Once you have identified Co-op partners, faculty from your institution and key personnel at the employer site(s) should collaborate to develop a plan for the Co-op purpose and function that considers the following:

Student Learning Objectives. The needs of the partner site will drive the development of these objectives and shape the Student Job Description(s) for the Co-op Position(s).

Educational Programming. To prepare both students and site employees for the Co-op experience, faculty and site personnel may want to conduct some training in advance. This might include online training, in-person training, or a combination of both. Teaching strategies and workshops provided in this toolkit can be adapted for this purpose.

Evaluation Methods. These should be determined by Co-op partners during the development of the student Co-op position. Methods may draw on student, faculty, and employer observations or additional data.