Research Website

http://web.ics.purdue.edu/~jmain/Welcome.html

Keywords

Cooperative education, personnel selection, engineering

Presentation Type

Talk

Research Abstract

Engineering faculty and advisors emphasize the importance of obtaining industry experience in addition to academic learning. One way universities encourage their students to obtain hands-on work experiences is through cooperative education (co-op) programs. Previous studies have examined the advantages and disadvantages of co-op participation, but the application process for students has not been closely examined. Studying this process will show how academic institutions and companies can potentially enhance the student experience of applying for a co-op position. This study examines student experiences with the co-op application process based on interviews with engineering students at a research-intensive university in the Midwestern U.S. Results indicate that barriers to co-op participation include conflicting offer deadlines established by companies and unclear processes for students in employer matching. Research findings regarding the co-op application and placement process can potentially inform universities and companies on how students use resources designed to help students during the co-op application process, as well as the challenges some students encounter.

Session Track

Health and Education

Share

COinS
 
Aug 2nd, 12:00 AM

A Case Study of Engineering Students’ Experiences with the Co-Op Application Process

Engineering faculty and advisors emphasize the importance of obtaining industry experience in addition to academic learning. One way universities encourage their students to obtain hands-on work experiences is through cooperative education (co-op) programs. Previous studies have examined the advantages and disadvantages of co-op participation, but the application process for students has not been closely examined. Studying this process will show how academic institutions and companies can potentially enhance the student experience of applying for a co-op position. This study examines student experiences with the co-op application process based on interviews with engineering students at a research-intensive university in the Midwestern U.S. Results indicate that barriers to co-op participation include conflicting offer deadlines established by companies and unclear processes for students in employer matching. Research findings regarding the co-op application and placement process can potentially inform universities and companies on how students use resources designed to help students during the co-op application process, as well as the challenges some students encounter.

https://docs.lib.purdue.edu/surf/2018/Presentations/103