIT?
You can enroll in co-op during the fall, spring, and summer semester. You are considered to be a regular
student while enroll in Co-op. You pay the regular tuition fee, and you do get credits for your work experience.
The number of credits depends on the nature of the work, the amount of time worked (a minimum of 70 hours
per credit hour), and the learning objectives identified for this experience.
DO I RECEIVE PAY?
Usually your Co-op experience will be a regular paying job with an employer. However, some volunteer
positions may also qualify as a Co-op experience.
Your pay comes directly from the employer. The Co-op Office has no money to pay student employees. Some
Co-op positions are also work-study supported, but those arrangements must be made with the Financial Aid
Office.
DOES ANY KIND OF EMPLOYMENT QUALIFY?
No. The Co-op experience must be directly related to the field of study in which you are enrolled, or it
must be directly related to specific career goals. The Co-op experience must also be approved by the Co-op
Coordinator and Academic Advisor.
REQUIRED TEXT OR MATERIALS
Individualized library or resource material when specified by workstation or college supervisor.
COURSE DESCRIPTION
A cooperative education program for selected students who demonstrate interest and ability to profit from such
an educational experience. Co-op involves a supervised work experience that cultivates the student’s ability to
relate academic knowledge to a practical work experience that tapes place in an external classroom
environment.
COURSE OBJECTIVES
I. To enable the student to apply classroom theory to actual work situations, thus gaining a better
understanding of his/her field.
II. Provides the student an opportunity to work with and observe people of varied backgrounds, a kind of
education not possible in the classroom.
III. To assist the student in making an intelligent selection of a field of interest and long-range career
objectives.
IV. The student acquires human relation skills and gains first-hand knowledge of various problems which
confront management and labor.
V. To establish a successful three-way relationship among the student, the university, and the employer.
STUDENT CRITERIA FOR COURSE PARTICIPATION
1. Enrollment in any UMM academic program as outlined in the college catalog.
2. Student has successfully completed at least 24 credit hours of academic study.
3. Student is responsible for obtaining a position in a qualified training station.
4. Student must secure a faculty sponsor who is familiar with the area/discipline of the proposed Co-op.
The faculty sponsor must approve the learning objectives.
5. Student must complete and submit to the Cooperative Education (Career Development) Office an
application form, an advisor recommendation and faculty sponsor form, and a personal resume.
6. The student must assume the responsibility for proper course registration.
7. Students receiving financial aid for credits and charges DO NOT QUALIFY for federal work-study
funds for the hours worked toward the co-op. Eligibility MUST be verified through the Financial Aid
Office.
8. The student is responsible for full compliance with the requirements of the cooperative education
program.
LENGTH OF COURSE AND CREDITS
The granting of academic credit for an approved training experience will be determined by the college
coordinator and the faculty sponsor after an examination of the following criteria: nature of the work to be
performed, the learning objectives identified, the number of weeks involved, and the anticipated hours per
week.
Generally, in completion of course requirements, the Cooperative Education student will be employed for
twelve to fifteen weeks and will receive between three and five credit hours. A student may register for an
additional Cooperative Education course(s) as long as the total credit hours do not exceed ten in an
academic semester or summer session or more than 15 credit hours in Cooperative Education toward a
baccalaureate degree.
STUDENT EVALUATION
1. Employer’s evaluation
2. Final report and/or specialized project
3. Faculty sponsor’s evaluation of attainment of the learning objectives
4. Evaluation based on site visit
5. Faculty sponsor’s evaluation based on all submitted materials
6. Submission of a work station time schedule certifying accumulated hours and signed by supervisor
7. Completion of all other Co-op and work station requirements
OPERATION OF COOPERATIVE PROGRAM
1. The work station should provide an experience that increases with difficulty and responsibility and/or
specific experiences not available in class laboratories.
2. The student’s work must be related to his/her field of study or fulfill an individual interest toward a
chosen field.
3. In the completion of credit hour requirements, the Cooperative Education student may work on a parttime basis.
4. College supervisor will make at least one site visit during work experiences.
5. A student’s participation in Cooperative Education may be terminated by one of the three parties to the
contract for failure to meet agreed conditions.
ATTENDANCE POLICY
A student is obligated to fulfill his/her assigned time schedule that is designated by the employer. A reasonable
rate of attendance is necessary to earn college credit.
COOPERATIVE EDUCATION PROGRAM
UNIVERSITY OF MAINE AT MACHIAS
SUGGESTED GUIDELINES FOR THE DEVELOPMENT OF LEARNING OBJECTIVES
I. INTRODUCTION
Part of the requirements of the Cooperative Education Program at UMM is that the student must pursue a
planning program of work experience education that includes new or expanded responsibilities of learning
opportunities beyond those experienced during a possible previous employment. Simply stated, learning
objectives are your plan for learning that will take place on the job. By setting objectives it is anticipated
you will realize a greater accomplishment.
A statement of objectives aims at identifying goals and describing desired outcomes or performances that
learners should have as a result of participation in an activity. A job-related objective is a result or intended
outcome that one is interested in achieving on the job during a specific evaluation period. The objective or
accomplishment describes the change in behavior or learning that was intended. These objectives will
enable the Cooperative Education Office to determine the learning value of the student’s work experience.
Learning objectives become more valuable through active student-employer dialogue. Your employer
becomes a partner, forearmed with knowledge of your intention and, at the same time, you may become
more aware of your employer’s goals. Behind this emphasis of objectives development is the belief that a
student cannot be passive and merely perform well in their instructional assignments, but they must be
perceptive and seek to experience real learning.
The University of Maine at Machias strongly supports the philosophy that a student’s learning experiences
on a job are as valid as the learning experiences in a classroom setting. Job-related objectives provide a plan
for educational growth and become an additional basis for evaluation and awarding of academic credit and
letter grade in the same way as other courses taught in the traditional classroom.
There are significant benefits to the student in the development of learning objectives:
Recognition as a unique person
Understanding of learning values of a job
Careful delineation of job duties
Clear understanding of evaluation criteria
Clear communication with a supervisor
Increased motivation to achieve
II. SUGGESTED AREAS FROM WHICH TO DEVELOP LEARNING OBJECTIVES
On the next page are seven broad categories with examples of possible areas from which you may wish to
develop learning objectives. You should utilize this as a guide in developing your own learning objectives.
You need not have objectives from all areas.
1. Specific Job Competencies – Particular understanding or work skills you would like to learn; like
drafting, art work in a special medium, tutoring, office management, cost accounting, editing,
counseling the elderly, land use planning, or a recreation program.
2. Career Exploration – First-hand observation of the daily routine of professionals in an area of interest,
direct involvement in the types of work involved in a field, knowledge of job opportunities that might be
available, and familiarity with occupational literature and organizations.
3. Broadening Horizons – Achieving some familiarity with the bureaucracy of public agencies,
understanding why social programs often do not work well, getting a better application of the social role
that organizations play and the values that they hold.
4. Learning About Work – How to make your way through a complex hiring process, understanding the
fringe benefits and personal policies that affect your welfare, learning how such practices are related to
laws concerning employment.
1. Interpersonal Skills – Learning how to deal with pressure and tension in work relationships, how to
communicate what you know to strangers, being able to recognize when to speak and when to listen in
work relationships, learning how to recognize adaptive and maladaptive behavior in dealing with
another person.
2. Research Skills – How to seek information, how to organize facts into a persuasive argument or course
of action, how to relate academic knowledge to the demands of a particular job.
III. OTHER CRITERIA FOR IDENTIFYING LEARNING OBJECTIVES
As you develop and review your job analysis, try to identify those parts of your job that offer growth or
learning opportunities in any or all of the following categories:
1. Routine Duties: Is there room for specific improvement?
2. Problem Solving Opportunities: Can you identify specific problems to be solves with measurable
results?
3. Personal Improvement: Can human relations be improved on the job?
4. Creative Opportunities: Are there creative tasks that you can do that will result in saving time, costs,
etc?
5. New Assignment: Is this a new job for you? What are the opportunities for learning?
IV. SOME QUALITIES OF GOOD OBJECTIVES
Please keep these criteria in mind when writing your objectives:
1. Objectives should be stated in terms of the results you intend to learn or achieve.
2. Objectives should be specific (related to a specific task) and measurable (so that you can readily identify
your progress and weaknesses)
3. Objectives should be realistic. (Do you have basic knowledge level and skill to accomplish them?)
4. Be sure that you have enough time to accomplish your objectives. (Don’t take on more than you can
handle.
V. AMENDING LEARNING OBJECTIVES
Your learning objectives may have to be altered during the training period due to changing perception,
circumstances, and responsibilities. It is important to modify your learning objectives accordingly. Any
changes must be discussed with your work supervisor and college coordinator as soon as they are perceived.
VI. ACHIEVEMENT OF THE LEARNING OBJECTIVES
The learning objectives may be achieved through a variety of activities connected with the work experience.
Examples of such activities are: 1) the actual performance of assigned duties and responsibilities; 2) readings of
professional journals and other related materials; 3) interviewing staff at your work station; 4) observation of
work being performed by other personnel in your area; 5) the completion of other Cooperative Education
reports such as the job analysis; 6) direct communication with your work station supervisor and college
coordinator. In other words, you will be experiencing learning in many ways, not just by doing your routine
job.
VII. EVALUATION OF LEARNING OBJECTIVES
The student and workstation supervisor will do the evaluation of the attainment of the learning objectives
jointly. This is done jointly by reviewing the original learning objectives and rating how well each has been
achieved. Both copies of the student’s and supervisor’s evaluation should be forwarded directly to the
Cooperative Education Office to assist in the awarding of academic credit and a letter grade.
VIII. POST-LEARNING INVENTORY
In addition, the following questions may be helpful in assessing what you have learned from your Cooperative
Education work experience.
1. Why were you able to accomplish some learning goals so effectively?
2. Why do you feel you failed to accomplish some goals adequately?
3. List any unanticipated learning you obtained from the experience. This is very important as every
employee/student will learn many things simply because he/she is in a work environment.
4. What important recommendations would you have your college supervisor pass along to future students
concerning the same experience?
5. Can you recall any significant experience, positive or negative, that helped you learn something important?
The answering of the post-learning questions is an essential part of your final report. You will want to include
this information in the report as indicated in the outline.
IX. FINAL COMMENT
These objectives must be originated by the student, reviewed and approved by your faculty sponsor, the
employer, and the College Co-op Coordinator.
SAMPLE LEARNING OBJECTIVES
1. To gain an understanding of and be able to explain the organization, structure, and procedures of the State
Park System in Maine.
2. To learn about and gain competency in the usage of cost and internal control in a job order and batch
processing system.
3. To learn the structure of a recreation program including scheduling, budgeting, utilizing time, and showing
responsibility to both the children and my supervisor.
4. To learn and broaden my repertoire of games, activities, arts and crafts, etc. suitable for children/youth and to
improve and/or develop my ability to execute and control such.
5. To learn different methods and techniques of sales work involving the areas of advertising, marketing, and
promotion.
FINAL REPORT GUIDELINES FOR CO-OP STUDENTS
The grade for a co-op experience is based on four factors including the on-site visit(s), the employer’s
evaluation, and the final report, which is DUE WITHIN TWO WEEKS OF COMPLETING THE CO-OP
EXPERIENCE. The final report is prepared by the student, MUST BE TYPED and should be a minimum of
five pages. The report must follow the outline below:
TITLE PAGE. (including title of paper, your name, semester Co-op done, date submitted)
INTRODUCTION. This will include who the employer is, the city or location, the purpose of your placement
site (e.g. to produce a product, provide a service, etc.) your job title, and an explanation of your duties
and responsibilities. If known, you should include the position of your immediate supervisor and his/her
background and qualifications.
ANALYSIS. This section is the major segment of the report and should explain what you gained and/or
learned from this Co-op experience. AVOID REPORTING WHAT YOU DID, BUT RATHER REPORT
WHAT YOU LEARNED BECAUSE OF WHAT YOU DID.
What you have learned should first relate to your learning objectives. Review each of your learning objectives
and explain how you accomplished each one or why you failed to do so. Secondly, you will have experienced
many things that you did not anticipate and will have learned some things by simply being “in” your location
even though those things were not specifically part of your job responsibilities. Every new revelation, positive
or negative, is a valuable learning experience and should be noted in your report.
Discuss in detail how your Co-op provided or failed to provide opportunities to test theoretical concepts you
learned in your academic classes. Be sure to include specific examples that illustrate your perception of the
relationship between theory and practice.
Most importantly you should explain what all this means to you, both now and for the future. What have you
learned, how have you changed, and what you will do in the future because of this experience. The value of the
experience is determined by your overall learning.
CONCLUSION. This section should include a wrap-up of the previous sections and anything else that would
be relevant. This section may include comments about the value of your job location as a Co-op experience.
You may make any comments you wish about the Co-op that you feel should be said.
Be sure that the information presented is well-organized and explicit. Give examples. If available and
practical, you might include booklets, pamphlets, promotional releases, as well as sample forms or papers or
other copies of your work to help explain what you did. The student bears the responsibility of submitting this
final report, along with other materials, to the Co-op Coordinator or Faculty Sponsor on or before the due date
designated by the Co-op Office. The coordinator or faculty sponsor must approve any exception to this policy.