Cooperative Education Orientation

1. COOPERATIVE EDUCATION
ORIENTATION
Updated
06/01/17
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2. COOPERATIVE EDUCATION OFFICE & STAFF INFORMATION
Location: The Cooperative Education Office is located in the Academic Commons (Bldg. 42),
Room D (far back left corner).
Always check the
syllabus for any
changes/updates to
staff and/or office
hours.
Fall/Spring Semester Hours: Monday – Friday, 8:30 AM – 5:00 PM
Summer Session Hours: Monday – Thursday, 7:00 AM – 5:00 PM
Cooperative Education Department Staff:
Marianne Kuhns, Admin. Secretary I
marianne.kuhns@vvc.edu
(760)245-4271, ext. 2281

3. ORIENTATION INFORMATION
This orientation is a part of your grade.
This orientation presentation covers necessary information to assist students in
being successful in their Cooperative Education course.
This orientation is required of new students or returning students who have not
taken a Cooperative Education course at VVC in over 2 academic years.
At the end of this presentation students are required to complete the orientation
quiz and submit to the Cooperative Education Office by the deadline reflected in
their syllabus. Click on the PDF link below this presentation to access the quiz.
YOU WILL NOT RECEIVE CREDIT WITHOUT COMPLETING THE QUIZ.
You can submit your orientation quiz via scan and email to
marianne.kuhns@vvc.edu, fax to (760)245-4279, or drop off to the Cooperative
Education Office.

4. HOW IS COOPERATIVE EDUCATION LIKE A TRADITIONAL COURSE?
Cooperative Education is an instructional course that offers the student an opportunity to
combine classroom learning with on-the-job experience.
You have an instructor, deadlines, required assignments, a homework assignment/project, and
you will receive a grade and college credit.
WHAT IS COOPERATIVE EDUCATION?
Cooperative education is formatted differently from a traditional lecture and lab course.
You will not report to a classroom; your worksite is your classroom.
HOW IS COOPERATIVE EDUCATION DIFFERENT FROM A TRADITIONAL COURSE?

5. COURSE REQUIREMENTS
Students must have a job, or participate in an internship, in order to qualify for a Cooperative
Education course. The Cooperative Education faculty and staff will indicate whether or not the
job or internship qualifies.
Students must register for a Cooperative Education course from the 33 disciplines available,
which is determined by the student’s job or internship, and selected major.
Students can pick up the Cooperative Education notebook in the Rams Bookstore for $20.00;
the notebook only needs to be purchased once. Students can also get copies of the necessary
materials from the Cooperative Education office upon request.
New students are required to watch the orientation Power Point and complete the
orientation quiz by the deadline posted on the syllabus. This is part of the time
management and communication grade for the Cooperative Education course.

6. COURSE REQUIREMENTS (CONT.)
Students must have new things to learn at their job or internship in order to participate in
Cooperative Education. The student is required to come up with learning objectives and have
them approved by their supervisor. These are the student’s curriculum for the term. Additional
information on learning objectives will follow in this orientation.
Students must meet their minimum required hours in order to pass their Cooperative
Education course. Failure to meet the required hours will result in an automatic “F” in the
course. The number of Cooperative Education units a student registers for, and whether or not
they are in a paid or unpaid position, determines the number of hours needed.
Students are required to schedule and attend a Training Agreement meeting at the
beginning of the term. This meeting takes place at the worksite with the student, the
instructor, and the student’s supervisor to review the learning objectives and requirements
of the course.
Students are required to submit monthly timesheets to the Cooperative
Education Office. Timesheet due dates can be found in the syllabus. The
timesheets should be completed correctly and submitted on time. Meeting
these deadlines is a part of the time management portion of your grade.

7. COURSE REQUIREMENTS (CONT.)
Students are required to complete their homework assignment. The homework assignment
due depends on how many semesters of Cooperative Education the student has taken (i.e. first
semester, second semester) and the number of Cooperative Education units the student is
enrolled in during the current term. Students registered for 5.0 or more units must complete
two homework assignments. Your required assignment will be verified at your Training
Agreement meeting. If at any point you are uncertain about which assignment is required
please contact the Cooperative Education staff. NO LATE ASSIGNMENTS ARE ACCEPTED,
EVEN IN CASES OF EMERGENCY.
Students are required to schedule and attend an Advisement Appointment toward the
end of the term. This meeting takes place in the instructor’s office between the student
and the instructor. This appointment is to review the student’s homework assignment and
progress in the course.

8. COOPERATIVE EDUCATION HOURS
Students are required to meet the minimum required hours in order to pass their
Cooperative Education course. The number of hours required is determined by
the number of Cooperative Education units you are registered for and whether
the position is paid or unpaid.
Paid Hours
1.0 unit = 75 total hours = 5 hours/week
2.0 units = 150 total hours = 10 hours/week
3.0 units = 225 total hours = 15 hours/week
4.0 units = 300 total hours = 20 hours/week
5.0 units = 375 total hours = 25 hours/week
6.0 units = 450 total hours = 30 hours/week
8.0 units = 600 total hours = 50 hours/week
Unpaid Hours
1.0 unit = 60 total hours = 4 hours/week
2.0 units = 120 total hours = 8 hours/week
3.0 units = 180 total hours = 12 hours/week
4.0 units = 240 total hours = 16 hours/week
5.0 units = 300 total hours = 20 hours/week
6.0 units = 360 total hours = 24 hours/week
8.0 units = 480 total hours = 32 hours/week

9. LEARNING OBJECTIVES
Students are required to have new skills they can learn at their job during the
course of their enrollment. These cannot be skills or tasks the student already
completes in their position. IT MUST BE A NEW SKILL.
Students are required to have at least one new learning objective
for every unit of Cooperative Education they are registered, unless
the student is registered for 1.0 unit, then they are required to have
at least two new learning objectives. The instructor may require
more objectives if he/she feels the submitted objectives are not
sufficient for the duration of the class.
Learning objectives must follow a format of what you
plan to accomplish, how you are going to be trained,
by when you expect to be finished, and what type of
evaluation you will receive from your supervisor to
ensure you’ve accomplished the objective.
Read about your
required learning
objectives in your
student handbook.

10. TRAINING AGREEMENT MEETING
The Training Agreement is an agreement that the enrolled
student, his/her supervisor, and the instructor sign at the a
scheduled meeting in the beginning of the term. This agreement
is made between all three parties to ensure everyone knows what
is expected for the duration of the Cooperative Education course.
The student is required to contact the instructor or the
Cooperative Education Office with dates and times that he/she,
and his/her supervisor, is available to meet with the instructor at
the student’s worksite. The deadline is on the Cooperative
Education syllabus.

11. MONTHLY TIMESHEETS
Timesheets are due every month. Please see the syllabus for
due dates. Meeting these deadlines will contribute to the
time management and communication portion of your
grade.
Timesheets can be submitted in person at the Cooperative
Education Office (Bldg. 42, Room D), by fax at (760)245-4279,
or emailed to marianne.kuhns@vvc.edu.
Document how you are working on your objectives each
month on your timesheet.
SEE THE NEXT SLIDE
FOR EXAMPLES &
INSTRUCTIONS ON
HOW TO COMPLETE
YOUR MONTHLY
TIMESHEETS
CORRECTLY
If you worked zero hours in the month you must still submit a
timesheet with a total of “0” and your signature. Your
supervisor’s signature is not required if you did not work any
hours for that month.

12. MONTHLY TIMESHEETS FORMAT

13. HOMEWORK ASSIGNMENT
There are seven homework assignments total in the Cooperative Education notebook (required
book for class). However, students are only to complete one assignment per semester, unless
they are enrolled in 5.0 units or more of Cooperative Education that semester.
THE
HOMEWORK
ASSIGNMENT IS
WORTH 40% OF
YOUR GRADE
NO LATE
HOMEWORK
ASSIGNMENTS
ACCEPTED, EVEN
IN CASES OF
EMERGENCY

14. COOPERATIVE EDUCATION HOMEWORK ASSIGNMENTS
• Homework Assignment #1 (Portfolio)
• Homework Assignment #2 (Reflective Paper)
• Homework Assignment #3 (Occupational Research Paper)
• Homework Assignment #4 (Flow Chart & Action Plan)
• Homework Assignment #5 (Resume & Cover Letter)
• Homework Assignment #6 (SCAN Skills)
• Homework Assignment #7 (Job Applications)

15. HOW TO DETERMINE WHICH HOMEWORK ASSIGNMENT TO
COMPLETE
If it is your first semester of Cooperative Education at Victor Valley College you start with
Homework Assignment #1 (Portfolio), or assignments #1 & #2 if you are registered for 5.0 or
more units of Cooperative Education that semester. You then complete the other assignments
in consecutive order for each subsequent semester of Cooperative Education you take decide
to take.
EXAMPLE?
If Jane Doe takes a Cooperative Education course for 3.0 units during the Fall 2016 semester she
will complete Homework Assignment #1. If Jane Doe decides to take Cooperative Education
again for 3.0 units during the Spring 2017 semester she will then complete Homework
Assignment #2.
The Cooperative Education computer lab is available to
Cooperative Education students to work on their Homework
Assignment. Please see the Cooperative Education Office
staff to gain access.

16. ADVISEMENT APPOINTMENT
The Advisement Appointment is a meeting that the enrolled student and the instructor get
together to review the graded homework assignment, hours completed, and overall course
progress. This appointment takes place in the instructor’s office toward the end of term. Your
supervisor does not attend this appointment.
The student is required to contact the instructor, or the Cooperative Education Office staff, with
dates and times that he/she is available to meet with the instructor in the Cooperative Education
Office. The Cooperative Education staff will notify enrolled students of when students can begin
scheduling their appointment and the instructor’s available appointments. The deadline is on the
Cooperative Education syllabus.
It is the student’s responsibility to ensure he/she contacts the Cooperative Education Office to
schedule his/her Advisement Appointment by the deadline on the syllabus, even if no notice was
received.

17. GRADE SCALE
Time Management & Communication 10%
Homework Assignment(s) 40%
Student’s self evaluation of objectives 5%
Supervisor’s evaluation of objectives 15%
Cooperative Ed. Instructor Evaluation 30%
TOTAL: 100%

18. TIME MANAGEMENT & COMMUNICATION
Since Cooperative Education courses do not meet like traditional classes, student’s time
management and communication are key to having a successful semester.
It is the student’s responsibility to check his/her email frequently, since that is the main method of
communication for this course.
Please reply to all emails, phone calls, or voice messages you may receive from the Cooperative
Education instructor and/or staff, in a timely manner. Lack of response will effect your grade.
It is important to pay attention to the due dates on your syllabus. Submitting any required
documentation or assignments by the listed deadlines is a part of your grade. If you lose your
syllabus you are welcome to pick up additional copies in the Cooperative Education Office or
access it on the Cooperative Education website at www.vvc.edu/offices/coopedu/.

19. WELCOME TO
COOPERATIVE EDUCATION!