Grand Valley State University, School of Engineering 09/25/19

Grand Valley State University Padnos College of Engineering and Computing School of Engineering Cooperative Education Employment Requirements Research <Student Form>

Student: _______________________________________ Co-op Semester Start Date: Fall/Winter/Summer _______ (indicate year)

Company Name: _____________________________ Company Location: _________________________________ (city/state)

Grand Valley State University’s Padnos College of Engineering and Computing requires all cooperative education (co-op) students and employers to understand and agree to certain terms and conditions. Please check each box below to indicate an understanding of the terms and conditions.

□ Co-op is mandatory for all engineering students. For permission to accept a co-op offer, a student must have a GPA of 2.7 or above and no lower than a ‘C’ grade in the foundation-level courses. No course may be repeated more than once (without the program’s prior permission), and the student must be on track to complete the engineering foundation coursework prior to or concurrently with his/her first co-op rotation. □ If the students accepts a full-time co-op employment offer (40 hours per week or greater for the duration of the academic semester) and fails to meet the secondary admission requirements, prior to the second co-op rotation, the student must inform the employer of the academic ineligibility and inability to assume the role as a co-op employee. The student’s ability to receive academic credit for his/her co-op employment will not be granted until the student receives pending admittance into the School of Engineering’s upper-division. An engineering internship (without academic credit) may be considered as a viable employment option in the interim, until the academic requirements of the co-op program are met. Such arrangements must be discussed and approved by the co-op employer.

□ Both the student and employer commit to the co-op agreement for the duration of three rotations. The strongly preferred form of fulfilling this requirement is to spend three co-op rotations, with the same employer, starting the summer after achieving secondary admission and alternating semesters until completion. The agreement should outline a plan for a three rotation, alternating sequence co-op experience that allows the student to gain an increasingly challenging level of responsibility, with the final rotation being commensurate with a full-time engineer. □ Any change to the three-semester, alternating sequence plan that is originally outlined by the student and employer must be approved in advance by the program curriculum committee of the student’s chosen major. A formal petition must be submitted to the Program Chair 60 days prior to the start date of the student’s next co-op rotation. Late petitions will not be considered. Petitions that are granted an approval by the program curriculum committee will require the supervisor’s signature, prior to the start date of the student’s next co-op rotation.

□ Students must be supervised and/or mentored by a degreed engineer. The student has the responsibility to ensure that this is the case prior to making a commitment to an offer of co-op employment.

Grand Valley State University, School of Engineering 09/25/19

□ The co-op employer will provide progressively responsible engineering work within and across co-op semesters, which will culminate in a project or experience that is commensurate with industry and academic expectations of an entry-level engineer. This will vary depending upon the company and the student’s interest and ability, but the employment opportunity should allow the student to grow in a technical and professional capacity throughout the three rotations. The student is responsible to inquire about the position prior to accepting an employment offer to ensure that the co-op position provides an opportunity for growth (depth and breadth of experience) that is in alignment his/her short- and long-term goals and overall career plan. □ The student must submit employment application materials with the legal name. If another name is preferred to be used in the workplace environment, then the student must discuss with the HR representative and (or) assigned engineering supervisor. Note, all automated co-op communications (employer confirmation, site visit notification, and employer assessment) will be submitted to the assigned supervisor with the legal name. □ The student acknowledges receipt of and an understanding of the termination of co-op employment due to poor performance or just cause policy that is included at the end of the student agreement. □ The co-op prep course curriculum instructs all students regarding the importance of professionalism, including time/organizational management and oral/written communications. All co-op students are responsible for meeting academic/professional deadlines in a timely manner and being proactive regarding all academic/professional communications. □ Professionalism is a major learning objective of the co-op experience, so it is expected that all oral and written communication skills for the co-op courses (EGR 290, 390, 490) be conducted in a proactive and professional manner. □ The co-op preparatory materials, including the importance of research in the co-op process, were designed to help with self-assessment and career exploration/development and to assist with finding a suitable match during the job search process. The student bears ultimate responsibility for the job search and the decision-making process. □ The student is ultimately responsible for securing and maintaining co-op employment that aligns with short- and long-term employment goals. This understanding includes working with the assigned supervisor to ensure progressively challenging responsibilities that align with individual and corporate goals. Please provide a detailed description of your short- and long-term engineering goals, indicating preferences to exposure in the following areas: specific industry, culture, and (or) career path Short- and Long- Term Engineering Goals 1. 2. 3.

Grand Valley State University, School of Engineering 09/25/19

Please provide a list of researched employers that align with the goals listed above. Remember that it is the student’s responsibility to ask interview questions that will help to determine the fit of the interviewing company with student-identified goals.

Researched Employers and Short Description of Company’s Alignment with Engineering-Related Goals:

1.

2.

3.

Signatures Required for Acknowledgment of Satisfactory Completion of Co-operative Education Employment Research:

I, ________________________________________________, agree that I have understood the co-op preparatory material that was

presented to me in EGR 289 regarding the importance of research in the co-op process and the need to find a co-op employment offer

that matches my short- and long-term employment goals. I realize that I am making a one-year commitment and completely

understand the significance of accepting an employment offer that aligns/does not align with my career goals.

Student: __________________________________________ Date: _____________________

EGR 289 Instructor ___________________________ EGR 289 Section No. ________ Date: _______________________

Grand Valley State University, School of Engineering 09/25/19

Notification of School of Engineering Co-op Policy - Employment Termination for Poor Performance or Just Cause

The GVSU Co-op Program has earned a well-deserved reputation for honesty, integrity and fairness in working with employers and students. That being stated, it is critical to protect and enhance that reputation.

The School of Engineering’s overall ethics and compliance program is integrated into the foundation-level with the introduction of the School of Engineering Honor Code (EGR 106/107). The expectation is that students will follow through with this commitment during the upper-division enrollment, including all engineering co-op program enrollment.

The School of Engineering co-op policy regarding Termination for Poor Performance or Just Cause sets forth basic principles and guidelines that reflect changing laws, regulations and corporate policies.

Abiding by these guidelines will help to avoid academic and professional issues during enrollment in the co-op program.

All School of Engineering co-op students are mandatorily exposed to the Termination for Poor Performance or Just Cause policy during the co-op preparatory process (EGR 289) and are expected to be knowledgeable regarding the compliance requirements. If there are any questions related to this policy, please send an inquiry to Diane LaFreniere, School of Engineering, Sebastian Chair, or Dr. Wael Mokhtar, School of Engineering, Director of Engineering.

Grand Valley State University, School of Engineering 09/25/19

School of Engineering Co-op Policy - Employment Termination for Poor Performance or Just Cause

When a co-op student's employment is terminated for poor performance or just cause by the employer, the employee is personally given the reason for termination, and it will be further stated in a dismissal/termination letter, exit interview, end-of-semester employer assessment, or phone/online communications.

Termination for poor performance or just cause can occur for any action that an employer considers to be performance-related, with no initiative to make measurable progress, or any action that is deemed to be of grave misconduct:

This includes any violation of the company policy or the code of conduct or ethics policy, including but not limited to the following:

• Breach of contract• Violence or threatened violence• Threats or threatening behavior• Theft or stealing company money or property• Lying• Falsifying records• Extreme insubordination• Harassment• Failure of an alcohol or drug test• Criminal behavior, including a conviction of some crimes• Inappropriate web browsing, including viewing of pornographic and other content that is deemed

inappropriate during work hours• Attendance issues, such as frequent absences or chronic tardiness, with no measurable progress or

initiative to overcome attendance/punctuality patterns• Incompetence, including lack of productivity or poor quality of work, with no measurable progress or

initiative to overcome weaknesses• Failure to follow through with job functions and responsibilities, with no measurable progress or

initiative to overcome weaknesses• Disclosure of confidential, proprietary or sensitive information• Non-compliance with facility safety and security policies

These are not the only reasons why an employer may terminate an employee. An exhaustive list is impossible, as most cases are often situational and based upon organizational policy.

Any student who has their co-op employment terminated for poor performance or just cause will fail (F) the co-op course enrolled in at the time of the employment termination. In cases of grave misconduct, the student(s) ability to graduate may be jeopardized.