APPENDIX C: PROGRAM REVIEW FOR ESTABLISHED PROGRAMS

Kaua`i Community CollegePROGRAM REVIEW – 2007-2010

Instructional Programs

Program/Unit Name: Cooperative Education/Internship/Job Placement

Report Prepared/Edited by: Lorrie Cahill

Other Review Participants:

Reviewed by Dean:

Dean’s Signature: Date:

Date submitted to Program Review Committee:

Kaua`i Community College Mission Statement

Kaua`i Community College is an open access, post-secondary institution that serves the community of Kaua`i and beyond. We provide education/training in a caring, student-focused, and intellectually stimulating environment. This education/training contributes to the development of life-long learners who think critically, appreciate diversity, and lead successful, independent, socially responsible, and personally fulfilling lives.

As a respected leader and powerful economic engine on Kaua`i, we create quality of life for our graduates and community. As an integral part the University of Hawaii system, we provide an expansive continuum of opportunities in academic, technical, vocational and cultural programs. We offer open access and solutions for community needs, as well as stepping stones for our diverse local and global student body to achieve their dreams.

Programs & Services [ top ]

PROGRAM DESCRIPTION AND BACKGROUND How is this program consistent with the mission of Kaua`i Community College?

Cooperative Education and Internship combines work experience with college instruction. Co-ops and internships are plans of education designed to develop skills and knowledge and to increase self-understanding by integrating classroom with planned, supervised work experience. The benefits of participating in Co-op/Internship are many, including providing students with

valuable insight, new approaches, have opportunities to develop specific professional skills related to their academic majors and opportunity to achieve their future career goals.

Job Placement (Career Services) works in partnership with employers and the campus by assisting students and alumni to develop, implement, and evaluate job search strategies. The program is committed to supporting our diverse student and alumni population and connecting and working with employers and the campus community.

The cooperative education/placement office provides auxiliary services to students and programs of Kaua'i Community College. The office offers opportunity for students to participate in work-based internships, and furnishes off-campus employment opportunities to students and graduates (within three years of career services request) of Kauai Community College.

The office works closely with businesses, state and county agencies to establish worksites for co-op and internships (job development). The office provides program orientation and job description assistance to employers; as well perform intermediary assistance between students and employers participating in co-op and internship experiences.

The cooperative education office functions as a link between the college and the community. Through the relationships developed through internship programs, the office is able to share information on college programs and services with community employers. The office has also served as a vehicle for community employers to communicate workforce training needs to the college.

Placed within the academic support unit, the program is supervised by the University Center/Academic Support Director. The office is physically located in the One Stop Center Building in the University Center on the second floor. One full-time faculty member staffs the office. The office is equipped with one computer with Internet capacity, which is utilized by the staff member. Job listings received from employers are posted on various bulletin boards throughout the campus for student viewing.

PROGRAM GOALS

Cooperative Education and Internship provides an excellent opportunity for the student to integrate and bridge classroom and textbook theory with vital work experience. It provides students with an opportunity to put into practice what is being learned in the classroom. In so doing, the student becomes a more valuable employee while developing documented occupational proficiencies that enhance one’s promotional and employment opportunities. The student who takes full advantage of the opportunities provided by a cooperative education experience can make giant strides towards reaching their employment and career goals.

The Job Placement component is to assist students in exploring, formulating and implementing career plans as well as to accommodate students looking to enter into part-time employment. The office actively promotes and supports effective professional relationships between the university community and employers.

The following table may be useful in demonstrating the relationship between college goals and

program goals:

College Goals Program GoalsAccess: To Provide open access to educational excellence for a diverse student population.

ACCESSThe Coop/Internship/Job Placement Program is committed to the availability of quality programs and services for all Kauai Community College students, regardless of their level of preparation, socioeconomic status, cultural, religious or ethnic background or disability. We are committed to providing students with open access to programs and services that enable them to advance steadily toward their goals.

Learning and Teaching: To promote excellence in learning and in teaching for transfer, career/technical, remedial/developmental education and lifelong learning.

LEARNING An internship or cooperative education experience provides an ‘authentic’ work experience related to a student’s interests and program of study. It provides a context in which the student can use his or her skills and see the relevance of theories learned in the classroom. Most importantly, because it requires active engagement, an internship helps develop the students’ ability to be fully alert and ‘awake’ to their experience and to develop first-hand knowledge within the context of that experience. Students gain understanding of workplace culture, competencies, new or advanced skills and career management skills.

Workforce Development: To provide a trained workforce by offering programs that prepare students for both employment and future career development.

WORKFORCE DEVELOPMENTIn collaboration with community agencies, such as the Hawaii State Workforce Development, identify the workforce needs of emerging jobs in rural and urban economies on the island of Kauai. Implement the educational and training programs necessary to meet the workforce needs of the community college service area of Kauai. At the same time, promote and achieve the educational and training objectives of the UH community college system and Kauai Community College students with the best possible career opportunities.

Personal Development: To provide life-long learning opportunities in the areas of personal and professional development.

Life Long LearningAn internship is actually a practicum in experiential education. While doing the internship, a student is really engaged in several parallel processes – the engagement in the work itself, the reflection on the environment and how he or she is engaging with that environment, and the development of new understandings. As the student becomes more skilled in these latter processes he or she develops an orientation toward work that places learning and growth at the center of your experience. This helps the student develop greater confidence and autonomy as an individual, as a worker, and as a life-long learner. The student is also in most cases earning money to assist with educational and/or personal finances. . It also serves to enhance the

development of professional preparation of COOP/Internship students

Community Development: To contribute to community development and enrichment through campus leadership and collaboration.

COMMUNITY SERVICES Provide support service activities for the enrichment of the community’s civic, economic, and cultural needs. Productive and responsible citizenship skills and enhanced reputation in the employment community.

Diversity: To foster global understanding and appreciation for diversity.

DIVERSE POPULATIONS LEARNING NEEDS Provide Kauai Community College students with the opportunity to develop essential skills for lifelong learning. Upgrade and train or retrain these students for the workplace through flexible, accessible, and customized educational and Cooperative Education program projects.

Cooperative Education/Internship/Job Placement Overview

The mission of the Cooperative Education/Internship and Job Placement department is to provide students with the resources and strategies to facilitate the transition of college to work and connect students and graduates with job placement. The department partners with the community and its employers, government resources, and the faculty and staff here at the college.

Cooperative Education

The college serves as the linkage between the student and the employer. Employers are carefully screened for the relevance of each co-op position proposed, and students and employers are monitored on a regular basis to assure a quality educational experience for all. The linkage between the employer, the student, and college is maintained through the establishment of the Cooperative Learning Agreement that is signed and followed by all parties. Ultimately, this team approach to cooperative education provides a unique experiential learning opportunity for the student while simultaneously benefitting the employer. 

Cooperative Education offers students the opportunity to:

Obtain better motivation and direction for academic studies

Enrich academic courses

Earn academic credit towards graduation

Combine theoretical and experiential learning

Gain exposure to specialized facilities and equipment

Increase interpersonal skills

Develop confidence, maturity and responsibility

Clarify and test career goals

Gain professional experience in chosen career fields

Gain a competitive edge over students without relevant work experience

Develop valuable job search skills, such as career research, resume writing and

interviewing skills

Earn income towards educational costs

Increase the likelihood of higher starting salaries after graduation

Bridge the gap between college and the work world

Eligibility Requirements:

Students must have completed 30 or more credits in their major and register for the COOP Course. Individual exceptions may be requested. There are no GPA requirements Course selections are: BUSN 193v, CASE 193v and 293v (COOP Arts and Sciences), ETRO 93v and 193v, and HOST 193v. Students must obtain approval from the COOP Instructor in order to register for the COOP course. Students must complete a COOP Student Application and a sign an ethical conduct agreement.

Cooperative Education Course CreditsEmployment schedules are highly individualized and may be full or part-time. A Cooperative Education assignment must be the length of an academic semester and a minimum of 75 hours per course credit. Individual exceptions may be made upon consultation with the Cooperative Education faculty advisor and/or instructor. Each Cooperative Education course is worth 1 – 3 credits. Students may take a minimum of 1 credit per semester; however, three credits are required for graduation. Students’ work is evaluated by their employer for their out of class participation and by the COOP Instructor for their in-class participation at Kauai Community College, the Co-op and Internship Program facilitates the professional goals of students in majors of Business and Hospitality.

Cooperative Education - Variable 1-3 credits, 15 weeks per semester

Class (50 mins.) - Conduct Job-pre-employment preparation class Establish effective employee/employer relationships Assist Business/Hospitality students to set realistic learning objectives and provide

relevant learning/training opportunities during the semester. Evaluate student worksite learning by participation in scheduled visits or follow-up

during the semester. Complete a final evaluation of the student’s performance. Ensure and maintain the integrity of the Cooperative Education program.

What are the program’s key central functions? List and describe the services provided by the program.

The key functions of the program are centered on Cooperative Education, a required course for students in Business and Hospitality who are pursuing degrees and/or certifications. The course is coupled with work experience that includes both an appropriate learning environment and productive work experiences that are related to the student’s career or academic goals. The coop experience is a formal structured recognized variable (1-3) credit class. The course is also offered as a COOP Electronics or Liberal Arts class. The class is basically a pre-employment preparation for students as well as ongoing advising.

Internships are another component of the program. – This experience enables Kauai Community College students to choose technologies they are most interested in and intern at technology companies where they can learn and interact with mangers and participate in project-based internships. The internships can be paid or unpaid and allow students to become a part of a dynamic network. Students gain valuable, real world experience as an intern or coop employee. Most of the internships take place in the summer with interviews conducted during the spring.

Another key function of the program is Job Placement. This office provides employers with qualified applicants by posting and sending students job leads. Students receive assistance in obtaining employment by providing them with information about job openings and one-on-one job search, resume, and interview assistance. Program Data

2007-8 2008-9 2009-10 DemandCampus Enrollment (FTE) 558 632 756Kauai Employers 2000 2000 (est) 2000 (est)EfficiencyNumber of interns placed 19 4 6Number of cooperative education students placed

21 14 20

Number of students using employment services (included graduates)

112 120 165

Number of new employer contacts * 160 95 95Number of classroom presentations 8 7 11Number of students in classroom presentations

120 105 165

Number of intern/co-op employers 26 14 20EffectivenessNumber of internship completers 19 4 6Number of cooperative education student completers

12 14 20

Number of students placed in jobs 12 20 43Employer evaluations (indirect assessment) See discussionSLO measurement (Direct assessment) See discussion

The chart above shows an overall increase from year to year across all of the data. Employer evaluations are required for each of the COOP completers including interns. All of the evaluations for completers have been rated by employers as Very Satisfactory to Excellent. The ratings have been both for the student and the program. Since 2007, only 2 COOP students have not received a passing grade. One student was fired during the term and the other failing student did not do the required class assignments.

Since fall of 2007 through fall of 2010, 101 students were enrolled in Cooperative Education courses.

The current SLOs are:1. Have the ability to integrate classroom theory with workplace practice and culture.2. Develop and complete learning objectives as planned thereby learning new or advanced

workplace skills and competencies.3. Have clarity about academic goals.4. Evaluate progress and compare with feedback from others. Illustrate an understanding

of the skills it takes to succeed on the job and in college.5. Gain personal outcomes, such as maturity, interpersonal skills, responsibilities,

productivity and possible earnings.

PROGRAM REVIEW CRITERIA QUESTIONS, BY GOAL

1. Access: To provide open access to educational excellence for a diverse student population.1.1 Outreach: Cooperative Education is open to qualified majors in business, hospitality, trade

technology and liberal arts through the following courses. Cooperative Education has a description each semester printed in the Schedule of

Classes. The COOP Education Program also has a web page within the Kauai Community College official website and can also be found under info.kauaicc.hawaii.edu/students/cooped.

Additionally, academic counselors can advise COOP as a course to those students in Business and Hospitality to complete their AA degree requirements. The program also has flyers outlining the program services. Students also learn about the program from class presentations done by the COOP Program Coordinator. The Community learns about the program from the COOP placements, which in many cases are a good match from previously developed placements. The community at large learns about the program and the school from job development efforts, word-of-mouth from students that have benefited from the program and from the annual job fairs. The Coordinator also participates in high school events and talks about the program to faculty and students. As Employers call for recruitment of employees, the program is always mentioned.

Efforts are satisfactory, but there is always room for improvement. Suggestions are that online or on-campus New Student Orientation becomes mandatory with a COOP slide included as well as one for each of the school’s programs. Social media could also be a marketing strategy for the college at large, such as UTube, Facebook, etc. A suggestion

would be to contact students at large who left KauaiCC a year or more ago that did not complete and ask if they want to return. Maybe their situation for leaving has been resolved. Of course, marketing effort would be for promotion of Kauai Community College at large.

1.2 Enrollment: Enhance educational success through retention initiatives. Comment on your program's retention efforts over the past 2 years. How have these

efforts affected enrollment and graduation rates? Indicate program plans as a result of the analysis. Identify institutional research data needed to effectively plan student retention strategies.

o Retention for Cooperative Education can be perceived two-fold. About 90% of

COOP students are retained by the agencies that employ them. Paid students are retained at a higher rate. About 30% to 40% of COOP students are converting present jobs into more advanced positions and consequently are retained by their employer. COOP stipend-paid interns have completed all of the internships at 99% completion rate. In the last two years, only (1) student has withdrawn.

o Efforts for COOP retention are to identify absence from class or the COOP worksite early and help the student get back on track. The early intervention has been successful. Conclusion: COOP students account for successful retention usually if student is also successful academically.

o Collaborative learning in the classroom versus always lecturing has a positive effect on retention as well as bringing speakers into the classroom having students that take the COOP class close to graduation is also a positive motivator to complete. Data indicated in the Supervisor Evaluation form shows that supervisors are very satisfactory with the student worker and the program. Fifty percent of the grade is earned at the worksite.

o The Cooperative Education Program is a successful retention program also due to the benefits cited earlier in this report.

1.3 Placement & Scheduling: Enhance utilization of placement testing and course scheduling processes. Is enrollment in any required program course dependent upon student performance on assessment/placement tests or prerequisites/co-requisites?

Not Applicable. COOP students are registered in the last 2-3 semesters of their program. Have results of these assessment/placement tests or prerequisites/co-requisites been demonstrated to be related to student success in the program. What strategies will your program use to improve the effectiveness of placement testing practices?

This is not applicable to COOP students. Students are not required to take assessment/placement tests in order to take a COOP course. Does the current scheduling method adequately support access and completion needs of students?

Yes. The class schedule list the COOP class as Wednesday, 8:00am to 8:50am. Once the

class starts, the instructor will ask if another time or date would be better. If it is not good for all of the students, then nothing changes. Most of the time the students cannot change day or time due to other class schedules or work schedules. Does your schedule meet the needs of special populations (Running Start, Early Admits, and Workforce)?

Students majoring in Business or Hospitality are not in Running Start or Early Admin programs due to prerequisite of required 30 credits completed. Workforce programs as the coordinator participates in on-campus events that encompass these programs, i.e.: College Day, Career Day, and Job Fairs

Have you surveyed employers and scheduled according to their needs?All contacts with employers by this office are scheduled at the convenience of employers, whether meeting at their offices or on the Kauai CC campus.

1.4 Support services for access: Strengthen support services processes to better meet student needs.

The COOP office’s collaboration with the campus support services has been at their invitation. COOP has never declined an invitation. There was more collaboration when (Rhonda) was working in Advising.

How could this be enhanced? There should be collaborative on-going meetings of these offices to see how they could

be more collaborative. Whenever possible, campus events should be collaborative. Does the current scheduling method adequately support access and completion needs of students? Describe your scheduling method.

COOP/Internship students are serviced in the beginning of registration upon request. Students contact the office either in person as a walk-in, via telephone or via email. Upon that initial contact, students are given an appointment to meet with the Coordinator/Instructor.

What other data and/or approaches would help in improving the course scheduling procedure?

The course schedule works as it is. Possible alternate schedules may be looked at in the future.

Does your schedule meet the needs of special populations (Running Start, Early Admits, Workforce)?

The COOP course schedule is not in conflict with any of the programs at present.Have you surveyed employers and scheduled according to their needs?

No. The program tries to accommodate employers as much as possible depending on availability of students to refer.

Comment on your program's level of collaboration with access services such as advising, admissions, registration, financial aid, and business office support services. How could this be enhanced?

Cooperative education is open to qualified majors in business, trade technology and liberal arts through the following courses:

ABRP 93, AMT 93, and CARP 93 are for trade technology majors; BUS 193 is for business majors; CASE 193 and 293 (Cooperative Arts and Sciences Education) generally involve career

exploration and career development experiences;

CULN 193 is for culinary arts majors; ETRO 93 and 193 for technology majors; HOST 193 is for visitor industry majors;

The cooperative education internship course is a graduation requirement for the Business, Culinary Arts, and /Hospitality programs. The programs utilize the internship course as a vehicle to assist students gain industry experience, within their field of study, and develop work habits and attitudes necessary for successful employment.

Workforce initiated “hybrid” training programs have come under the “umbrella” of cooperative education office. The office has assisted in the training coordination for both the Police Academy and the Medical Office Receptionist programs. Program retention and completion rates are high for both programs. At present, the police academy program is coordinated by the Rural Development office. The Medical Office Receptionist program has not been renewed due to new federal regulations that have changed the requirements of medical office receptionists. Clinics now require front office personnel to have medical coding as well as medical terminology. These programs have not been done since spring of 2008.

Student employment is a form of financial assistance that enables students to pursue their education. The office coordinates and maintains the off- campus employment services for the campus. Through the use of the University of Hawaii web based, on-line employment/recruitment system, students are provided with part-time employment opportunities during the academic year. Since the system is “connected” to the University of Hawaii main server, and utilizes the Banner program, part- and full time students of the University of Hawaii system have access to these services twenty-four hours a day/ seven days a week. Currently one hundred fifty-two Kaua'i CC students are registered with the system. Fifty-eight local employers are registered with the system, listing seventy part-time jobs for Kauai CC students.

2. Learning and Teaching: To promote excellence in learning and in teaching for transfer, career/technical education, remedial/developmental education and life-long learning.2.1 Articulation: Improve communication and articulation processes with other KCC programs

as well as secondary and postsecondary institutions. COOP is not an articulation course This was discussed under 1.1 The COOP Coordinator is also visible at the Hawaii Career

and College annual fairs. Again, COOP needs to be involved at all school enrollment events and new student orientation..

2.2 Curriculum: Ensure quality, relevancy and currency of curriculum to meet the needs of our diverse student population and community. The COOP course curriculum is current and has been reviewed by a peer instructor um

reviewed for currency and relevancy to institutional, community, and student needs. It has been revised twice and as recent as 2010 fall semester.

As a recent “graduate” of the Instructor Scenario course, I believe the COOP instructional methodologies utilized are current. This is also explained under “Student Needs.” I think curriculum revisions should be in line with the changing employer expectations. Some supervisors do ask about relevant course content.

As mentioned above, employer input is key. As a worksite job preparation class, there is flexibility depending on the dynamics of current students and their job expectations.

Underperforming students are identified early. In some instances, students have extenuating personal circumstances that make school performance challenging. I make accommodations to allow students to complete. I have made other time/day schedules to have students make up classes they miss. It is judged on an individual basis. I have a present student whose grandmother is in ICU and is not expected to recover. The family (just the student and her mother) are off island at this time. I have addressed preventative instructions early in the semester by giving students advice on how to manage their course content. Some of the concerns the students share are about other classes or instructors. My advice to students with this concern is to talk to the instructor early on.

As mentioned, I look for signs early on and the weekly journals that students must turn in to me give me much incite to how the student is dealing with the worksite and with school.

DL: What distance learning options are available in your program? COOP is not presently a Distance Learning course. This is something that the school could pursue. In the future.

2.3 Remedial/Developmental: The COOP program has dealt with remedial students by careful placement with worksites that are receptive to their pace of learning and their limitation. I have had three such students (not at the same time). I am not sure how other programs deal with remedial students outside of the developmental classes that are not offered.

2.4 Student Learning Outcomes: Develop, implement and sustain an assessment process that fosters innovative and continuous improvement of student learning outcomes at the college, program, and course level. How does your program encourage and assess student growth in areas such as:

communication, cognition, information competency, social interaction, and personal development and responsibility? All of these growth areas are addressed or incorporated in the COOP student learning outcomes. The results are very positive according to the worksite evaluations. The SLOs in this area are new to the COOP course.

List the student learning outcomes that you have identified for the programStudent Learning Outcomes are:

1. Have the ability to integrate classroom theory with workplace practice and culture.

2. Develop and complete learning objectives as planned thereby learning new or advanced workplace skills and competencies

3. Have clarity about academic goals4. Evaluate progress and compare with feedback from others. Illustrate an

understanding of the skills it takes to succeed on the job and in college5. Gain personal outcomes, such as maturity, interpersonal skills, responsibilities,

productivity and possible earnings. What is the minimal level of performance that you expect program completers to

accomplish? Expectations are that students do very satisfactorily at their worksite; however, a satisfactory rating is acceptable. How are student-learning outcomes monitored and assessed? A mid-term site visit and interview with the supervisor is conducted to assess performance.

2.5 Academic support: Support student success through accessible, reliable, and user-focused academic support services.

Comment on program use of auxiliary resources- e.g. library, instructional media, laboratory resources, computer assets. How can you improve utilization of these resources?

o Students are encouraged to take advantage of all campus resources. Many of them already avail themselves of the resources.

o They also as COOP students avail themselves of the COOP, Internship and Job Placement services.

How can you improve utilization of these resources?Commenting only on COOP, Internship and Job Placement, improvement as related to utilization of services can be improved by moving the program to the first floor of the One Stop Center, either in the Career Library area or Academic Counseling area. This would afford the student immediate access when first meeting with an academic counselor.

What tutoring, mentoring, and/or counseling services are available to support students in your program?The program instructor/coordinator offers tutoring, mentoring and counseling services. Students communicate concerns in their weekly journals and the instructor will ask the student in return email, if they would like to come into the office to discuss their concerns whether their concern is with the class or with their worksite.

Comment on ways that your program can work with these groups to improve service to students.This topic could be brought up at an Academic Support Meeting to see how best all can service the student.

2.6 Faculty & staff: Create an environment that attracts, retains, and supports qualified personnel. Describe strengths and weaknesses of faculty/staff appropriate to the program's current

status or future development.Strengths: Given the staffing status of the office, the current staff has been able to handle the student and employer load for cooperative education courses for the school year. This includes student orientations, supervisor in-services, site monitoring, community liaison, program coordination, marketing, presentations, and student counseling.

The staff also partners with the Kauai State Department of Labor Workforce office. This partnership has in the past three years included a partnership of hosting the college’s annual on-campus job fair. Weakness: Currently, the present staff person has had no training in college instruction and has not adequately completed reports or utilized available resources; the program needs an intern or clerk to do clerical work to enable the program staff person to develop and utilize more resources for students.

2.7 Facilities: Comment on facilities that the program uses, their current adequacy and any immediate

needs.The office is not located in an area that makes maximum use of student traffic to support institutional and student needs.

Comment on the currency of equipment and technology for the program. Indicate immediate needs. No comment

2.8 Financial Resources: Strengthen processes to develop and better utilize fiscal resources. What efforts has the program made to investigate entrepreneurial opportunities or

alternative funding sources to support program goals?Have talked to several students about entrepreneurial opportunities as it relates to services offered by the Small Business Administration

Describe your programs level of success in obtaining funds and future plans. Administration has been successful in receiving some grant monies for internships and The program has also utilized the NASA Space Grant Program for interns working on classroom electronic projects.

What tutoring, mentoring, and/or counseling services are available to support students in your program? The program coordinator has been responsible for the most part for mentoring and/or counseling of COOP students. Students have been very close to receiving their AA or a certification when entering into the COOP course and have finished with their core subjects. Tutoring does not seem to be in need at that point in their program.Comment on ways that your program can work with these groups to improve service to students. The coordinator has done presentation regarding job placement assistance to students in the college tutoring program as well as to the student tutors.

3. Work Force Development: To provide a trained workforce by offering programs that prepare students for both employment and future career development.3.1 Program articulation with workforce needs: Articulate educational programs with workforce

needs by utilizing input from advisory groups and other relevant sources of information. How does the program identify applicable workforce trends? What trends or projections

in your discipline may affect your program in the next five years? How will you address this?

Overall, Hawaii’s pattern of job growth has been stronger than the nation’s. Comparing the trend over the last three years (from 2007 to 2009), Hawaii’s job growth has mirrored the U.S. A slowdown in 2007 was followed by losses in 2008 and 2009 as the economy felt the effects of a global recession.

The resurgence of the visitor industry continues to lead Hawai‘i’s economic recovery, said a 2011 UHERO state economic forecast update produced by the Economic Research Organization at the University of Hawai‘i. Hawaii’s hotel market has continued to maintain its position as a leading U.S lodging market in 2010, said a February report by Hospitality Advisors. The strengthening of the market recovery particularly during the second half of 2010 is very encouraging This trend is echoed by the Hawaii Tourism Authority’s January 2011 report. That is welcome news for Kauai. It’s welcome news for the state. For Kaua‘i, tourism levels continue to improve as well, but at a slower rate than Oahu and Maui.

This office will continue to maintain visitor industry relationships and place students whenever possible. The recession does make student’s employability very competitive.

How is the selection of courses reviewed for relevancy to community and workforce needs? What recent changes have resulted from this review?This question should be addressed by Academic Advising

How has your program addressed professional development needs which have risen from the changes? The staff has taken advantage of all relevant professional development offeringsStudents are encouraged during counseling sessions and during class to take advantage of professional development in their workplace or to take additional classes or training that would enhance their advancement or employment opportunities

What method is used to assess student and employer satisfaction with the program's offerings and operations. What are the results of this assessment and how have results changed over time? Student and employer satisfaction is done by query during class as a class assignment for students. Each student employer is monitored by telephone and worksite visit for not only course satisfaction but for placement satisfaction. At the same time, suggestions for improvement are solicited from supervisors. The results have been very gratifying and encouraging.

What changes did you make or are planning to make due to the results? Changes made were to modify the course syllabus for more clarity regarding Student Learning Outcomes and course information. A classroom behavior contract was also introduced. Other changes were to offer a class time or day change if it were in consensus with all of the students. Another change was to identify the day and time in the course catalog instead of the former TBA day and time.

What program initiatives have been implemented to improve course completion, and job preparation?Since not having a problem with course completion or job preparation, no additional action has been taken

What are the expected career/occupational outcomes for students? (e.g. transfer, employment)?Expected career/occupational outcomes is that students come away from the program with a better understanding of education and career choices; have better work skills and attitude; have an opportunity to command more earning with the combined work experience and degree. That students would initiate transfer to an upper division educational program or at minimum consider that choice in the near future.

Does the program have an Advisory Board Committee? How does the program work with the Advisory Board to assess effectiveness?Yes, it does. It meets every two years to assist in the assessment of the program. It is due for its meeting in May, 2011.

3.2 Certification/Licensure, Job Placement, and Transfer: Meet workforce needs, increase students' rates of certification, licensure, job placement and/or transfer to appropriate baccalaureate programs by providing relevant education and training programs. What is the percentage of your graduates that receive licensure/certification? Is this

satisfactory? How can this be improved?99% of COOP students are completers. I don’t have the data of graduates. Licensure as it relates to COOP courses is not a school requirement, and therefore, do not meet workforce expectations. For example: Automotive ASE certifications and experience is a workplace requirement to be competitive. During this period, graduates are also in stiff completion with job seekers with experience

Comment on the level of job placement in the field of study. Is this satisfactory for your program? See comment in preceding bullet. Job placement for COOP is 100 percent during the course. Those on internships are employable, but may not attain placement soon after their course completion. Many internships are done by students that are continuing students. The economic situation is a factor in job placement at the present time. The COOP course is a good avenue to gain experience to help students become more employable.

Do you have a percentage of program graduates that are expected to transfer to an appropriate upper division program? If so, what is this percentage and has your program met this benchmark? If not, would this be one appropriate index of your program's success. Please comment.This data is not collected at present time. I have heard of or met former COOP students after completing at the community college level that are pursuing upper level degrees.

4. Personal Development: To provide life-long learning opportunities in the areas of personal and professional development.4.1 Faculty/Staff Development: Foster faculty and staff currency of expertise in their areas of

responsibility through support of professional development activities. Explain how faculty and staff maintain expertise in their discipline or area of

responsibility.Coop staff attends professional development related offerings and maintains expertise by staying in touch with industry and employers, which is key to staying current in the field. Maintaining contact with students also gives the instructor indicators on how and what method of teaching to use to gain the maximum learning. Reading and online research, and professional development are also opportunities to stay abreast of the field.

Describe the Professional Development plan, including availability of resources and the process of allocating these resources. Does this plan adequately meet Professional Development needs?To actively seek and participate in UH sponsored professional development as it arises as well as to research professional development opportunities and request attendance from the Professional Development office to attend.

4.2 Student Development: Foster personal enrichment of students by providing opportunities that broaden their college experience. Describe program faculty involvement in providing opportunities for students' personal

enrichment through co-curricular activities.The COOP course does not have a co-curricular activity. However, Job Placement coordinates an annual spring job fair and COOP students are required to attend to meet and greet students and gain employer information. Coop staff encourages students to participate in other campus events or to participate in campus-sponsored clubs and/or affiliations to broaden their communication and networking skills. Co-curricular

activities also improve students’ social skills, broaden their networking, team working, and may give them a more rounded outlook at college..

Does the program support non-traditional approaches to education? If so describe these. What outcomes are expected from these approaches, and how have they affected student success across the curriculum?The program does support non-traditional approaches to education. In the COOP classroom, the COOP instructor uses less lecture, more participation in the form of classroom discussion.Non-COOP students are encouraged to look at non-traditional occupations as a job choice. This idea is always offered to female students as an option to gain a higher wage. The Kauai student is not as receptive. Job Fair employers that offer non-traditional opportunities are also encouraged to participate to give students another perspective.There is no data on how much influence the conversations have fostered.

5. Community Development: To contribute to community development and enrichment through campus leadership and collaboration.5.1 Leadership:

Comment on activities initiated and lead by program faculty and staff that have positively impacted our community. List pertinent community services and activities. Discuss leadership roles in other community activities that you are interested in pursuing.At the present time, the coordinator sits as a Board Member of Kauai United Way and the campaign sub-committee . The coordinator has also been instrumental in raising the total percentage of contributions to the Kauai United Way campaign during the two years as the campus donor coordinator. Given the diverse industries represented on the Board, the membership and campus campaign effort is important

5.2 Collaboration: Establish active collaborative arrangements to support community goals and needs. What has the program done to establish communication, partnerships, and cooperation

with high schools, other community college programs, the community, and four-year institutions in supporting their mission and goals? Discuss successes, challenges, lessons learned and how these findings will be applied in future plans.

As a collaborative effort with Academic Advising, the COOP coordinator has always been available to establish communication and partnerships with the high schools and other community college programs. Sometimes connecting with other community college programs is not possible. Most times, the connection is when afforded the opportunity to travel to an event. COOP is always present at the Hawaii Career & College Fair where it’s possible to meet with community college or upper division college representatives.

6. Diversity: To foster a global understanding and appreciation for diversity.6.1 Diversity: Support diversity and cultural awareness through campus programs.

How does your program support diversity and cultural awareness? What are the desired outcomes? How have these outcomes been met?

6.2 International education: Foster global understanding, develop partnerships with communities and organizations both within and beyond Hawai‘i. What academic relationships does your program have beyond Kaua‘i, Hawai‘i, the U.S.?

Describe these and their impact on student learning experiences. If none, what areas of the program could benefit from such relationships? Describe plans ready for implementation and/or projects to be developed.

STRENGTHS AND AREAS NEEDING IMPROVEMENT

Demand:There are two programs where COOP is required to attain an Associate Degree. They are the Business Education and the Hospitality & Tourism programs. The COOP course can be an elective in other programs, usually the Electronics program or Liberal Arts.

For job placement services, the demand is mixed based on increased enrollment and the challenge of finding jobs with the decrease in number of jobs on the island. Unemployment rate is 9.2 and is about 7% higher than in 2008. Kauai is also experience strong slumps in tourism, construction and real estate. It is expected to be a slow and gradual recovery and will depend critically on the return of healthy tourism.

A spring semester job fair was held. Unfortunately, the state did not participate due to lack o funding. They hope to joint in next spring. The Nursing Department helped with the coordination of health care employers. Wilcox (Allied Pacific) did conduct mock interviews at the fair as well. About 40 employers participated, which included employers that recruited students from culinary, nursing, electronics, hospitality, and business majors.

Weaknesses and Strengths:The COOP program weakness is lack of funding and visibility. Due to mandatory requirements of the above mentioned only two on-campus programs and non-articulation to upper classes, the need is somewhat lost as a major benefit. The strength in the program lies in the benefit the student receives achieving their indicated learning objective, exposure to the worksite, and networking as they gain potential to be retained at the worksite or receive a recommendation as they pursue other endeavors after completing the program. Once in the program, students and employers alike definitely see the program as a strong and realistic, especially if students are not employed in their related major prior to the COOP experience. They also gain a more practical approach and expectation of the jobs they choose.

Efficiency:Students in the above required COOP programs need 225 hours for their degree requirement. The program instructors have advised that COOP students can use a more expansive choice of job choices to meet the degree requirements, especially in light of the limited available jobs. Working in partnership with employers, the program connects classroom learning with the skills and competencies needed in the workplace, helping to provide the island employers with qualified, motivated, and technically trained interns. They also gain valuable ethics exposure and practice

Effectiveness: COOP education enhances classroom instruction by providing practical work experience that is relevant to the students’ career goals. Some of the student benefits are: clarification of career goals, increased relevance of learning and motivation for study, improved self-reliance, self-confidence and responsibility, practice in human relation skills, contacts with potential employers, feedback through performance evaluation, employability skills and marketable job skills, exposure to role models, and possible higher salary after graduation.For the job placement program, students are given access to employers, improved opportunity to market their academic and workplace skills. Employers gain from the opportunity to recruit students that are motivated and competent. Employers can conduct on-campus screening and selection and have better access to women and minorities. Employers can also opt to participate in the on-campus annual job fair. The employer-campus relationship is also maintained.

ANALYSIS OF REVIEW

The program has gone through a period of transition in the past several years. From the early 1990 to 1997 program staffing was stable. In late 1997 – 2000, the program went through a period of staffing changes. In late 2001 new personnel was hired into position. More personnel changes followed.

Institution needs:Cooperative education experiences are available for most majors on campus. Although supplementary to most campus programs, cooperative education experiences have provided students with the opportunity to try out career fields, as well as validate career choices. These experiences have been relevant in helping with student retention, helped in program completion and facilitated a students’ transition into the employment arena.

Community needs:Kauai’s business community has been very receptive to participate and mentor students through the cooperative education program. Employer concerns/suggestions involving a student’s ability to successfully “transition” into the workforce are heeded.

Student needs:Cooperative education is a required course for students in the hotel operations, office administration and technology, and food service programs. One part of their course requirement is mandatory seminar meetings.

Developed to facilitate dialogue on a students work experience, the seminar encourages students to examine work issues, their work organization as well as analysis of their academic preparation for the worksite. Topics relating to workplace ethics, supervisory styles, dealing with co-workers as well as job- keeping skills are also discussed during seminar. These topic areas are addressed to assist students as they transition into the workforce.

During the past two and half years seminars have helped students to clarifying workplace issues. Numerous work concerns/issues have been brought up for class discussion offering students multiple perspectives in viewing and solving problems.

An Internet based employment/recruitment system was introduced to handle student employment requests. Conversion to this on-line system has afforded the office the ability to provided Kaua'i CC students opportunity to view job listing twenty-four hours a day/ seven days a week, as well as provide community employers flexibility to post/ close and modify part-time employment opportunities twenty-four hours a day/seven days a week.

Also, through the external funding, more students have participated in focused internships – recycling (County of Kauai), (Rural Development Grant), agriculture (U.S. Dept. of Agriculture), non-traditional careers (Perkins Grant) and NASA Space Grant.

Many students have stated that their internship experiences have made an impact on their career plans/ choices. With the colleges’ high number of “undecided” populous, a concerted effort needs to be placed on utilizing internships as a career services tool to ease student attrition.

A stronger connection between Student Services and the Cooperative Education Office needs to be developed to increase the numbers of students enrolling/participating in internship experiences. Currently, recruitment is done via “word of mouth” or through the offices recruitment efforts for specialized grants (high technology; recycling; US. Dept. of Agriculture; and non-traditional internships).

Program Strengths:

Cooperative education is offered to students in most colleges programs. Students majoring in business, hotel operations, food service, auto body repair, automotive, technology and liberal arts are afforded opportunities to experience a career field through first-hand work experiences.

The cooperative education office continues to be the link between the college and the community. Kaua'i Economic Development Board and the County of Kauai' have monetarily invested in internship activities. Government, health services, and the retail trade industry continue to participate with the college’s internship program.

Student orientations, supervisor in-services, site monitoring, community liaison, program coordination, program marketing (community, campus, student), seminar classes, and student counseling.

Through the use of the web-based employment system, management of student employment services has improved. Staff has been able to complete daily checks to the website to approve new jobs and perform job posting on campus bulletin sites. Emailing of students has also been utilized to inform job seekers of job openings

The cooperative education office also provides support and campus partnership for workforce-initiated training programs. Monitoring of student performance, counseling services, and practicum experiences are few of the support services provided by the staff member.

High technology internships offered during the summer have been on the increased. Roughly

twenty students participate in each summer program. Decreased funding did not allow the summer program for the past two years. External internships are forth coming at KIUC and hopefully a summer internship program will happen in 2011.

Community Partnerships:

Kauai Economic Development Board : Through grant sponsorship.

Kauai Chamber of Commerce : Partnership with the chamber in providing internship experiences for liberal arts students. The membership provided the sites for internship experiences.

Workforce Development Division : The new HireNet Hawaii enables students to self enroll in the Workforce database to job search.

Alu Like, Inc.: Alu Like has worked with the co-op office in supporting food service, hotel operations and office administration students to complete their cooperative education programming. The agency has offered tuition and work experience assistance.

Health Care Industry : The Medical Office Receptionist program has been cancelled due to more rigid industry expectation of staff persons to have medical code expertise.

High Technology Industry : The industry has participated as internship sites in the past.

County of Kauai Pubic Works Division: Through grant sponsorship, the County of Kauai has funded internship opportunities through their recycling branch. The internships focused on developing a public awareness campaign involving recycling.

County of Kaua'i Police Department : The Rural Development Project office is coordinating this effort. KPD readily supports COOP by participating in the annual Job Fair and providing COOP class speakers.

High School:

o Communication with all high school counselors for involvement with school events such as Career Preparation Day, Job Fairs,

o Referral of students for hire as tutors

Community College Programs:

Native Hawaiian Vocational Education Program : Collaboration with program to provide internship experiences for their clientele.

Rural Development Grant : Partnership venture in the implementation of the high technology internship program

Office of Continuing Education and Training: Close partnership involving implementation of industry generated training initiatives. Examples are the Medical Office Receptionist and Certificate for Cashiering training programs.

Technology Division : Communication involving internship opportunities for electronic and Cisco trained students.

Business Division : Coordination & communication with Business and Hospitality programs in offering cooperative education internship experiences for their students.

Four-Year Institutions:

University of Hawaii: Student Employment & Cooperative Education:

partnership with web-base employment site = single portal for employers to list jobs.

College of Engineering: Communication involving high technology summer internships

opportunities for their students

Recommendations

Cooperative education has provided many students with career exploration opportunities to “check” out career fields. A stronger link with student services (counseling) needs to be developed to offer more internship services. This suggestion would strengthen the colleges’ career services.

Another recommendation would be for the cooperative education program to work closely with the case management task force to explore the use of internships as a retention activityNo formalized tool is available to assess a students or employers satisfaction with the program. A program satisfaction instrument will be developed for future evaluation process.

With program staff lacking understanding of program competencies, the staff needs to work closely with the various divisions and counseling staff to develop stronger program awareness.

Staffing has been acceptable for the three years that the current staff has been on-board with the program. As more program initiatives as well as campus projects are developed, the addition for office support will need to be addressed. Shared clerical help is a possibility to meet the diverse activities that the program manages.

Staff Weakness:

Currently, staff lacks a complete understanding of the curriculums for each of the programs on campus. This weakness involving program competencies and skill sets has made it difficult to adequately monitor students while on their internship.

With program staff lacking understanding of program competencies, the staff will need to work closely with the various divisions and counseling staff to develop stronger program awareness.

ACTION PLAN WITH TIMELINE

General excise tax revenues, the single strongest indicator of consumer and business spending, fell 4.4% statewide in the first quarter despite March 2010 coming in 2.3% higher than year-before levels.

Excise taxes were down 2% on Oahu, down 8% on Kauai, down 16% in Maui County, and down 18% on the Big Island, compared to the first quarter of 2009.

Another leading indicator of some importance is applications for building permits, which gives some indication of what developers think is going to happen to the economy. Kauai residential building permit activity was down 85% in the first quarter, while Maui County and the Big Island were down more than 40% compared to the same time last year. Yet residential building permit applications almost doubled on Oahu, where there are 30 existing homes on the market for every new single family home.

The island economy gave the college increased enrollment but also urged AA degree seekers to seek higher degrees to improve their income potential. Students are also encouraged to look beyond Kauai for employment opportunities. HOST position opportunities decreased accordingly with the decline in visitor arrivals. Significant program actions were the funding cuts for summer 2010 internships

Part III. Action Plan

ACTION PLAN/TIMELINE

1. Spring 2011 – Take part in New Student Orientation2. Spring 2011 - Partner with Workforce Development to host annual Job Fair3. Summer 2011 - Do a study to see if a Cooperative Education Job Fair would be

well attended in the fall of 2011 to attract COOP employers and students for the spring 2012 COOP course.

4. Summer 2011 – Prepare a survey study of past COOP graduates and get testimonials/feedback about their COOP experience. Could be called “The Affect of Cooperative Education.”

a. Questions to ask after name, employer, and when would include how or if the experience influenced future education or educational plans, what was the most enjoyable part of COOP, the toughest?. What were you able to use in your career? What other information would you like to share? Etc.

5. Fall 2011 Institute an assignment with every weekly journal that is in questionnaire form of how the student is doing. This would give the instructor a weekly performance evaluation from the student’s perspective. Additionally, this weekly questionnaire would be summarized at mid semester and the end of the semester.

PROGRAM GOAL or

College Goal

ACTION ITEM

STEPS RESOURCES NEEDED

PERSON(S) RESPONSIBLE

TIMELINE OUTCOME or INDICATOR of

IMPROVEMENT

STATUS

Learning Research and service Network

A new COOP website

Research other websites

Learn how to use software

Design and create the page

Course and $50 for software

LC S10 Increase enrollment in COOP

Learning Research and service Network

Continue to coordinate the campus Job Fair

Collaborate with workwise to implement each year

Facility support

LC Annual event

Increase job opportunities for students. Increase in students and employers on job database.

Learning Research and service Network

Work with the New Student Coordinator to implement COOP/Job Placement workshop for NSO

Contact coordinator for time on the agenda

None required LC Annual Increase enrollment in COOP.

Increase the number of students placed in jobs.

Learning Research and service Network

Implement student and employer use of the new Job database

Complete job database

Incorporate in website

Market and train

Marketing brochure

LC Ongoing Increase the number of students placed in jobs.

Increase the number of employers using job database

Job Database completed.

Learning Research and service Network

Be more visible

New website

New flyers, posters

Increase class presentations

LC Ongoing Increase student knowledge of job placement services and internships

PROGRAM GOAL or

College Goal

ACTION ITEM

STEPS RESOURCES NEEDED

PERSON(S) RESPONSIBLE

TIMELINE OUTCOME or INDICATOR of

IMPROVEMENT

STATUS

Learning Research and service Network

A new COOP website

Research other websites

Learn how to use software

Design and create the page

Course and $50 for software

LC S10 Increase enrollment in COOP

Learning Research and service Network

Continue to coordinate the campus Job Fair

Collaborate with workwise to implement each year

Facility support

LC Annual event

Increase job opportunities for students. Increase in students and employers on job database.

Learning Research and service Netwk

Work with the New Student Coordinator to implement COOP/Job Placement workshop for NSO

Contact coordinator for time on the agenda

None required LC Annual Increase enrollment in COOP.

Increase the number of students placed in jobs.

Learning Research and service Network

Implement student and employer use of the new Job database

Complete job database

Incorporate in website

Market and train

Marketing brochure

LC Ongoing Increase the number of students placed in jobs.

Increase the number of employers using job database

Job Database completed.

Learning Research and service Network

Be more visible

New website

New flyers, posters

Increase class presentations

LC Ongoing Increase student knowledge of job placement services and internships