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An Evaluation of Remote Co-op Assignments on Engineering Students

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Conference

2023 ASEE North Central Section Conference

Location

Morgantown, West Virginia

Publication Date

March 24, 2023

Start Date

March 24, 2023

End Date

March 25, 2023

Page Count

9

DOI

10.18260/1-2--44926

Permanent URL

https://strategy.asee.org/44926

Download Count

122

Paper Authors

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Grace Hanna University of Detroit Mercy, College of Engineering & Science Department of Electrical & Computer Enginnering

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Grace is a senior Computer Science major and pursuing a Master's in Software Engineering at the University of Detroit Mercy. She has professional experience with autonomous systems within the automotive industry. Her areas of interest include artificial intelligence, cloud computing, and machine learning.

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Nicholas Ibegbu

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Allison Sherman

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Nate Boyar University of Detroit Mercy, College of Engineering and Science Department of Electrical & Computer Engineering

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Nate is a Senior Computer Science and future graduate student in the Master's of Software Engineering program at the University of Detroit Mercy. He has ~1 year of professional experience at automotive suppliers and strives to work for an OEM post-graduation. His areas of interest include autonomous vehicles, embedded systems, and artificial intelligence.

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Nathan Garay University of Detroit Mercy, College of Engineering & Science, Department of Electrical & Computer Engineering

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Nathan is a computer science student in his fourth year at the University of Detroit Mercy pursuing a master's in software engineering.

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Nassif E Rayess University of Detroit Mercy

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Nassif Rayess is Professor and Chair of Mechanical Engineering at University of Detroit Mercy. He was part of the efforts to introduce entrepreneurially minded learning to the University as part of the KEEN Network and Engineering Unleashed.

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Abstract

The idea of a remote co-op in engineering is an artifact of the recent pandemic. In 2020, large proportions of engineering students at XXXX were forced to switch their co-ops to either an online or a hybrid model. This upended a century old tradition of having students experience industrial and professional practice by working alongside and learning from practicing engineers. The curriculum, requiring three co-op semesters as a condition for graduation, left the faculty and students little choice but to embark on this forced experiment. While this sudden shift was first met with concerns that this experience might cause a major loss of positive experiences, a qualitative and quantitative study of engineering co-op students reveal a more nuanced picture. In this study, over fifty students ranging from sophomores with one co-op to senior and recent graduates with three co-ops were given a survey to reflect on their experience. This paper presents the results of this study relating demographic factors to the level of satisfaction and sense of fulfillment and belonging experienced by the students on co-op. In particular, students were asked to reflect on the quality of their assignments and on their ability to learn and make meaningful contributions. They were also asked to reflect on their ability to make personal connections and to function and hone their teamwork skills. The study also included numerous interviews of students who had both in-person as well as remote co-ops to capture thoughts and feelings that could not be captured in the self-reporting survey. The paper concludes with a discussion and a possible map of the type (learning styles, personality traits, field of study, etc.) of student that could manage or even thrive in a remote (hybrid or online) co-op and which type requires in-person face-to-face work environment in order to find success and satisfaction.

Hanna, G., & Ibegbu, N., & Sherman, A., & Boyar, N., & Garay, N., & Rayess, N. E. (2023, March), An Evaluation of Remote Co-op Assignments on Engineering Students Paper presented at 2023 ASEE North Central Section Conference, Morgantown, West Virginia. 10.18260/1-2--44926

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