Putting practice in place: Significant learning in a co-operative education foundational course

By Candy Ho (Cannexus15 GSEP Award Winner) 

Typically, when one thinks of co-operative education (co-op) programs in post-secondary institutions, processes such as placing students in temporary roles and liaising with employers come to mind. Yet, there is more than meets the eye, as the educational components of teaching and learning in co-op programs is rarely mentioned, arguably because there seems to be a disconnect between career development and the academic curriculum. To this end, how might co-op programs integrate theory and practice and as a result establish their legitimacy as an important part of the university experience? My poster, which I’ll be showing at the Cannexus15 conference, explores the connection of a co-op foundational course with Fink’s (2003) taxonomy of significant learning.

COOP 1101 is a one-credit foundational course all students must take prior to entering the co-op program at Kwantlen Polytechnic University (KPU), a former university college that has recently attained university status in 2008. Striving to achieve its strategic vision by 2018, KPU is focusing on three pillars of providing quality education, building reputation, and maintaining relevance within its communities.

With co-op programs often showcased as a strong feature of the institution, COOP 1101 shares similar goals as it aims to engage students with high quality experiential learning, continue its reputation as a valuable course, and ensure course content is relevant to the contemporary world of work. The last point forms my poster’s main question: In an ever-changing world evolving exponentially, how can COOP 1101 remain relevant and useful to students from the first day of class to beyond their graduation? Preliminary insights and recommendations for future course planning were realized through analyzing the six major categories of Fink’s (2003) taxonomy, which are foundational knowledge, application, integration, human dimension, caring, and learning to learn.

The poster will be of interest to practitioners intrigued about teaching and learning in career education, as they may generate insights to incorporating theories into their existing programs and workshops. Also, practitioners working in post-secondary institutions may want to learn about this for-credit co-op course (since co-op programs are typically considered co-curricular rather than part of the academic curriculum) and how it can apply in their schools.

 

Author Bio

Candy Ho (@CanceHo) is a graduate student pursuing doctoral studies in the Faculty of Education at Simon Fraser University. She currently holds teaching and research positions in both Kwantlen Polytechnic University and Simon Fraser University.

 

Reference

Fink, L. D. (2003). Creating significant learning experiences. San Francisco, CA: Jossey-Bass.

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Investigating career transitions of major junior hockey players

By Lauren K. McCoy (Cannexus16 GSEP Award Winner)

Limited exploration has been directed towards the psychological, social and physical adjustments encountered by elite athletes upon career transition, despite a significant body of research suggesting that athletes that lack transitional coping skills may be at greater risk of adverse outcomes (Smith & McManus, 2008). While recent literature has begun to investigate these issues in other competitive sports, Canadian major junior hockey (CHL) continues to operate as a closed community that commonly restricts access to the institution and its players (Allain, 2013; Robinson, 1998). In an effort to protect their personal hockey careers, active players often perpetuate the insulation of the league through carefully crafted accounts that guard the best interests of the institution (Allain, 2013).

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By Annelise Welde (Cannexus15 GSEP Award Winner)

Career education and student engagement have been linked in existing research (i.e., Orthner, Jones-Sanpei, & Akos, 2013; Sutherland, Levine, & Barth, 2005). Student engagement can be conceptualized as the interaction between the resources that are invested by students and institutions to enhance students’ experiences, learning outcomes and development (Trowler, 2010). Kuh (2009) writes that increased levels of student engagement are linked to more opportunities for students of all educational and social backgrounds to:

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Trade to teaching: Second career or second phase?

By Barbara Gustafson (Cannexus15 GSEP Award Winner)

As a part of doctoral-level research at the University of Saskatchewan, I surveyed trades instructors at three Western Canadian post-secondary institutions about their career transition from trades practice to teaching. The survey was followed up with focus groups for a qualitative-dominant mixed methods study that was completed in November 2014.

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Teach for tomorrow: Career education and student engagement

By Annelise Welde (Cannexus15 GSEP Award Winner) 

Career education, student engagement, and social justice are linked, as students’ career aspirations are influenced by their ethnic affiliations and socioeconomic conditions (Porfeli, Hartung, & Vondracek, 2008). In this paper, I will underscore the importance of career education in promoting positive life outcomes for all students.

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What happens when you don’t make the NHL? A qualitative investigation of the experiences of retired major junior hockey players

By Lauren K. McCoy (Cannexus16 GSEP Award Winner)

Research on career and life transitions has expanded to include unique sport transitions facing elite athletes. However, the psychological, social, and physical adjustments associated with athletic career transition and retirement continue to be under-researched (Smith & McManus, 2008), despite a significant body of literature suggesting that athletes who lack transitional coping skills are at greater risk of adverse outcomes (Cecic-Erpic, Wylleman, & Zupancic, 2004;Stephan, Bilard, Ninot, & Delignieres, 2003; Wylleman, Alferman, & Lavallee, 2004). Although conceptual models of career sport transition have gained support over the past several decades, studies examining the factors that help or hinder athletic career transitions in sport continue to be rare (Lavallee & Robinson, 2007). This results in a lack of effective interventions available to address the transitional needs of athletes before, during, and after career transition (Lavallee & Robinson, 2007; Smith & McManus, 2008; Taylor, Ogilvie, & Lavallee, 2005).

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Working with youth transitioning out of care: Information for practitioners

By Chelsea L. Arsenault (Cannexus15 GSEP Award Winner)

The transition to adulthood encompasses a number of major life changes and decisions that significantly influence an individual’s career development. (Biehal & Wade, 1996; Creed et al., 2011; Young et al., 2011). Youth living in residential child care centres face a number of distinct challenges as they leave care and transition into adult life, which often impede their career development (Office of the Child and Youth Advocate, 2013). Residential child care centres serve youth between the ages of 0-18, who experience a variety of difficulties, disabilities or life circumstances that prevent them from living with their families (Government of New Brunswick, 2014). In 2007, there were an estimated 67,000 children in residential care across Canada, a number that continues to increase every year (Mulcahy & Trocmé, 2010). In light of this situation, it is useful for practitioners to become informed about the characteristics and needs of youth transitioning out of care, as well as recommendations for working with this disadvantaged population.

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Grieving after job loss: Honouring the loss and instilling hope

By Jessica Isenor (Cannexus16 GSEP Award Winner)

Losing one’s job can be a difficult experience with which to cope. It can lead to a host of physical and mental health problems (McKee-Ryan, Song, Wanberg, & Kinicki, 2005) as well as relationship difficulties (Harris & Isenor, 2010). There are also those who derive much of their core identity from their work, and when it is taken away, they can experience a grieving reaction, mourning the loss of co-worker friendships, their role of worker/provider and the personal meaning they took from their work (Sharabi & Harpaz, 2010).

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Rethinking leadership in a feminized profession

By Christina Neigel

Like many educators in applied fields, I began my journey as a practitioner, specifically in the field of Library and Information “Science”. After performing as both a support worker (library technician) and as a manager (librarian), I gained important exposure to the ways in which a feminized profession operates. Later, as an instructor and head of a library and information technology department in a moderately sized academic institution, I was responsible for preparing (mostly) women for increasingly complex and changing roles within this field. Through this experience, I began to see the ways in which my peers and former students are able or unable to position themselves as leaders in their workplaces. I question how leaders and leadership are acknowledged and by whom. In turn, I consider the possibility that leaders define the crises and who is needed to lead through those crises (Grint, 2005).

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Transfer credit: The rational choice

By Barbara Gustafson (Cannexus15 GSEP Award Winner)

Transfer credit is an increasing popular method for postsecondary students to gain training and credentials, a reflection of the exploratory nature of postsecondary education today. A study by Shaienks, Gluszynski and Bayard (2008) of Canadian postsecondary students showed two-thirds had participated in multiple programs. The National Graduates Survey of the Class of 2005, conducted by Statistics Canada, showed that 45% of college graduates had previous postsecondary activity before entering the program from which they graduated (Statistics Canada, 2008). Statistics from the Alberta Council on Admissions and Transfer (ACAT), and the Pan-Canadian Consortium on Admissions and Transfer (PCCAT) also showed a growing trend of transfer credit (ACAT, 2012; PCCAT, 2012). More students are enrolled in postsecondary studies than ever before (Hango & de Broucker, 2007), but the path taken is often more circuitous than for past generations.

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