ABOUT

COOPERATIVE EDUCATION

The Business Technologies Division has developed a series of practice-oriented courses designed to help students succeed in preparing for and achieving their career goals.

Co-op Coordinators:
Kendra Wilburn
Home Page: http://faculty.cincinnatistate.edu/kendra.wilburn/
E-mail:
kendra.wilburn@cincinnatistate.edu
Phone: 513-569-1662

Kathleen Ruppert
http://faculty.cincinnatistate.edu/kathleen.ruppert/
E-mail: kathleen.ruppert@cincinnatistate.edu
Phone:  513-569-1633

To schedule an appointment, please call the
Business Technologies Division at (513) 569-1621

These courses are:
1. College Success Strategies: (FYE 9002)
The foundation of the program is course CAR 9002, College Success Strategies. This course prepares students for their college experiences, helps them transfer skills to the world of work, and connects students with the college and faculty.
2. Professional Practices: (BT 9200)
The sequence continues with BUS 9200, Professional Practices, which prepares students for their Cooperative Education experience. Students learn the fundamental skills to gain employment such as goal setting, career research, resume writing, interviewing and negotiating. Additionally, students gain job success competencies ranging from business etiquette to business ethics.
3. Cooperative Education: (Course numbers vary)
Cooperative Education is the next part of the sequence. Students integrate their classroom experience with related work experience. Through these work experiences, students complete multiple terms of meaningful employment that are structured, managed, and evaluated in a systematic way to help them realize their career goals.
4. Learning Modules:
Through the completion of learning modules, co-op students acquire additional skill sets necessary to sustain employment. These modules are mandatory and must be completed while a student is working on a co-op assignment.
5. Business Competencies: (BUS 9233)
The sequence ends with course BUS 9233, Business Competencies. This capstone course ties the practice-oriented sequence together with the experiences of the preceding courses. It includes a mandatory community service component that helps students develop good citizenship.

Cooperative Education Policies:
Co-op Registration Policy

1. Students must register and pay for co-op before they report to their employer.
2. Any student who fails to register for co-op will not receive co-op credit for that term.
3. If a student fails to register for co-op, the coordinator will notify their employer that the student no longer has co-op status. Then the employer can decide whether to allow the student to continue to work full-time without co-op status or terminate employment.

Satisfying the Co-op Requirement:
A student can meet the Business Technologies Cooperative Education requirement in 3 ways:
1. Participate in traditional co-op field experience (co-op job).
2. Meet requirement by applying for advanced standing (See the explanation below).
3. Take the co-op seminar classes (Students must have their coordinator’s approval).

Co-op Coordinators:
Kendra Wilburn
Home Page: http://faculty.cincinnatistate.edu/kendra.wilburn/
E-mail: kendra.wilburn@cincinnatistate.edu
Phone: 513-569-1662

Kathleen Ruppert
http://faculty.cincinnatistate.edu/kathleen.ruppert/
E-mail: kathleen.ruppert@cincinnatistate.edu
Phone:  513-569-1633

To schedule an appointment, please call the
Business Technologies Division at (513) 569-1621

Advanced Standing:
Students may receive credit for completing the co-op requirement by showing successful completion of suitable previous academic and/or work experience. To find out more, see the Cincinnati State Student Guide to Advanced Standing Credit. This publication is available in the Office of the Registrar and in each academic division’s main office. A student’s co-op coordinator has the final decision whether or not a student may receive advanced standing.

Co-op Eligibility Requirements:
Each student must:
· Be admitted into a major.
· Meet with co-op coordinator upon acceptance to major.
· Have a grade point average of 2.0 or better.
· Complete any required technical courses (Students should refer to their major page on this site).
· Attend a co-op orientation session and complete a petition to co-op packet.
· Fill out the co-op packet and return it to their coordinator. Students will not be considered for co-op until this step is completed.
· Agree to follow the curriculum for their major and meet all program requirements as specified.
· Agree to not seek permanent, full-time employment with their co-op employer until after graduation.
· Understand that co-op students are not eligible for unemployment benefits for co-op positions, and agree not apply for them. (There are exceptions; students should refer to their individual major requirements.)
· Inform the co-op coordinator and get approval before dropping out of the co-op program. The co-op requirements must be completed by taking seminar classes. Once a student leaves the co-op program, they may not re-enter it without the approval of their co-op coordinator.

WORKING FOR SUCCESS EXPERIENCE

Individual Program Requirements:
The following is a list of all of the majors available within the Business Technologies Division. Click on a major below to locate more co-op information about that specific program. Please note that there are no certificate programs mentioned. That is because certificate programs do not require co-op

CULINARY ARTS TECHNOLOGY (CUL)

HOTEL MANAGEMENT TECHNOLOGY (HMT)

FOOD SERVICE MANAGEMENT TECHNOLOGY (FSM)

PASTRY ARTS TECHNOLOGY (PAS)

Types of Co-op:
Students may complete the required co-op experience on either an alternating or parallel track depending on the availability of positions. Alternating co-op is full-time employment. Parallel co-op is part-time employment in addition to classes. Students must meet with their co-op coordinator as soon as possible after admittance to their academic program to complete their co-op plan.

Chances of Finding a Co-op Position:
Although the co-op coordinators for the Business Technologies Division are generally successful in finding interview opportunities for co-op students, Cincinnati State cannot guarantee employment. In these cases, the co-op coordinator will work with the student to find alternatives that will fulfill the cooperative education requirement.

Attendance Policies:
Students are expected to work all days assigned by their employers. If a co-op employee needs a day off, he or she must schedule in advance if at all possible. Absences are to be avoided unless it is an emergency. If an emergency arises, students must contact their co-op employer immediately and speak to the designated supervisor.

Co-op Employer Responsibilities:
Every co-op employer is responsible for filling out an Employer Evaluation of Student form each term. This form is the primary source of information in determining a student’s grade for co-op. The employer is solely responsible for decisions about hiring, retention, dismissal, promotion, or demotion of a cooperative education student. Initial and continuing employment depends on the skills, aptitudes, and behaviors the individual student offers to each potential employer.

Grading Policies:
Grades given for co-op are either “S” – Satisfactory, or “U” – Unsatisfactory. A grade of “I” –Incomplete will not be given.

A grade of “U” may be issued when:
· The employer rates the co-op’s performance consistently low. If for instance, the student receives 1s and 2s for most of the categories listed on the Employer Evaluation of Student form.
· The employer reports unacceptable attendance and punctuality records.
· The employer reports violation of company policy regarding drugs, theft, intoxication, work stoppages, and/or violent, unruly behavior.
· The student terminates his/her employment before the end of the co-op term (use the co-op calendar as a reference).
· The student shows wanton disregard for the Policies and Procedures established by the Office of Cooperative Education and for the cooperative education agreement they have signed.
· The student does not meet specific course requirements designated by the coordinator such as attending meetings and completing assignments at the end of each co-op term.
· Withdrawal from co-op: If a student is fired from a co-op job due to poor performance, and withdraws from that course, the coordinator, with the approval of the division dean, may remove the “W” and assign a grade of “U” or “F”.

Co-op Coordinators:

Kendra Wilburn
Home Page: http://faculty.cincinnatistate.edu/kendra.wilburn/
E-mail: kendra.wilburn@cincinnatistate.edu
Phone: 513-569-1662

Kathleen Ruppert
http://faculty.cincinnatistate.edu/kathleen.ruppert/
E-mail: kathleen.ruppert@cincinnatistate.edu
Phone:  513-569-1633