Guidelines for Cooperative Education

Site Visits

Periodic site visits are a required part of Cooperative Education experiences.They provide a means of assuring safe work or training sites relevant to the student's studies. Site visits also are the primary tool for instructional assessment of the student's learning and growth in the Cooperative Education experience.

A. Number of Site Visits

-As outlined in the Cooperative Education Course Content guide, an instructor and/or Co-op Specialist will visit each Cooperative Education site each term to moniter student progress. It is recommended that two site visits be made each term. (One visit may be sufficient if the site has been used previously or on a repeated basis.) At least one visit should be made in person, although contacts by phone may be appropriate for the additional "site visit."

B. Materials necessary for site visit

-The instructor/specialist should bring copies of completed Training Agreement and Learning Objective forms for all parties. Unless mailed earlier, the instructor/specialist should bring an Employer Evaluation form for the site supervisor to complete.

-Specific programs may have other forms required for site visits eg. timesheets, weekly logsheets, etc.

C. Areas of evaluation

-Site visit evaluation consists of inspection of work site, review of work duties and discussion of student progress with the site supervisor.

-Instructor/specialists should moniter the following:

1)Appropriate work environment and work duties

2)Student Attendance/Completion of hours

3)Student progress related to Learning Objectives

4)General work habits of student (eg. time management, appropriate dress, etc.)

5)Technical instructional requirements, specific to program and site

6)Employer Evaluation

7)Additional areas of discussion, which may include closure of the Cooperative Education experience, employer needs for additional students, changing or expanding the roles of an existing Co-op student, etc.

Grading

-Grading is usually based on student completion of required Cooperative Education hours, completion of Learning Objective activities and a satisfactory Employer Evaluation. Other criteria may be applied as approved by a SACC.

-Where site visits are completed by someone other than the instructor of record, the visiting instructor/specialist should notify the instructor of record of the student's progress in a timely manner.