COOPERATIVE EDUCATION LEARNING OBJECTIVES
FOR THE
COLLEGE OF COMPUTER SCIENCE
Skill areas to be documented from the Cooperative Education component:
6. Communication and Learning
Communications
Reading
Writing
Listening
Speaking
Learning Skills
Search
Seeing and Observation
Interpretation
Data Analysis and Evaluation
Creative Thinking
7. Effective Work Skills
Personal Effectiveness
Effectiveness at Work
Work and Society.
Ethical Issues
Esthetic Issues
Problem Solving
8. Professional Development
Technical areas from the Academic side of the curriculum:
Skills to be documented from the Cooperative Education component when appropriate.
1. Programming Skills
Programming in the Small
2. Technical Knowledge
Representation of Information
Program Composition
Program Design
3. Theoretical Foundations
4. Technical Judgment and Assessment
Quantitative Reasoning
5. Complexity, Design, and Abstraction
Complexity
Design
Factors in Decision Making
Skill expectations for the cooperative education component in the College of Computer Science:
Documented outcomes should be provided for each skill area and the objectives within the skill area. Many objectives will have explanatory sections to assist in clarifying the meaning. Any documents that are attached should be explained.
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6. Communication and Learning Skills
A student should be able to describe how he/she utilized communication and the process of learning in his/her co-op experiences.
To articulate accomplishments, the student should provide a description for each sub-section below.
•Reading examples:
being able to demonstrate how to extract information and meaning
being able to demonstrate how to understand and employ visual symbols
being able to demonstrate how to read technical literature and understand
technical arguments
being able to demonstrate how to read code, documentation, and specifications
being able to demonstrate how to read and interpret data
being able to demonstrate how to search for answers in multiple resources
•Writing examples:
being able to demonstrate how to do expository writing such as overviews, explanations, summaries, reports
being able to create project code and documentation
being able to prepare design documents, user documents, and test documents
being able to organize and advance logical, coherent arguments
•Listening examples:
being able to acquire new knowledge through tutorials and presentations
being able to communicate with clients and hear the concerns and requirements of users
being able to communicate with supervisors and peers
being able to understand and follow technical instructions
being able to ask relevant questions to clarify meaning
being able to learn through dialog by asking and answering questions
•Speaking examples:
being able to participate in technical conversations and discussions
being able to make formal presentations and tutorials
being able to interview clients and users
•Use of Media:
being able to understand and use graphics, diagrams, and charts
being able to present information on the world-wide-web have some familiarity with advanced media: sound, video, animation
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Learning Skills
•Searching examples:
have a knowledge of sources and methods for information retrieval
being able to use search techniques in a traditional library and on the web
•Seeing and Observing:
being able to observe the behavior of a complex system
being able to connect observed behavior with its possible causes
being able to set up experiments to refine understanding of system behavior
•Interpretation:
being able to read critically to assess a document in relation to: what is said in other documents
what is known through personal experience
being aware that there may be serious errors in written and electronic documents what is read must always be evaluated
•Data Analysis and Evaluation:
being able to identify, access, extract, and evaluate information from a variety of sources
being able to comprehend and apply quantitative and qualitative methodologies
being able to synthesize deductions and inferences from information acquired
A student should be able to describe and document examples of his/her utilization of creative thinking skills.
To demonstrate creative thinking skills, the student should provide a description for each activity below:
understanding and employing a variety of thinking strategies including intuition
being able to take risks breaking new ground
being able to draw on inner resources to advance original ideas
being able to recognize connections between seemingly unrelated ideas
being able to challenge assumptions and conclusions
being able to propose alternative hypotheses
being able to apply both facts and theory to determine a course of action
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7. Effective Work Skills
A student should be able to articulate his/her understanding of ones personal effectiveness, using examples from ones co-op experiences:
Personal effectiveness concepts should include some or all of the following:
managing one’s time
managing other resources
creating a balance between work and life from learning experience:
recognizing one’s limitations to increase one’s abilities and skills
not making the same mistakes over and over
assessing the situation:
adapting to change
knowing when a situation calls for creativity
knowing when a situation calls for the application of known techniques
A student should be able to articulate his/her understanding of ones effectiveness at work, using examples from one’s co-op experiences:
Effectiveness at work is demonstrated by some or all of the following:
being able to work in a team
accepting responsibility for one’s work and the work of the team
learning to manage one's ego for the good of the project
working cooperatively in a team setting
making honest assessments of progress
avoiding wishful thinking
encouraging reviews, testing, and milestones
making their own work open to review by others
A student should be able to articulate his/her leadership skills, using examples from ones co-op experiences:
Leadership skills at work can be demonstrated by some or all of the following:
articulating and achieving goals
acting as an agent for change
serving as a role model
A student should be able to demonstrate his/her business skills, using examples from ones co-op experiences:
using the art of simple conversation
conveying a professional presence, dmeanor, and attitude
understanding and operating within institutional cultures
A student should be able to demonstrate his/her multiple levels of responsibility in a social context:
to yourself
to your team
to your company
to your customers
to your business partners
to your society in general
A student should be able to describe how his/her co-op experiences helped in understanding the relationship between work and society.
The relationship between work and society can be illustrated by using examples from some or all of the following:
articulating the relationship of science and technology to society
knowing how science and technology work
being comfortable with scientific methods, concepts, and vocabulary
appreciating how science provides ways to comprehend the natural world and understanding man-made artifacts
promoting the wise use of technology in society
being aware of the impact of technology on work and daily life
understanding the role of information and technology in specific disciplines
using a knowledge of science and technology to participate thoughtfully in debates on difficult problems
being sensitive to issues of access, fairness, and diversity
being concerned to enable access for people with handicaps or with limited hardware/software resources
being aware that the use of proprietary formats may limit access to information both in the present and, as formats change, into the future
A student should be able to describe, how his/her co-op experiences were affected by one’s understanding of the ethical issues below:
•understanding issues of personal privacy:
information in government databases
consumer and credit information
medical records
electronic mail and internet usage;
•understanding issues of security:
safeguards for confidential information, communications security for commercial transactions, intellectual property rights for hardware and software;
•understanding the need for reliable systems in a variety of domains:
systems in which failures can threaten human life (medical, transportation) systems in which failures can create large business losses
needs for reliability in everyday applications
building reliable systems
following sound design and development practices
taking responsibility for the product being developed
carefully consider trade offs when perfection is not an option
A student should be able to articulate how he/she reacted to a specific situation involving the following:
•avoiding activities that use technology for unethical purposes
•do not use pirated software
•not using computers to harass or attack individuals
•not intruding into computer systems that one has no right to access
•not committing a crime: fraud, embezzlement, sabotage, theft of information
•employing information and technology ethically and in the service of society
•embracing a responsibility to others
•recognizing ethical issues in the workplace
•examining the consequences of decisions and actions
•recognizing and handling conflicts that involve moral dilemmas
•learning to balance individual rights and the needs of the community
•recognizing quality software (usable, efficient, reliable, elegant)
A student should be able to articulate how esthetic and emotional factors were utilized on his/her co-op experiences for each area listed below:
•understanding how esthetic considerations shape decision-making and design
•recognizing the emotional impact of visual, auditory, and olfactory impressions
•appreciating elegance in thinking and design
Problem Solving
A student should be able to describe and document examples of his/her utilization of problem solving skills.
To articulate problem solving skills, the student should provide a description for each activity below:
developed mental agility
engaged in activities that require mental agility and problem solving
kept his/her mind fresh with sufficient physical exercise and sleep
used old problems to help solve new problems (provide examples of old problems)
examined each problem solved for insights into future problems
searched for patterns both in problems and in methods of solution
studied the problem solutions of the masters in the field
organized solutions into toolkits
examined related problems
tried to solve a special case of the problem to get insight
tried to solve a more general problem than the one given
tried to fit the problem into a family of related problems
looked for help
brainstormed with colleagues
consulted books and journals
8. Professional Development
A student should be able to:
Prepare a professional resume representing multiple experiences within one or more organizations.
Demonstrate the ability to successfully function in a professional interview.
Demonstrate the ability to write professional and technical goals and objectives
Demonstrate how previous professional and technical goals were accomplished.
Demonstrate the ability to acquire computer-related positions within a reasonable time
period.
Demonstrate through verifiable examples that one conveyed a professional presence, demeanor, and attitude while functioning in a professional setting.
Articulate differences in at least two different organizational cultures.
Articulate what technical knowledge was acquired on previous co-ops.
Articulate the current areas in the field of computing.
Articulate how to apply one’s co-op experiences to future full-time employment.
Articulate how one’s co-op experiences have enhanced their education.
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