Conference Session

Issues of Cooperative Education I

Collection

2008 Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Joe Raelin, Northeastern University; Jerry Hamann, University of Wyoming; David Whitman, University of Wyoming; Rachelle Reisberg, Northeastern University

Tagged Divisions

Cooperative & Experiential Education

enrolled (e.g., cooperative education and internships) isrelated to enhanced self-efficacy. Self-efficacy theory provides an important framework fordifferentiating the career outcomes of students in engineering. In particular, positive self-efficacybeliefs appear to significantly affect persistence in undergraduate engineering programs. This studyfound that co-op programs appear to make a significant contribution to the enhancement of work self-efficacy.PurposeThe purpose of this study is to isolate those factors that contribute most to the development of threeself-efficacy dimensions thought to be most relevant to the retention of sophomores (especiallywomen) in undergraduate engineering: work, academic, and career. It examines, in particular

Conference Session

Issues of Cooperative Education I

Collection

2008 Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Olga Pierrakos, James Madison University; Maura Borrego, Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University; Jenny Lo, Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University

Tagged Divisions

Cooperative & Experiential Education

Borrego, Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University MAURA BORREGO is an assistant professor of Engineering Education at Virginia Tech. Dr. Borrego holds an M.S. and Ph.D. in Materials Science and Engineering from Stanford University. Her current research interests center around interdisciplinary collaboration in engineering and engineering education, including studies of the collaborative relationships between engineers and education researchers. Investigations of interdisciplinary graduate programs nationwide are funded through her NSF CAREER award.Jenny Lo, Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University JENNY LO is an advanced instructor in the Department of Engineering Education

Conference Session

Global Cooperative Education

Collection

2008 Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Thomas Akins, Georgia Institute of Technology; Debbie D. Gulick, Georgia Institute of Technology; Jack Lohmann, Georgia Institute of Technology

Tagged Divisions

Cooperative & Experiential Education

must be maintained. These are set forth as follows: Select students on the basis of ability in the following areas: o Language skills o Academic performance o Interpersonal skills o Matches students career plans The universities select one student per open position. The company then conducts an interview and gives a final “yes” or “no.” All of the “no’s” go up for re- election to all of the university partners to nominate an intern for the position. Advise students prior to internship regarding practical organization of internship (travel, health and repatriation insurance, safety information, etc.) Offer specific readings and pre-departure assignments with a global

Conference Session

Issues of Cooperative Education I

Collection

2008 Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

ROBERT GRAY, Penn State Erie

Tagged Divisions

Cooperative & Experiential Education

with a local industry.Perceived Shortcomings to Traditional Systems Design CurriculumBefore I began a career in academia as a professor of (electrical) engineering, I worked inindustry for nearly 20 years. A major part of my career was in the military performing duties asan avionics maintenance technician, a flight crewmember in remote operations in Alaska, anavionics systems engineer for the F-16 aircraft, and researcher for guidance and controls systemsin an avionics laboratory. Once in front of the classroom, it did not take long before I noticedthat my senior students had a good grasp of the individual subjects (circuits, digital electronics,microprocessors, mathematics, physics, etc.), but they lacked a solid understanding of how