Workshop on Innovations in ICT Education Beijing, China Academic Industry Partnerships: Cooperative Education Mark Erickson Director Co-op and Academic Advising College of Computer and Information Science Northeastern University, Boston, MA, USA 1
Dec 15, 2015
Workshop on Innovations in ICT Education
Beijing, China
Academic Industry Partnerships:Cooperative Education
Mark EricksonDirector Co-op and Academic Advising
College of Computer and Information ScienceNortheastern University, Boston, MA, USA
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Experiential Education
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Collaboration between academia and
industry whereby students’ education is
enhanced
Cooperative education (co-op)
Experiential education
Work integrated learning
Cooperative and work integrated education
Sandwich education
Internships
Popularity of Internship/Co-op
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General agreement that experiential learning or work integrated learning is a valuable adjunct to classroom learning.
Increasing popularity in the US CEIA 300 member institutions in US WACE 100 member institutions worldwide with
national associations in the US, Australia, Canada, UK, New Zealand, South Africa, Thailand and Sweden
Today’s Talk
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Briefly Northeastern University College of Computer and Information Science
Co-op model How it works Unique aspects
Partnership with industry
Assessment
Panel discussion Practical implications
Northeastern University
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Private Research University -- Boston, Massachusetts, USA
National leader in cooperative education, begun in 1909
Urban campus
16,000 Full-time undergraduate students
10,000 part-time and graduate students
Highly selective (43,000 applicants for 2,800 slots)
CS and Engineering average SAT 1400
Increasingly international
Seven colleges –
Engineering and Computer and Information Science are
separate
Present Day
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New students demand superior academics AND co-ops Career emphasis is still important, but not the priority
Making money on co-op, building resume and getting first job
A educational model based on over a hundred years of experience Increasingly sophisticated
Combining excellent academic program with related work experiences
President’s MantraProviding transformative experiences that produce graduates who are: critical thinkers, more globally and socially aware, better prepared to thriveand life-long learners who can succeed in multiple careers
Computer and Information Science• 36 Faculty
• Ten have joint appointments which strengthen interdisciplinary efforts in our major research themes
• 8 research faculty/scientists
• 560 undergraduate CS/IS majors
• 530 M.S. students in 3 programs– MS in CS, MS in IA, MS in HI
• 91 Ph.D. students in 3 programs– PhD in CS, PhD in IA, PhD in PHI
Technical Research Foci• Programming Languages• Formal Methods• Software Engineering• Information Security• Algorithms and Theory• Systems• Social Networks• Network Science• AI• HCI• Robotics• Information Retrieval and Data Mining
• …..
$
Co-op at Northeastern
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Alternating periods of academic study with periods ofsubstantive full-time employment
The entire structure and curriculum are built around co-op
Experiences tied to academic and professional interests
NU 90 % go on Co-op (99% in Engineering, Business, & CS)
99% of students who have been on co-op recommend a co-
op based program to a friend
Co-op adds one year to Undergrad & 6 months to degree
completion
Tuition charged only for academic programs, not for co-op
Experiential Learning Resources
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Northeastern commits significant resources to experiential education.
Over 60 full-time coordinators plus administrative staff
“Central Co-op” office – manage university wide activities
Data Management system, updates and improvements
Additional academic courses
Most courses offered twice to accommodate co-op
schedule
Additional course offered in condensed summer format
Extraordinary level of flexibility which adds significantly to
required resources.
Undergraduate Co-op Numbers 2011 - 12 2200 co-op employers
____________________________________________________________ 7000 students on co-op ____________________________________________________________ 6 months length of co-op assignment ____________________________________________________________ 37 states in which NU co-ops worked _________________________________________________ 130 locations outside USA 400 students on co-op abroad USA
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Co-op Learning Model
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Preparation
Learning Activity
Reflection
Fall SpringSept - Dec Jan - May May - June July - Aug
Year 1 School School Vacation VacationYear 2 School Coop 1 Coop 1 VacationYear 3 School Coop 2 Coop 2 SchoolYear 4 School Coop 3 Coop 3 SchoolYear 5 School School
Fall SpringSept - Dec Jan - May May - June July - Aug
Year 1 School School Vacation VacationYear 2 School School Vacation Coop 1Year 3 Coop 1 School School Coop 2Year 4 Coop 2 School School Coop 3Year 5 Coop 3 School
Standard Undergraduate Co-op PatternsSummer 1/2 Semester
Summer 1/2 Semester
7 full Semesters and 2 half semesters of academic classes.
Co-op Patterns at Northeastern
Co-op vs. Internships
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Co-ops Clearly defined, full-time positions away from the classroom, with specific learning outcomes and experiences integrated into the curriculum
Internships in the US Often ill-defined, unpaid, part-time and short Add value, but less than co-op May be during academic semester May or may not be related to major or interest Lack of integration into the academic experience Usually no longer than three months
Co-op Coordinators Team of co-op coordinators for each college
Coordinators assigned to students by major Understand interests of the students and the job
requirements for positions in industries associated with that major
Role of coordinator
Prepare/guide and mentor students Develop co-op opportunities matching the interests of
students in that field Maintain/nurture and expand relationships with employers
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University/Student/Industry Partnership
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Company Pipeline for trained hires Extended job interview Real work for 6 months, year round coverage Enthusiasm and vitality to the workforce
Students – more on this later Understand career options and paths Personal growth Workplace competence Academic growth Learning specific to the discipline
Co-op Learning Outcomes
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Personal Growth Fulfill commitments Self-assess and self-direct Effective coping behaviors Distinguish the relevant
Workplace Skills Exhibit professional behaviors Interact effectively Work effectively in groups Optimize resources
More Co-op Learning Outcomes
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Academic Growth Apply classroom theory to real world More academic focus on return Understand why they are learning what they are
learning
Knowledge Skill Acquisition Communicate and organize ideas Discipline specific learning
College and Program-based Learning Goals
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Each program develops discipline specific goals based on their curriculum
Examples for CS
Program specification and documentation
Program design skills
Program contracts
Program testing
The nature of computation and program evaluation
Abstractions in program design
Programming as a teamwork
A Partnership with EmployersJob descriptions developed through collaboration with
employers
Clearly defined tasks and responsibilities
Projects that can be completed during the co-op period
Clearly identified supervisor
Clearly defined process for constructive feedback during the co-op
Learning outcomes are established and monitored differently in each college
Evaluation at conclusion of the co-op by employer and student
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A Partnership with Employers
Co-op coordinator works closely with industry representatives
Describe and explain program
Discuss industry needs and student skill levels
Positions posted on university data system
Students express interest – resumes “bundled” by co-op coordinators
Employer decides who to interview
Employer makes the ultimate hiring decision
Northeastern does not place students21
Relationship: University & EmployerNo contractual relationship between the university and the
employer
During the co-op period, employer relationship is with the student
No commitment for particular number of positions now or in the future
Positions posted on university data system
Students express interest – resumes “bundled” by co-op coordinators
Employer decides who to interview
Employer makes the ultimate hiring decision
Northeastern does NOT place students22
Relationship: Employer & StudentBasic employment contract for defined period of time
Hourly wage negotiated between employer and student/employee
Employer not required to provide benefits
University considers students on co-op to be full-time students
No commitment for full-time position after graduation (although offers often made)
Student/Employee may be fired for cause or changed circumstances
Students who leave before end of co-op get no credit for co-op
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Co-op Data System Position information (duties, qualifications, pay, location,
etc.)
Student data (major, year, schedule of co-op cycles, coordinator)
Ability to upload and send resumes and to collect assessments
Transaction information Where have student resumes been sent? Which
positions have been filled? Which coordinator is handling the transaction?
Archived information on past co-op cycles, including assessments
Emergency information Precise location information Supervisor identity and contact information Student contact information
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Assessment of Co-opHow do we know that this form of education works?
One-on-one meetings with Coordinator Student reflection –
Written, group and/or individual meeting with Coordinator Students often say they learn as much on co-op as they do
in the classroom
University-wide tools Student self-assessment Employer assessment of student
College specific tools Program specific surveys or assessment instruments Electronic portfolios Written reflections
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Employer & Student EvaluationsRate & describe each of the following:
Interpersonal Written Verbal
Teamwork Problem Solving Critical Thinking
Professionalism Attendance Punctuality
Use of time/resources Judgment Leadership
Work Content Technical Literacy Initiative
Constructive Criticism Responsibility Professional Ethics
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Summary of duties
Strengths / Developmental deeds
Assessment of Co-op
Computer and Information Science assessment activities
Written goal setting and written reflection (ongoing)
Various surveys Student assessment of quality of assignment Where did your gain your skills, school, class or other
Electronic Portfolios Evidence/samples of completed work evaluated
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CCIS Quality Co-op Assessment
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How would you rate the quality of your assignment using this definition?
Challenging with positive supervision and mentoring which attempts to match the student’s technical, developmental, and professional abilities and allows the student to excel in one or more of the following: CAREER MANAGEMENT TECHNICAL KNOWLEDGE PROGRAMMING
Anecdotal evidence
“Co-op experience was great. My advisor helped greatly in finding a job and kept in touch in regards to how my co-op was progressing. The co-op program has been great for me. It has allowed me to experiment with different areas of computer science. Initially I was not sure if I wanted to just do programming at my job, but after doing a software development co-op I realized I really enjoy it. I ended up getting a full time job with one of my co-op employers.”
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Key Points• Combining experience with rigorous academics is a
superior educational model
• Not all experience is educative – reflection and integration are important
• Direct integration into the classroom is difficult
• At the core of successful programs are employer partners
• Requires a supportive culture within the university to be successful
• Additional resources required to implement/maintain co-op program 30
Over 2,200 Employers Post Co-op Positions for Northeastern
StudentsIn CS/IS and Engineering top employers
include:
IBM PTC Intuit Apple Novartis Verizon
John Hancock
Google General Electric Square Motorola General Electric
HP Boeing
Intel Bloomberg Intuit Lockheed Martin MFS Financial
SAP Nvidia
Symantec Amazon Goldman Sachs Akamai Nokia
Tripadviosr SpaceX
Analog Devices Novartis Broadcom Mathworks State
Street Cisco
Bose Harvard Management Nextel Seagate Symantec
Zynga
Microsoft EMC Ernst and Young PayPal The
Mathworks BAE Oracle
Tripadvisor Hasbro Hulu Philips Qualcom Stratus
Computer Ericsson
Cognex Digitas NetApp Research in Motion RSA
3COM Textron
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Questions
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