Cooperative education is a method of education that combines classroom studies with practical work experience. Cooperative education programs typically involve formal written agreements between the school and employers. These agreements allow students to hold jobs, usually for pay, that are related to the students’ fields of study or career goals. For example, a student in journalism may work for a local newspaper. Increasingly, because of pressure from accrediting bodies and industry, universities have integrated more cooperative education across the curriculum with a focus on globalization and critical thinking.
A faculty member, frequently called a cooperative education coordinator, finds jobs that fit the goals of students and of the cooperative program. The “coop” coordinator and the employer judge the performance of the student, and the student usually receives some form of graduation credit for satisfactory work. Such programs got their name because businesses, industries, and organizations cooperate with schools in employing students. The programs are also called internships, cooperative work experience, work-study, career exploration, diversified occupations, and off-campus experience.
Cooperative education operates in both colleges and high schools. In the United States, hundreds of thousands of students in high schools, community colleges, and four-year colleges and universities are enrolled in cooperative education programs. Schools in Canada, China, the United Kingdom, and other countries have similar programs.
Cooperative education began in the United States in the early 1900’s. Herman Schneider, an engineering professor, developed the first cooperative education program in 1906 for engineering students at the University of Cincinnati. Other schools adopted similar programs during later years. Since 1960, cooperative education has expanded rapidly into all fields of study. Since the early 2000’s, the program has expanded into the workplace as companies and organizations used cooperative education partnerships with universities to provide continuing education for their workers.
Kinds of programs.
Cooperative education programs operate in various ways at different schools. There are four basic kinds of programs: (1) alternating, (2) parallel, (3) field experience, and (4) extended-day.
In alternating programs, the students are divided into two groups. One group attends classes while the members of the other group work at their jobs. After a certain length of time, usually a semester, the two groups exchange places. Therefore, a position is filled continuously.
In parallel programs, each student attends school part of the day and works part of the day. Many high schools and two-year colleges offer such a program.
In field experience programs, all participating students leave school for an extended work assignment. The length of the period spent on the assignment varies from 4 to 10 weeks.
In extended-day programs, students work full-time at a regular paying job and attend school part-time. The students request faculty approval of their job as a cooperative assignment. With approval, a student receives academic credit for successful performance at work.
Advantages of cooperative education.
Cooperative education programs enable students to immediately determine how the information they learn in school is applied at work. Students learn that a job has many requirements, including subject knowledge, good work habits, judgment, and skills in communication and human relations. Students also gain practical experience and develop contacts with employers, which may help them obtain a job after graduation. Some students use the money earned from their cooperative education jobs to pay their school expenses.
See also Career education.
