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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