Instructor: Mrs. Sharon Davis
NEW Education Bldg, Rm. 4122
757.683.4305
srdavis@odu.edu

Purpose:  Cooperative education expands learning experiences through paid (or potentially unpaid) employment in a supervised, educational work setting related to the student's occupational and technical studies major field of study or career focus. It allows students to connect academic knowledge with the business world. Cooperative education expands learning experiences through paid (or potentially unpaid) employment in a supervised, educational work setting. 

Course Competencies:  As a result of this course, the learner should be able to: 

• Describe in written detail the primary functions of the business where employed.  

• Follow the normal rules, regulations, and policies for employees in the business.  

• Meet acceptable standards of employment. 

Course Requirements:

Secure employment in an approved business related to your major. Your place of employment must be approved by your instructor. Submit the Student Information Form to be considered for approval.

• Acknowlege inital contact from instructor by the deadline as prescribed on the schedule page.
• Complete the Orientation Quiz regarding SEPS 367.
• Submit all documentation by the prescribed dates on the schedule page.
• Complete a minimum of 150 clock hours of work in the place of employment. (Unpaid work experiences, structured work experiences, and other circumstances may necessitate individual attention. If you feel your situation merits individual attention or consideration, contact the instructor.)
• Complete the written project that requires specific information about the business where employed.
• Submit completed Production Reports as prescribed on the schedule page.
• Complete a weekly activity journal for each week of the work experience.
• Submit a Supervisor's Performance Appraisal form.
• Meet deadlines as prescribed on the schedule page.
• Submit all work through e-mail.

Grading:

The field experience will be evaluated by the instructor using the Performance Appraisal Form prepared by the student's supervisor and the written project.  An Outstanding to Average rating will equate to a Pass, a Below Average to Unacceptable will equate to a grade of Fail. Job termination for cause will result in course failure.

Grades will be distributed using the following scale:

No Excuses Policy: 

SEPS 367 has a "no excuses policy." All deliverables must be turned in no later than the date specified on the schedule page. Assignments not turned in on time will not be accepted. FAILURE TO SUBMIT DELIVERABLES BY THE DATE SPECIFIED MAY RESULT IN A FAILING COURSE GRADE. DON'T LET THIS HAPPEN TO YOU!

Things happen. If you have circumstances that you believe justifiably prevent you from meeting a deliverable date, contact the instructor BEFORE the due date in question to see if alternate arrangements can be made. Requests coming AFTER a due date are highly irregular, and likely will not be considered withstanding extreme circumstances and documentation. As a result, it will behoove you to stay a few days "ahead of the game" in case life throws you a curve ball (and it always does!). Particularly given the nature of this course, work is not an acceptable reason for not meeting a deadline.

Attendance: 

Each student is required to contact by email the instructor at some point prior to the deadline stated on the schedule page. On-campus students may either schedule an appointment or may come by without an appointment (risking that the instructor may not be available). All efforts will be made to accommodate "drop-in" meetings. Off-campus students may conduct their appointment by telephone or email. Students who have not made contact with the instructor by the stated deadline may be administratively dropped from the course.

Other class meetings will be rare, if they occur at all. Each student is expected to meet all their employer's rules and policies.  Any job termination for cause will result in course failure.   The written project must be turned in no later than two weeks prior to the University's last scheduled class period for the term. 

Weekly Journals: 

Learners should keep a meaningful journal each week, responding to the questions on the template thoughtfully. You may turn in your journals weekly if you prefer, or you may turn them in once per month. All journals for the month are due no later than the 5th of each month.

As noted on the template, all journal entries should be typed directly into the template provided on the forms page. Handwritten responses will not be accepted. Also, every question should be completed. A response of "N/A" or something similar will be counted as incorrect.

Students should e-mail all assignments to srdavis@odu.edu.

E-mail:

You many be contacted via e-mail from the instructor, both individually or as a group. You must regularly check your e-mail. All e-mail INITIATED BY THE INSTRUCTOR will be sent to your ODU account. If this is not your preferred e-mail account, be sure to forward your ODU account to your preferred address.

You may SEND e-mail from whatever address you prefer and the instructor will reply to that e-mail address.

Signed Documents:

Some documents require a signature. If that is the case, remember that signed documents must be signed. Simply typing a name in a cursive font will not suffice.

If you have access to a scanner, great. Scan your documents and e-mail them. If you do not have access to a scanner, you do likely have access to a smartphone. If so, download either OFFICE LENS or TINY SCANNER from your app store. Both apps are simple to use. You simply snap a photo of your document with your phone, and the app will covert the signed document to a .pdf file. You can then e-mail them directly from your phone.

If you earnestly feel that neither of these methods can work for you, contact the instructor to make other arrangements.

Honor Pledge: 

"I pledge to support the honor system of Old Dominion University. I will refrain from any form of academic dishonesty or deception, such as cheating or plagiarism.  I am aware that as a member of the academic community, it is my responsibility to turn in all suspected violators of the honor system.  I will report to a Honor Council hearing if summoned." By attending Old Dominion University, you have accepted the responsibility to abide by this code.  This is an institutional policy, approved by the Board of Visitors.

 Office Hours:

You may reach the instructor by calling the SEPS Office at (757) 683-4305. 

 Textbook:

 None

Students with Special Needs

Old Dominion University is committed to ensuring equal access to all qualified students with disabilities in accordance with the Americans with Disabilities Act. The Office of Educational Accessibility (OEA) is the campus office that works with students who have disabilities to provide and/or arrange reasonable accommodations.

• If you experience a disability which will impact your ability to access any aspect of my class, please present me with an accommodation letter from OEA so that we can work together to ensure that appropriate accommodations are available to you.
• If you feel that you will experience barriers to your ability to learn and/or testing in my class but do not have an accommodation letter, please consider scheduling an appointment with OEA to determine if academic accommodations are necessary.

The Office of Educational Accessibility is located at 1021 Student Success Center and their phone number is (757)683-4655. Additional information is available at the OEA website: http://www.odu.edu/educationalaccessibility/