A. Introduction

In response to questionnaires sent to practicing engineers and industrial executives with regard to the education of engineering students, one of the universal requests is that the students be given more experience in writing effective technical reports. The student should recognize the importance of developing his or her ability in report writing and other communications skills if he or she is to succeed in the field of engineering.

Many of the companies participating in the Cooperative Program require work reports of the students. In all cases, the work report is submitted to the employer for review and approval signature before returning to school. If a student's work is of a classified or proprietary nature, he or she must use discretion in preparing the report so that sensitive information is not divulged, yet a viable report is written. In writing such a report, consultation with one's supervisor as to content is recommend. It is possible that an employer will require two reports, one for the company/agency and one to satisfy the co-op requirement.

Upon receipt at the Co-op Office, the report is reviewed by the Cooperative Director. Prior to the return interview with the Co-op Coordinator, it is reviewed by that coordinator. The report thus provides a background for discussion during the interview.

The work reports are kept on file for the use of students who are seeking information about the types of jobs offered by the various employers.

After a period of time, the reports may become obsolete, or are replaced by those more current from a given employer. The work reports are destroyed when no longer needed.

Many students feel that their work reports provide a useful record of their work and retain a copy for their own personal use.

In addition to developing the student's ability to write reports and providing a description of his or her work assignments for all interested parties, the work report serves as an incentive to the student to observe as much of the activity in the plant as possible beyond his or her own immediate task, and in general it tends to increase the value of the student's work to the employer and to the student.

CO-OP Work Report Summary

SUBMIT:	A copy of your Work Report (Section I and II). The Technical Section must be signed by your supervisor. Work Period Summary Form Student Evaluation Form
DATE DUE:	The first day of class for next semester.
WHERE TO TURN IN:	To the secretary in the Co-op Office.
RECOMMENDED LENGTH:	Section I: 4 to 6 pages Section II: 4 to 6 pages
EVALUATION:	Your report will be read by your Co-op Coordinator.
REVISIONS:	If the coordinator decides that your report is unsatisfactory, you will be asked to revise it.
RETURNING REPORTS:	Your report will usually be available to you for review by the end of the semester.
QUESTIONS:	Contact your Co-op Coordinator early.
SUGGESTION:	You may want to make copies of your report and given one to your employer. They appreciate the feedback.

Guidelines for CO-Op Work Reports

Co-op Work Reports are submitted to the Office of Cooperative Education by all students upon their return to school. Work reports are due on the first day of classes following the semester worked. If the student works two or three successive semesters for the same employer one report is required for each semester work period.

The Co-op work Report requires the student to reflect upon his or her experiences and thereby gain additional educational benefits in the process. It will give the student experience in writing technical and general reports. The report will be evaluated on organization, technical content, and the ability to express facts and ideas. These elements contribute significantly to a student's progress in the University, and to an employee's progress in an organization.

These guidelines should be followed in preparing Co-op Work Reports:

A. General Discussion

Double-spaced typing is required. Only one side of 8 1/2" x 11" unruled paper should be used. Pages should be numbered in the upper right-hand corner. Each section should have the appropriate title page, and all illustrations should be captioned.

B. Section I - Description and Evaluation of the Co-op Assignment and Related Experiences

1. The title pages will be furnished by the Co-op Office.

2. The purpose of this section of the report is to give the student the opportunity to put the total co-op experience into perspective, and to provide other engineering students from The University of Akron with an in-depth picture of co-op opportunities so they can make better employment choices. This section might consist of 4-6 pages, double-spaced. It should cover the following points:

1. Brief description of the organization for which you worked: type of business or service, products, history, functions and how your department fits into the overall organization, physical facilities, and facts about the employer (affiliates, locations, number of employees, etc.).

2. Description of work experiences throughout the work term. Were any job assignments on a recurring basis (e.g., weekly sampling of air pollutants)? Were any special projects assigned? If so, were they completed before the end of your work term?

3. Job satisfaction. Was your work satisfying? Did it meet your expectations? Did it get better as the work term progressed? Explain.

4. Relevancy of work experience. Were your assignments related to your field of study? How? Did the work experience help you find a special area of interest within your academic field?

5. Responsibility. Were you given real responsibility by your employer? Did you feel that you were part of the total "team effort"?

6. What was the general educational and professional level of your working associates (e.g., the technicians, graduate engineers, etc.)?

7. Observations of other Co-ops you worked with. What did other Co-ops, including those from schools other than The University of Akron, do and what was their reaction?

8. Living arrangements. If you lived away from home, where did you live? (Apartment? Boarding House?) Was it satisfactory? Did your employer provide help in finding appropriate housing?

9. Transportation situation. If you lived away from home, what was the distance to your work site? Public transportation available? Car pools? Distance to shopping areas?

10. Social and cultural opportunities. If away from home, how did you spend your non-working free time? Opportunities to meet others in your age group? Availability of parks, museums, sports events, plays, concerts, etc.?

11. Educational opportunities. Any colleges in the vicinity for extra course work? Evening courses? Company seminars? Did you participate?

3. The above topics are recommended as general guidelines for Section I of the Co-op Work Report. Not all of them are necessarily applicable to each specific case. This part of the report is intentionally set up to be "open-ended", to provide maximum freedom of expression.

4. Section I should be submitted with the title page on top and stapled in left-hand corner.

5. The student may have their supervisor's signature on the title page where it says "Reviewed By". "This is optional."