Integration of Theory and Practice

The philosophical basis of cooperative education has always been the integration of theory learned in the classroom with practice on the co-op work assignment. Faculty can help facilitate this integration through using co-op student learning outcomes in their classroom procedures and strategies.

The University of Cincinnati has designed a video specifically targeted towards teaching faculty and providing models of “best practices” to modify classroom teaching to incorporate co-op learning outcomes. Three cooperative education professors surveyed the teaching faculty to determine how they link co-op student learning outcomes to their classroom teaching methodology. This revealed several U.C. faculty whose teaching methods facilitated the integration of theory and practice.

To the best of our knowledge, this is something that has not been done before in the field of cooperative education but is sorely needed. By showing outstanding examples of what may be done in the classroom, all faculty members will have examples of “best practices” of instruction of students who participate in cooperative education programs. This will benefit teaching faculty whose instruction is enhanced, students whose classroom experiences are more meaningful through the direct relationship with their co-op jobs, the institution’s co-op program that is now strengthened, and ultimately the employers who benefit from a better educated workforce.

The video Integration of Theory and Practice: Cooperative Education in the Classroom is available in Windows Media format at two speeds:

High Quality | 350 kbit/second (for broadband Internet connections)

Medium Quality | 37 kbit/second (for 56k dialup modems; 33.6 and 28.8k modems not supported)