Vancouver, BC
June 26, 2011
June 26, 2011
June 29, 2011
2153-5965
Comparing Different Aspects of the Cooperative Education Experience
Cooperative & Experiential Education
10
22.863.1 - 22.863.10
10.18260/1-2--18146
https://peer.asee.org/18146
317
Craig Gunn is the Director of the Communication Program in the Department of Mechanical Engineering at Michigan State University. His duties include the integration of communication skill activity into all courses within the mechanical Engineering program, including overseas experiences. He works closely with the Cooperative Engineering Education Division of the College of Engineering to monitor the communication skills of students who co-op during their college years. He is currently the editor of the CEED Newsbriefs and is co-author of a number of textbooks focusing on engineering freshmen orientation.
Industry and Education: a Winning Combination for CommunicationOver the last ten years the adherence to EC 2000 by engineering programs has beencompleted and the old ABET requirements and massive documents have disappeared incomparison to the shortened version to day. There is now a concerted effort bydepartments to make sure that everything that they are claiming in their six- yearaccreditation process has substance and can easily be proved. During this ten-year period,students have continued to leave the university during internships, co-ops, andexperiential learning experiences. As accreditation visits loom on the horizon, it isimportant to not only look at what is going on in the classroom but to investigate theadded influence of any contact the students have with industrial employers. Another areaof importance that links the classroom, internships, co-ops, experiential learningexperiences, and industry is the growing contact that comes with project based coursesthat deal directly with industry to accomplish their ends. Many schools are promoting thework that can be done by students integrating their work in the classroom with industrialinfluence. Another area of interest is the number of students who participate inextracurricular activities that produce many contact hours with engineering alumnithrough those projects. While the major focus for accreditation is the classroom, there is aneed to look closely at the elements of learning that are being provided by all the otherforms of education provided at colleges and universities alike.
Gunn, C. J. (2011, June), Industry and Education: A Winning Combination Paper presented at 2011 ASEE Annual Conference & Exposition, Vancouver, BC. 10.18260/1-2--18146
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