Engineering Co-op
How Can You Gain Academic Credit
for your Co-op Job?
- Be an undergraduate engineering student in good academic standing.
- Have successfully completed 100W and at least 6 units of junior-level coursework directly related to your major.
- Be employed in a part- or full-time co-op or internship position directly related to your major lasting through the end of the enrolled semester.
- Identify a specific semester-long project with your supervisor that will strengthen an area of technical competency.
- Submit a brief project proposal to Dr. Ping Hsu, for approval at least one week prior to the start of
a semester.
Eng 197: Co-op Project Course
Why Enroll?- Earn 3 technical elective units in your major.
- Enhance the quality of your current co-op/internship assignment.
- Secure the support of your employer in providing you with increasing responsibility and challenge.
- Practice and significantly improve your presentation skills.
NOTE - All co-op candidates must have a
current SJSU Student I.D. Card. Since it takes time to secure a co-op
job and complete an assignment, have at least one or more semesters left
before graduation to take full advantage of the program.
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Eng 197: Learning Contract
Students wishing to enter the course must prepare a preliminary project proposal and, with the guidance of the course instructor and the approval of the work site supervisor, prepare and submit a final "learning contract." The instructor grants final approval for course entry.Eng 197: Sample Syllabus
Course Description:3-unit undergraduate approved technical elective course designed to assist students in making the transition from the classroom to industry. The learning environment is interactive, and the academic content of the course is geared to the individual interests and abilities in the class. Students participate in a paid, course-related, supervised, co-op work experience involving 20 or 40 hours per week on-the-job. This integration of the work experience allows a degree of independence and an element of learning that is not usually possible in a conventional classroom.
Students must participate in weekly activities. These activities provide a focus for the work experience by assisting the student in assessing growth and realizing learning. A secondary objective of the course is to have students define specific learning objectives to be accomplished in the areas of professional development and/or personal growth.
Course Objectives:
The primary objective of this course is to improve students' technical competency using their project as a vehicle. While doing so, the course will help them explore issues such as:
- The variety of work patterns and settings in the work environment.
- Personal/professional interrelationships in the work environment.
- Politics, conflict, and competition in the work environment.
- Career options in the selected academic area.
- Career-life choices based on these experiences in light of self-assessed values, skills, interests, and goals.
Current placement in a meaningful co-op assignment, including a component that can be used as an approved class project achievable within the duration of the course, is required. Students prepare a preliminary project proposal and, with the guidance of the course instructor and the approval of the work site supervisor, prepare and submit a final "learning contract." The instructor grants final approval for course entry.
Conditions of Co-op Employment:
- Work Attendance -- The co-op student is expected to be on the job regularly and punctually through the duration of the course.
- Absence -- In case of sickness or emergency necessitating a student's absence from work for more than one week, the course instructor should be notified.
- Layoff -- A co-op student who is permanently or temporarily laid off must notify the course instructor immediately.
- Termination or Resignation -- A student who leaves his/her co-op job without the instructor's prior approval, or who is terminated due to poor performance may receive a failing grade in the course.
- Work Performance -- A co-op student who, even though not discharged by the employer, fails to perform satisfactorily may receive a failing grade in the course.
The following major course assignments address the previously stated objectives:
- Short oral presentations and regular progress reports on the co-op assignment and, in particular, the approved project and professional development goals.
- Opportunity for the course instructor to conduct a company site visit including a guided tour of the student's work environment, a briefing on mid-term project status, and a meeting with the student's supervisor.
- A written semi-formal report describing the project and its outcome upon completion, and a corresponding final oral and poster presentation.
- 20% Class Participation
- 20% Written Report/Poster
- 40% Oral Reports/final presentation
- 20% Work performance:
o Fulfillment of specified number of work hours.
o Supervisor's evaluation of overall work experience.
o Instructor's evaluation of overall work experience.
- Introductions / Workshop on Effective Presentations
- Oral Presentations (Individual project summaries.)
- Oral Presentations (Individual project summaries continued.)
- Professional Development, Team Building Workshop
- Company Site Visit- (Professor will meet with students and supervisors/managers for midterm progress report and work performance evaluation.)
- Progress Reports; Draft Posters Due
- Final Oral Presentations
- Final Oral Presentations
- "Dress Rehearsals"-Final Practice
(Poster and written project summary reports and co-op site evaluation due.) - Final Public (Oral & Poster) Presentations!
(Each student must bring at least one representative from the co-op/internship site.)
*While this course is scheduled to meet 10 times
during the semester, the professors may schedule additional class sessions
as needed. SJSU Cooperative Education Project
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Eng 197: Faculty
The Co-op Projects course attracts distinguished and seasoned professionals from both the ranks of SJSU College of Engineering faculty and industry.Eng 197: Student Showcase
"Engineering 197 was truly a remarkable class. It was a unique experience in many ways. It allowed each and every one of us the opportunity to complete an engineering project, share our challenges and successes in an open forum, and receive meaningful guidance from our professors, mentors and peers.
This class also allowed us to vastly expand our public speaking skills. Through progress reports and presentations, we received both faculty and peer feedback on an ongoing basis. I witnessed improvement not only in my own communication skills, but also in the skills of my classmates. As a result of this class, we now appreciate more fully the importance of communication skills both in our personal and professional lives.
In addition, this course gave us the opportunity to learn about the interesting projects across the many disciplines of engineering and it gave us a view of technologies used in a variety of industries. In no other class have we been exposed to such a wide range of engineering topics as in Engineering 197."
"I know I speak for the rest of my peers when I say that the Co-op Project course has been a great experience. EE 197 is a unique course because it allowed each one of us to take ownership of an engineering field-related project and see it progress from beginning to end. As a result, we were able to take pride in its completion. The class also allowed us to gain more confidence with our public speaking skills through peer and instructor evaluations. We saw progress not only in our communication skills but also in our professional presentation abilities. Through class activities, we were able to learn from each other and compare notes on how to conquer professional challenges including digging up resources and even approaching our supervisors. Lastly, Engineering 197 gave us all an opportunity to connect theory with practice. But most importantly, it gave us a validation that, indeed, we have chosen the right field of study."
Sherryl Lising, SJSU EE Major
Testimonials from additional students...
"I believe this course helped me to build my confidence in giving presentations
and understanding what it's like to be in the electrical engineering field."
"This course helped me further develop my communication skills especially
in the areas of engineering process identification and definition."
"To be honest, I did not know what to expect at first; this class went
beyond my expectations. It made me focus on specific work related problems
more closely."
"This course exceeded my expectations. The numerous presentations I gave
improved my speaking skills immensely. The course helped me get greater
responsibility at work."
Engineering Employers
The following is a partial list of organizations that have employed SJSU students:| 3COM www.3com.com |
Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory
www.llnl.gov |
| Abovenet Communications www.abovenet.com |
Lifescan www.lifescan.com |
| Advanced Micro Devices www.amd.com |
Lockheed Martin www.lockheedmartin.com |
| Adobe Systems www.adobe.com |
LTX Corporation www.ltx.com |
| Agilent Technologies www.agilent.com |
Lucent Technology www.lucent.com |
| Alameda County Public Works www.co.alameda.ca.us/pwa |
Metromedia Fiber Network (MFN) |
| Amdahl www.amdahl.com |
NUMMI www.nummi.com |
| Anritsu Analog Devices www.anritsu.com |
NASA Ames National Semiconductor www.nasa.gov |
| Apple Computer www.apple.com |
Netscape www.netscape.com |
| Applied Materials www.appliedmaterials.com |
Nexsi www.lexisnexis.com |
| Aspect Communications www.aspect.com |
Nortel Networks www.nortelnetworks.com |
| Atmel www.atmel.com |
Novell www.novell.com/college |
| Cadence Design Systems www.cadence.com |
Novellus Systems www.novellus.com |
| Cisco Systems www.cisco.com |
Palm Computing www.palm.com |
| City of San Francisco www.ci.sf.ca.us |
Philips Semiconductor www.semiconductors.philips.com |
| City of San Jose: www.ci.sj.ca.us/ |
Quake Safe www.quakesafe.com |
| Compaq Computers www.compaq.com |
Quantum www.quantum.com |
| Contra Costa Public Works
www.cocosheriff.org |
Rational Software www.rational.com |
| Copper Mountain Networks www.coppermountain.com |
SOHO Wireless www.sohowireless.com |
| Cypress Semiconductor www.cypress.com/employment |
Sandcraft www.sandcraft.com |
| EPRI www.epri.com |
Santa Clara Valley Water District www.scvwd.dst.ca.us |
| Earthlink www.earthlink.net |
Schlumberger www.slb.com |
| Ericsson Components www.ericsson.se |
Seagate www.seagate.com |
| ETEC Systems www.etec.com |
Silicon Graphics www.sgi.com |
| Fujitsu IT Holdings, Inc. www.amdahl.com |
Siliconix www.vishay.com |
| General Electric www.gecareers.com |
Sony Electronics www.sony.com |
| Hewlett-Packard www.hp.com |
SRI International www.sri.com/ |
| Hitachi Computer Products www.hitachi.com |
Stryker Endoscopy www.strykerendo.com |
| IBM www.ibm.com |
Sun Microsystems www.sun.com |
| IBM Almaden Research www.almaden.ibm.com |
TCI/BR Communications www.tcibr.com |
| IKOS Systems www.ikos.com |
Underwriters Laboratory www.ul.com |
| Infineon Technologies www.infineon.com |
Xilinx www.xilinx.com |
| Intel www.intel.com |
Yahoo! www.yahoo.com |
| KLA-Tencor www.kla-tencor.com |
...and many more. |
Engr 197
Co-op Project Course
Learning Contract
Sample Syllabus
Class Activities
Faculty Profiles
Student Showcase
Engineering Employers
