MU-Goverance Manual: Policies Concerning Faculty
Governance Manual
Section 5: Policies Concerning Faculty
Workload and Workload Equivalents
Co-op Education/Internship Supervision and Responsibilities
1. Supervisory Preparation.
The cooperative education/internship experience provides a student with the opportunity to gain supervised experience in a work setting for which variable academic credit is assigned.
Each academic department participating in cooperative education will assign a Co-op/Internship Coordinator to administer the daily program operations.
All faculty members responsible for the supervision of co-op/intern students should attend an initial supervisors' orientation/training session and regularly scheduled faculty co-op/intern supervisors' meetings. To provide for consistency of program operation, the supervisors and the departments will work with the Cooperative Education Office.
The development of cooperative education internship positions shall be the joint responsibility of the faculty and the Cooperative Education Office. All faculty are encouraged to initiate new or expanded contacts for the development of additional cooperative education/internship experiences. Whenever faculty generated contacts have been successfully made, the Cooperative Education Office will be informed so that the necessary follow-up work may be completed, and verification of potential co-op/intern sites may be made.
Introduction of the faculty member to the appropriate contact(s), including the potential co-op/intern's immediate employer supervisor, should normally be completed prior to any student's placement with the employer. It is the responsibility of the department coordinator to apprise his/her department of the conditions of student placement (assigned location, duration, work functions, and responsibilities) prior to approval of the student assignment by the department.
To prepare for each semester's supervisory load of cooperative education/internship students, the faculty supervisor needs to be sure that registration for the assignment has been completed. Each student must have an appropriate signed "Request for Special Study Assignment Form" and must have registered for the appropriate cooperative education/internship course number. In addition, each student must have in his/her possession a copy of the student handbook which outlines the student's and employer's responsibilities. If the department specifies any additional learning and performance objectives, the student must be provided a copy of objectives prior to the assignment.
A departmental file should be established and housed in the department office for each cooperative education/internship student. The file should include:
- the department's copy of the Request for Special Study Assignment form,
- a copy of the student's job description/responsibilities,
- midterm and final evaluations,
- a log documenting all written correspondence, telephone consultations, and on-site visitations made, and
- other information which may be needed by the department.
2. Credit Load Determination.
A college supervisor of cooperative education/ internship students shall supervise a maximum of seventy-two (72) students during the academic year. When an academic faculty member carries a mixed load of teaching and supervision of cooperative education/internship students, the academic faculty member's workload shall be calculated on the basis of each cooperative education/internship student being equivalent to one-third (1/3) of an academic credit hour, regardless of how many credits each student is earning for the experience (see CBA). Supervisory assignments, full-time or part-time, will be approved by the department chairperson and the school dean.
3. Supervision Responsibilities.
- Employer
- Provide the Co-op Office with a current detailed job description of work tasks to be performed prior to any student placement.
- Expose the student to professional surroundings.
- Have a genuine interest in the progressive development of student potential.
- Continually guide the student towards increased responsibility.
- With each additional work assignment, the student should be provided with increased responsibilities and new learning opportunities.
- Meet with student's faculty supervisor around mid-term.
- Prepare and return a final evaluation of student's performance approximately two weeks prior to student's departure date.
- Confirm the student's co-op status with the employer's personnel department prior to rehiring of a co-op student.
- Assist in identifying suitable housing and transportation during the co-op term.
- Allow for student leave time to take care of University course registration matters.
- Contact the Co-op Office at 717-872-3312 or the student's faculty supervisor immediately should any problem arise.
- Student
- Advise the Co-op Office of employment interest early in the term preceding the intended co-op term. This also applies to any anticipated extension of a current co-op/intern assignment.
- Read and understand program expectations as outlined in the co-op brochure and handbook.
- Students of past co-op/internship assignments are expected to register for the appropriate co-op course number if he/she accepts an assignment from the same employer of a previous work assignment.
- Co-op job slots are reserved for registered co-op students only. Credit will not be given to students who return to a co-op job without preregistering through the Co-op Office and the Registrar's Office.
- Make all arrangements to register for the upcoming semester's courses.
- Register and pay tuition for the appropriate cooperative education course.
CO-OP 200: Entry level cooperative education experience giving initial exposure to departmentally approved job assignment. (1-6 s.h.).
CO-OP 300: Cooperative education assignment with increased work responsibility over the CO-OP 200 level. Prereq: CO-OP 200 or equivalent. (1-6 s.h.).
CO-OP 400: Cooperative education assignment with increased work responsibility over the CO-OP 300 Level. Prereq: CO-OP 300 or equivalent. (1-6 s.h.).
CO-OP 500: Cooperative education assignment with increased work responsibility over the CO-OP 400 level. Prereq: CO-OP 400 or equivalent. (1-6 s.h.).
Along with registration for the co-op, the student needs to pay the University fee, dormitory costs and meal tickets (for those students continuing residence on the MU campus), and insurance.
- Complete change-of address form with both the Co-op Office and the Registrar's Office.
- Confer with the Co-op Office to discuss employment expectations, living arrangements, and program requirements at least one week before starting the co-op work experience.
- Conduct oneself in a professional manner on the job site.
- Conform to employer's work schedule, office routine, etc.
- Complete contracted work period.
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- Provide the academic department with a work report and the Co-op office with a copy.
- Satisfactorily complete all academic requirements as stated in the Co-op Handbook, or as requested by the academic department.
- Plan for campus housing accommodations for the following semester prior to leaving campus for co-op/internship assignment. Confirm all campus housing with the Dean of Resident Life.
- Contact the Co-op Office at 717-872-3312 immediately or the student's faculty supervisor should any problems arise.
Graduating seniors should transfer appropriate co-op file materials to senior credential folder. Transferred materials will be governed by the prevailing Career Services credential policy. All non-transferred materials will be maintained for only three years beyond graduation.
- Department Coordinator.
- Administers departmental co-op program services to students.
- Cooperates with the Co-op Office in matters pertaining to the Cooperative Education/ Internship Program at Millersville University.
- Approves potential co-op/intern job sites and maintains a departmental file listing for student and faculty use.
- Establishes departmental guidelines to direct dally operational procedures and determines which University-wide forms and procedures would provide maximum efficiency for departmental use.
- Approves potential co-op/intern students who enter a candidate pool for possible placement.
- Assigns a faculty supervisor (pending Dean's approval) to a student matched with an employer. Completes and expedites requisite paperwork (including regular load or overload assignment and determination of cost). Maintains department file on each student completing a co-op/intern assignment.
- Monitors grade reporting by faculty supervisors.
- Verifies that the faculty supervisor has met the conditions and responsibilities of a Co-op/Intern Supervisor.
- Assists in the development and maintenance of a qualified student applicant pool through departmental mailing to academic majors and faculty.
- Whenever possible, initiates new or expanded contacts for the development of additional cooperative education/internship experiences.
- Faculty Supervisor.
- Determines from the department coordinator the conditions of student placement (assignment location, duration, work function, and responsibilities).
- Keeps and makes appropriate entries in the departmental file.
- Accumulates a minimum of five contacts with the student during his/her co-op/intern experience. Meetings with the student should occur on at least three separate occasions, one of which must be an on-site visit preferably around mid-term.
- Completes mid-term on-site visitation responsibilities including a rating/review of the student's work performance-and consultation with the student and his/her immediate employer supervisor.
- Collects all student assignments and evaluations, and based on this material and student contact, determines and reports the student's grade to the Registrar's Office.
- Whenever possible, initiates new or expanded contacts for the development of additional cooperative education/internship experiences.
- Whenever possible, assists the co-op student with pre-registration and other liaisons with campus offices.
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