Show Work Wor school op Co to give college credit Zachary Whitney Campus Reporter Some students know what they want to be when they grow up even up-even even at the tender age of five Others have a little more difficulty deciding Regardless has a way students can work r x in their chosen career field before they graduate and nd earn cam college credit while they work Formally called Student Employment and Cooperative Education Services op Co-op is a way for students to earn elective credit hours while getting work hours said Wendy Potter op Co-op specialist at Redwood campus op Co-op is a program that allows students to receive college credit for demo demonstrating learning in the work environment According to Douglas Thom Thorn op Co-op specialist at South City campus the first op Co-op program was instigated in inthe inthe the United States In in 1907 at Northeastern University has offered op Co-op for over 20 years Most all courses of study have the opt ional op Co-op elective credits There are area a few that dont don't however Potter said that students in a Health science Cleme Science program ur vI working toward a business transfer degree do not have the option of Co She explained that Health Science programs require students to log working h hours urs as as part of the degree When taking op Co-op credit students work closely with a op Co-op specialist their employer and a member of the department faculty Together they set specific objectives that the student will work toward accomplishing during their employment These objectives are what the student will be graded on We are most interested in the value of the new learning of the students said Thorn Thom op Co-op works similar to an Internship but Potter says says' there are a few differences The major difference is that an internship is usually unpaid and students generally only work up to 20 hours a week With op Co-op students maintain a regular part or time full-time work schedule where they are paid The students are simply utilizing the workplace to further their learning and taking advantage of the opportunity by receiving college credit Students can choose their own credit hours usually up to about six The number of credit hours depends on the number of hours per semester the student will devote to achieving their preset objectives op Co is the most flexible class that exists said Thorn Thom Potter agrees but said that the experience the student receives depends on how the student approaches L CL 1 said the me lilt opportunity sue She lIt sum that because op Co-op credit hours cost the same as any other course students should take the opportunity seriously op Co-op learning is not only a way to try out outa a career field Many Many students obtain permanent employment through the program 66 percent of students who participate in op Co-op programs get offered jobs said Thom Thorn Students who are interested in participating in op Co-op learning should check the college catalog to see if it is an option in their major Students can also check to see if there are prerequisites that need to be satisfied before op Co-op Coopis is an available option for them Potter said that many of the departments require a student to have taken a certain number of credits before op Co-op is an option She explained that this is to ensure the student is fairly certain about the career path before committing to op Co-op education Students should also me meet t with a op Co-op specialist to set up the terms and details of the workplace learning The Student Employment and Cooperative Education Services department coordinates more than just op Co-op education The department also offers assistance to students in obtaining employment This is done through career counseling and helping students with r resume resume sum and interviewing techniques The departments department's placement at is isto isto isto to help students obtain workforce experience and 1 1 h L fi 11 ld to lV exec In Ill III t at e Contact information for Cooperative Education Wendy Vendy Potter Redwood Road Campus AD Doug Thorn Thom Thorn South City Campus Campus' W V Phyllis Seyler Jordan Camus B |