Work Term Assignment

Guide

Engineering Co-op Work Term Assignments ......................................................................................... 3

Overview ......................................................................................................................................................................... 3

Learning Objectives ..................................................................................................................................................... 3

Work Term Assignments ........................................................................................................................................... 4

Undergraduate Work Term Assignments ......................................................................................................... 4

Graduate Work Term Assignments.................................................................................................................... 4

First Work Term (APSC 110) – Experiential Assignment ...................................................................... 6

Second Work Term (APSC 210) – Advanced LinkedIn Profile OR Information Interview ................ 7

Advanced LinkedIn Profile & Self Reflection Assignment (Option 1) ............................................................. 7

Informational Interview & Self Reflection Assignment (Option 2) ............................................................... 10

Third Work Term (APSC 310) – Technical Assignment ...................................................................... 13

Technical Written Report (Option 1) .................................................................................................................... 13

Technical Memo (Option 2) .................................................................................................................................... 17

Technical Presentation (Option 3) ....................................................................................................................... 20

Fourth or Fifth Work Term (APSC 410 or APSC 411) ..........................................................................22

Career Planning Assignment (APSC 410/411 - Option 1) .............................................................................. 22

Newsletter Article Assignment (APSC 410/411 - Option 2) ......................................................................... 23

Sixth or later Work Term Assignment (APSC 412) – To be determined with your Co-op Coordinator ...............................................................................................................................................25

Table of Contents

Work Term Assignment Guide2

Engineering Co-op Work Term Assignments

Overview During each four month co-op work term you will complete Learning Objectives and one Work Term Assignment. The Learning Objectives will help you maximize your co-op work term experience and identify goals for personal and technical development. Each Work Term Assignment is designed to help your development in key areas for your short and long-term career success as you progress through the co-op program.

Learning Objectives At the beginning of each work term, students are asked to reflect on their plan for the work term and to review with their supervisor. Each aspect of the Professional Development Learning Plan should be “SMART” – Specific, Measurable, Attainable, Realistic, and Timely. These plans are for the current term; however, these should assist you in your longer term objectives for your career development while being in line with the duties of the co-op position.

The Learning Objectives is a great way to communicate with your supervisor regarding skills or experiences you would like to gain while on your work term. They can also help you in gaining a clear understanding of their expectations of you during your work term. Ensure to review your Professional Development Learning Plan with your supervisor before the end of your third week of employment.

Tips for Creating Learning Objectives Make them Specific, Measurable, Attainable, Realistic and Timely (SMART). Each learning objective should answer the following four questions:

• What is to be accomplished?• How will it be accomplished?• How will it be evaluated/measured and by whom?• When will it be completed?

Example: ‘By June 20, I will devise, print and post a safety checklist, following head office and provincial guidelines, which will make safety information readily available to staff working in Section G. I will have my supervisor review this safety checklist for accuracy prior to posting.’

Each term, you will complete the following four questions in PD Portal: • What technical skills would you like to acquire or improve during your work term? How will you learn,

change or improve them? How will you measure the results, and by what date do you intend to have theresults met?

• What non-technical/interpersonal skills would you like to acquire or improve during your work term?How will you learn, change or improve them? How will you measure the results, and by what date doyou intend to have the results met?

• What three (or more) transferrable skills do you anticipate you will need for your future work terms orcareer? How will you attempt to obtain these during your current work term?

• What expectations does your supervisor have for you in regard to your professional and/or personalgrowth during this work term?

Submission Complete the Professional Development Learning Plan questions directly in PD Portal under your work term record and submit by the due date specified in the Work Term Checklist. http://pd.apsc.ubc.ca/engineering-co-op/current-students/undergraduate-checklist/

Work Term Asssignment Guide3

Work Term Assignments

Students must complete one Work Term Assignment for each four month work term and submit the assignment by the deadline specified in the Work Term Checklist http://pd.apsc.ubc.ca/engineering-co-op/current-students/undergraduate-checklist/. Failure to do so may result in a failing grade for the work term course.

Undergraduate Work Term Assignments

Work Term Assignment Theme Description APSC 110 (first work term)

Experiential Assignment Reflection Identifying and building a foundational skill set that will help you succeed in the workplace long term

APSC 210 (second work term)

LinkedIn Profile OR Informational Interview

Networking Understanding the importance of a professional network and learning how to grow it

APSC 310 (third work term)

Technical Report OR Technical Memo OR Technical Presentation

Communication Recognizing room for development in your communication skills and working to improve it

APSC 410 (fourth work term)

Career Planning Assignment OR Newsletter Article

Career Reflection & Mentorship

Self-reflection on your work term experiences and where they will lead you in the future

APSC 411 (fifth work term)

Career Planning Assignment OR Newsletter Article

Career Reflection & Mentorship

Self-reflection on your work term experiences and where they will lead you in the future

APSC 412 (sixth or later work term)

Consult your co-op coordinator Recognizing continued development in your communication skills or your network

Graduate Work Term Assignments

Work Term Assignment Theme Description APSC 410 (first work term)

Technical Report OR Technical Memo OR Technical Presentation

Communication Recognizing room for development in your communication skills and working to improve it

APSC 411 (second work term)

Career Planning Assignment

Career Reflection & Mentorship

Self-reflection on your work term experiences and where they will lead you in the future

Plagiarism in any form is academic misconduct and will be handled as outlined in the UBC Calendar.

Submission Submission instructions are described in detail on the assignment overview. Hard copy assignments and release forms will not be accepted. You will be automatically enrolled in the co-op course on Canvas prior to the assignment deadline.

Work Term Asssignment Guide4

Formatting Guidelines

• Use 10-12 point Calibri or Arial font, with 1-inch margins• Use PDF format files• Use standard, formal English. Do not use slang terms, contractions or colloquialisms• Define terms and introduce acronyms the first time they are used. You may use a glossary of terms in

the appendices• Use section headers and sub headers where appropriate• Number the pages• Properly cite all references following the APA (American Psychological Association) style

library.ubc.ca/pubs/apastyle.pdf

Work Term Asssignment Guide

First Work Term (APSC 110) – Experiential Assignment Objective The experiential assignment allows you to reflect on your first co-op work experience, the skills you have gained, and the skills that you need to develop for success in future work terms. Your first co-op experience forms the foundation from which you will build your career; by reflecting on the experience you can ensure you are fully capturing the skills you can offer future employers and those you need to acquire or further develop.

Instructions Answer each of the following questions (max. 200 words per answer):

1. What did you learn from your job search for this position? What do you intend to do the same and whatwill you do differently when seeking your next co-op position?

2. What technical skills and soft skills (or non-technical skills) have you acquired or further developedduring your work term? Which skills have you found to be most important thus far in your term?

3. Discuss how you have utilized or improved your communication and emotional intelligence during yourwork term. (Take an Emotional Intelligence Online Quiz to help you with this question)

4. What have you learned about your own work preferences that might help you in deciding the directionof your future work terms (i.e., management/supervision style, type and nature of job duties, level ofresponsibility, work environment, etc.)

5. What is the status of your Professional Development Learning Plan for this work term? Have youcompleted any of your goals?

6. What has been the biggest challenge that you have faced in your first co-op experience?7. What has been your greatest accomplishment in your first co-op work experience?8. Describe your ability and confidence with communicating your skills and ideas in the workplace this

term. Has this helped or hindered your success this term?

Submission Complete the short-answer question responses in Canvas on or before the deadline outlined in the Work Term Checklist (http://pd.apsc.ubc.ca/engineering-co-op/current-students/undergraduate-checklist/).

Grading Your Experiential Assignment responses will be assessed as follows:

Excellent Articulate, interesting, and engaging responses that convey your self-analysis and reflection to the reader in fully developed and easily read answers; free from any grammatical or spelling errors

Good Well-written responses providing clear reflection, description and analysis of skills and development over the work term contributing to future employment. May have a few grammatical or spelling errors

Satisfactory Addresses questions but provides limited evidence of reflection of development and challenges; simplistic, basic responses demonstrating little consideration for future career development. Average written response with grammatical, punctuation and or spelling errors.

Unsatisfactory Poorly written and or incomplete responses to questions. Little to no consideration of reflection and self-awareness of the work term experience and for future employment. Provides few examples. May have multiple grammar, punctuation and or spelling errors.

Work Term Asssignment Guide6

Second Work Term (APSC 210) – Advanced LinkedIn Profile OR Information Interview

Advanced LinkedIn Profile & Self Reflection Assignment (Option 1)

Objective Love it or loath it, LinkedIn is currently the top online site for professional, social, and career networking. LinkedIn has more than half a billion members, including executives from all of the Fortune 500 companies. When used correctly, LinkedIn can be extremely advantageous for your career development and progression. As part of this assignment, you will implement some advanced LinkedIn strategies as well as reflect on your social media and online presence and how it may impact your future job search.

How to Begin For the purposes of this assignment, it is assumed that you already have an active LinkedIn account. If you don’t already have a LinkedIn account, visit www.linkedin.com/start/join to create a free account and enter the necessary information. You are not required nor expected to pay for a membership with LinkedIn. According to LinkedIn’s statistics, LinkedIn Members with complete profiles are 40 times more likely to receive opportunities through LinkedIn so ensure you take some time to prepare as complete a profile as possible.

Scams LinkedIn, like most major sites, has issues with scammers. If you receive requests for information or unexpected job offers, be sure to do your due diligence before responding or speak with your coordinator.

Part 1: Advanced LinkedIn Techniques

LinkedIn is a fairly user friendly site and as such, step-by-step instructions for these advanced techniques are not provided. You can research online how to complete any of these steps if you need assistance.

Customize your URL It’s likely you’ll want to share your LinkedIn profile, either via your resume, business cards, personal website, etc. and it helps to have a customized URL (ideally linkedin.com/firstnamelastname). Customize your URL.

Brand Yourself It’s well known that recruiters for many of the Fortune 500 companies scour LinkedIn searching for top talent, but many smaller companies and hiring staff are also known to look up potential candidates online as well. Take some time to reflect on what your own personal ‘brand’ is, and whether or not your LinkedIn profile reflects it. Be professional, but add interesting and fun things about yourself as well. Use the different sections of the LinkedIn profile, such as the introduction section, to add these things. Read this recent article about personal branding if you need some tips: https://www.mentionlytics.com/blog/5-personal-branding-tips-for-job-seekers/

Highlight your Achievements Recruiters look for concrete achievements. Include action words, accomplishments, and specifics such as times when you’ve been promoted, or hand-picked for projects. Be creative and specific about your skills and experiences and include measurable examples to support each one.

Join Groups LinkedIn Groups are a great place to connect with people with similar interests or in a similar industry to share content, find answers and make contacts. Look for groups that align with your interests in industries that appeal to you and join a minimum of five groups.

Endorse Friends

Work Term Asssignment Guide7

Endorsing your peers accomplishes two things: First, you’re doing a good deed, and the other person receives a notification from you to reciprocate. The more endorsements you get for specific skills, the better. This will make your profile more visible and attractive to recruiting agents searching for people with specific skills. It will also give you more authority when you interact in groups. Endorse five peers on LinkedIn.

Add Multimedia LinkedIn lets you add photos, videos, and slideshow presentations to your profile summary. You can include project photos from school, examples of your work, or you can share presentations. Ensure that you have permission to share photos or projects from past or current employers before adding to your profile. Add at least one relevant, well-produced multimedia element to your profile.

Use Key Words Review job descriptions of the positions you’re seeking and scan them for common key words or skills. Those words are likely what recruiters are searching for when they’re looking for people like you. Use those words and phrases throughout your summary and experience.

Have Connections Having 50 or fewer connections on LinkedIn can send recruiters the wrong message. Aim to have at least 50-100 connections as a target within 3 months of creating your LinkedIn account.

Send Personalized Messages It is a well-known best practice for LinkedIn to use personalized messages when asking to connect with others. Connection requests with customized requests are more likely to be accepted. Don’t connect solely to get a job; include someone if you met them at a networking event, initiate the connection based on things you have in common or pick something from their profile to talk about in your message to break the ice. Then segue into your purpose for reaching out. Remember, you only have 300 characters so be concise! Send ten personalized connection requests.

Edit Once you’ve updated your profile, ensure you view your public profile and give it a thorough review. Is it too cluttered? Does it provide enough information without being overwhelming? Edit as needed to ensure your profile matches your true ‘brand’.

Optional Additional Content:

Recommendations Building upon the endorsements you hopefully have received from your peers, recommendations can give extra credibility to your strengths and skills. A recommendation is a written statement of endorsement. Try to secure two or more recommendations from professors, previous or current managers, or co-workers. Note: Co-op Coordinators cannot provide LinkedIn recommendations for co-op students

Job Search If you are actively seeking your next co-op work term or post-grad employment, LinkedIn has a ‘Jobs’ section where you can create a customized search alert. Input your career interests, preference of location, industry, etc. and let recruiters know that you are actively seeking work. LinkedIn will notify you when any new opportunities that match your criteria are posted, as well as make your profile searchable to recruiters.

Part 2: Self-Reflection and Social Media Audit

After updating and advancing your LinkedIn profile, take some time to reflect on the experience as well as conduct an audit of all of your online presence and social media accounts for the assignment.

Work Term Asssignment Guide8

Instructions: Answer each of the following questions (max. 200 words per answer): 1. Have you utilized LinkedIn in the past as part of your job search strategy? Why or why not?2. Discuss how you might use your LinkedIn profile, or LinkedIn in general, for your future job search.3. If someone were to ‘Google’ you, what would they learn about you?4. Describe your own personal ‘brand’. Does your current online presence match this or are there things

you need to address?5. Are your social media accounts currently set to private or public? Why? Are you going to change this?6. Does your current employer look at social media accounts when recruiting? Why or why not?

Part 3: Submission Capture screenshots of your LinkedIn requirements using the below checklist and compile them into an orderly document with appropriate titles, including the responses for Part 2: Self-Reflection and Social Media Audit and submit via Canvas or before the deadline outlined in the Work Term Checklist (http://pd.apsc.ubc.ca/engineering-co-op/current-students/undergraduate-checklist/).

LinkedIn Checklist

� Customized URL

� Branding – ensure you circle or highlight the sections of your profile in which you clearly demonstrateyour personal brand

� Groups – screenshot your membership in five or more groups

� Endorsements –screenshot of your endorsements of five peers

� Multimedia – screenshot one or more relevant multimedia element(s) on your profile

� 50+ Connections – screenshot your number of connections

� Personalized Messages – capture screenshots of your ten personalized connection requests

Grading Your LinkedIn Profile and Social Media Audit Assignment will be assessed as follows:

Excellent Articulate, interesting, and engaging responses that summarize and reflect on the experience to the reader in fully developed and easily read answers; free from any grammatical or spelling errors. LinkedIn profile exceeds all requirements.

Good Well-written self-reflective answers; little to no grammatical or spelling errors. LinkedIn profile meets all requirements.

Satisfactory Answers may contain a few grammar or spelling errors. May not read well or engage the reader, but still communicates necessary information. One or two LinkedIn requirements not met.

Unsatisfactory Multiple grammar or spelling errors; unclear or unreadable; responses are not full sentences. Three or more LinkedIn requirements not met.

Work Term Asssignment Guide9

Informational Interview & Self Reflection Assignment (Option 2)

Objective The objective of the Informational Interview is to provide you with an opportunity to network and learn more about your industry from an active member of the engineering community. It is not a job interview, but simply a way for you to explore your industry, understand the career progression in your industry, and make connections that could lead to employment in the future. Many jobs are never formally posted and are secured from having strong industry connections. As part of this assignment, you will also reflect on the interview experience as well as your social media and online presence, and how it may impact your future job search.

Part 1: The Interview

How to Begin Your Interview Use this opportunity to strategically target an engineer within a company or industry of interest to you. Criteria for the engineer you select is as follows:

• Must have graduated from an Engineering degree program and be actively working in an engineeringrelated field or recently retired within the last 3 years;

The interviewee cannot be: • a UBC faculty member;• your immediate supervisor; or• related to you.

The interviewee does not have to be a P.Eng. and can be an EIT or working engineer with no professional designation.

Network with colleagues, search LinkedIn and the Engineers and Geoscientists BC Member Directory, and network to identify a working engineer you would like to interview. Keep in mind that you may not be able to interview your desired engineer, so prepare a list of two to three engineers to contact.

Initiate Contact Phone, email, LinkedIn message, or ask your network to introduce you to your prospective interviewee. Explain that you are an engineering co-op student looking to interview them as part of your professional development, and that you would like to learn more about their current role and career path to date. The interview may take approximately 20-30 minutes. You may need to follow-up to your initial contact in 3-5 business days; if they do not respond after two attempts, you should move on to the next engineer on your list. Remember to be courteous and respectful of your interviewee’s time.

Where to Conduct your Informational Interview Interviews can take place in person, over the phone, or via Skype/video chat. If you are meeting the interviewee in person, we recommend that you meet at a public location such as a coffee shop.

Research Review the website of the interviewee’s company or organization as well as a Google and LinkedIn search on the individual as well to be familiar with their background to assist in developing your questions and to be more focused in your interviewing

Prepare Questions Have a list of questions prepared to ask your interviewee, but do not follow a script; allow the conversation to flow naturally.

Work Term Asssignment Guide10

Some sample questions you may wish to ask include:

• What does a typical work day/week look like for you in your current role?• What advice would you give yourself when you were my age?• What aspects of your background have been most relevant and useful in this role?• What sacrifices have you had to make to succeed in this industry, and do you feel they were worth it?• What are some of the biggest challenges or frustrations about your role?• What aspect of your current position do you enjoy the most?• How would you recommend someone of my level go about pursuing a career in this field?• What are the most important technical skills that you use in your position?• What are the most important soft skills that you use in your position?

Questions you ask should be relevant to the engineering profession. Avoid ‘closed’ questions that will result in single word or very short answers. Open questions generally begin with what, why, how, describe, and tell me.

Thank You It is important and courteous to send a thank you card, email or LinkedIn message to your interviewee shortly following the interview, ideally within 24 hours. This helps to solidify your network connection with them and leaves them with a positive impression of your professionalism.

Part 2: Self-Reflection and Social Media Audit

After conducting your Informational Interview, take some time to reflect on the experience as well as conduct an audit of all of your online presence and social media accounts for the assignment.

Instructions Answer each of the following questions (max. 200 words per answer):

Information Interview 1. Summarize your key reflections from the interview.2. Did any of the interviewee’s answers surprise you? Why?3. What did you learn that may affect your career plans after graduation?4. Did the interview have an impact on the direction you see your education taking in terms of elective

course selection, supplemental education (such as a MBA or Master’s degree), or additionalspecialized training?

5. How will you maximize the networking opportunity gained from conducting this interview?

Your Social Media Presence 6. If someone were to ‘Google’ you, what would the results be?7. Are your social media accounts currently set to private or public? Why? Are you going to change

this?8. Describe your own personal ‘brand’. Does your current online presence match this or are there

things you need to address? Read this recent article about personal branding if you need some tips:https://www.mentionlytics.com/blog/5-personal-branding-tips-for-job-seekers/

9. Does your current employer look at social media accounts when recruiting? Why or why not?10. Discuss how you might use LinkedIn or other social media or online content for your future job

search.

Submission Compile your responses in an orderly document and submit in Canvas on or before the deadline outlined in the Work Term Checklist (http://pd.apsc.ubc.ca/engineering-co-op/current-students/undergraduate-checklist/)

Work Term Asssignment Guide11

Grading Your Informational Interview & Self Reflection Assignment will be assessed as follows:

Excellent Articulate, interesting, and engaging responses that summarize, reflect and analyse the experience in fully developed and easily read answers; high level of self-analysis of social media presence; free from any grammatical or spelling errors.

Good Well-written answers summarizing and reflecting on your interview experience; good self-analysis of social media presence; little to no grammatical or spelling errors

Satisfactory Answers may contain a few grammar or spelling errors. May not read well or engage the reader; low-level self-analysis of social media presence

Unsatisfactory Multiple grammar or spelling errors; unclear or unreadable; responses are not full sentences; little to no self-analysis of social media presence

Work Term Asssignment Guide12

Third Work Term (APSC 310) – Technical Assignment

Technical Written Report (Option 1)

Objective To communicate well, engineers need to be able to write effectively. Writing a report is one of the most formal ways of presenting the results of professional engineering work. Engineering reports can be written about any professional engineering activity, including test results, failure analysis, accidents, design proposals, environmental impact studies, economic or technical feasibility studies, and project summaries. Reports are usually submitted after a major engineering effort; they are often read by multiple audiences, including people involved in decision making or affected by the completed work, and both technical and non-technical audiences.

Assignment Your Technical Work Term Report will include a body of content that should be fifteen to twenty pages, excluding title pages, references and appendices. Refer to the formatting guidelines on page 5. The Technical Work Term Report contains four essential parts:

• Introduction: a clear, concise summary and statement of the problem or project addressed by thestudy• Discussion: details of the study including assumptions, alternatives and predicted outcomes• Conclusion: the conclusions you have drawn following from the details presented in the report• Recommendations: derived from the conclusions and addressing the problem

Choosing a Topic Your report should be based on your co-op work term experience and a problem or project that you, your manager or your department have encountered during your work term. If there is not an obvious problem or specific project you are working on, you should ask your supervisor, manager, or a Co-op Coordinator for suggestions.

Style The Technical Work Term Report is analytical rather than descriptive in style. This report should contain accurate, factual information together with sound arguments and conclusions. The format of the report should normally follow the guidelines provided here, but you may follow the company’s guidelines if the report will be used internally.

Detailed Section Information The following table explains the purpose and content of each report section:

Work Term Asssignment Guide13

Section Purpose Content Title Page Identifies the topic and

ownership of the report • Title of the report (clearly identifies the subject of

the report)• Name of student, student ID• Date and place

Preface and Foreword

Provides the reader with background of the report

• Purpose, background, scope of subject coverage• Contributions of others to the report

Summary - considered by many to be the most important part of report, often only this part is read, so it is important to state your case succinctly

Provides a one-page summary. No reference is made to any part of the report; a summary is complete in itself.

• States the more important information in the reportincluding the purpose, method, reason for thereport

• Succinctly defines the problem the reportaddresses

• Summarizes the findings, conclusions, decisions,recommendations

• Summarizes all major generalizations orassumptions of the report

Table of Contents Identifies contents and organization of document

• Section headings• Page numbers

List of Figures (optional)

Identifies any figures, drawings, or photographs shown in the report

• Number of figures• Title of figures and corresponding page numbers

List of Tables (optional)

Identifies any tables shown in the report

• Number of tables• Title of tables and corresponding page numbers

Introduction Introduces the subject of report as the reader may be from a different branch of the discipline and will require some orientation to the subject of your report

• Subject and purpose of the report (states brieflywhy the report is written and it is intended toachieve)

• Scope (describes the breadth and limitations of thetreatment of the subject)

• Plan of development (outlines which areas will becovered)

• Thesis of the report (the general conclusion and/orthe general recommendation)

Discussion Presents evidence (facts, arguments, details, data, test results, etc.) necessary to the purpose of the report

• This section contains the main part of the report.All evidence must be developed in an organized,logical and orderly manner and must be relevant. Itshould contain pertinent figures, tables, footnotes,references to material in appendices. Anyadditional information should be placed in anappendix, but referenced in the discussion.

Conclusions States briefly the major inferences that can be drawn from the discussion

• Must be based on information presented in thediscussion

• Each conclusion should be presented as a separateparagraph, with paragraphs numbered in sequencefor easy reference

Work Term Asssignment Guide14

Section Purpose Content Recommendations Acknowledges use of

materials from printed sources in the preparation of your report. Indicates exact source of all quotations and/ or results of previous work.

• Author’s name, title of book, year published,publisher’s name, city, page number

• References are listed alphabetically by the name ofthe author or by the first major work of the title

• Common knowledge does not require a reference(e.g., the speed of light), but if a new value for acommonly accepted quantity is cited, the sourceshould be referenced

• All sources must be cited correctly; please refer tothe following UBC website for proper citation of allsources: help.library.ubc.ca/ evaluating and-citing-sources/how-to-cite

• Follow APA (American Psychological Association)style for all referencing

Appendices (optional)

Includes data which are not necessary for an immediate understanding of the discussion

• Appendices may contain program listings,drawings, extra figures, technical specifications, orother detailed explanations of some aspects of yourreport

Submission The technical written report must be submitted and reviewed for confidentiality by your work supervisor prior to submission via Canvas. A signed Release Form[http://apsc-pd.sites.olt.ubc.ca/files/2019/05/Work-Term-Assignment-Release-Form.pdf] must accompany your non-confidential report or it cannot be accepted by the Co-op Program. Submit your report and release form via Canvas on or before the deadline outlined in the Work Term Checklist (http://pd.apsc.ubc.ca/engineering-co-op/current-students/undergraduate-checklist/).

If your supervisor deems the report to be confidential, a signed Release Form acknowledging the report has been received and is confidential must be submitted. Submit your release form via Canvas on or before the deadline outlined in the Work Term Checklist (http://pd.apsc.ubc.ca/engineering-co-op/current-students/undergraduate-checklist/). Your supervisor will have two weeks from the due date to grade your confidential report using the [http://apsc-pd.sites.olt.ubc.ca/files/2019/05/Confidential-Technical-Report-Evaluation-Form.pdf]. Submit the completed grade form via Canvas.

Grading A technical evaluator grades all Technical Work Term Reports. Your report receives an overall evaluation on a scale ranging from “Excellent” to “Unsatisfactory”.

If your report is marked “Unsatisfactory”, you will be given one (1) attempt to re-write and be provided with 30 days to make revisions and re-submit your report to the Co-op Office for re-evaluation by the technical evaluator. The Technical Work Term Report is graded out of 100 points and will be assessed according to the following table:

Work Term Asssignment Guide15

Literary Quality 25 Points • Grammar• Spelling• Clarity• Style• Structure / Flow

Excellent: 80 to 100 Good: 65 to 79 Satisfactory: 50 to 64 Unsatisfactory: 0 to 49

Technical Quality

50 Points • Introduction• Discussion: tables/ figure presentation,

analytical content, authority & accuracy,thoroughness of treatment

• Conclusion• Recommendations• Appendix/ices (optional)

Report Requirements

25 Points • Suitability of Topic• Title Page• Table of Contents• List of Figures / List of Tables• List of Abbreviations / Glossary• Preface / Forward• Summary• References

Work Term Asssignment Guide16

Technical Memo (Option 2)

Objective To communicate well, engineers need to be able to write effectively. Memos are common correspondence in the workplace. A memo is a professional document designed to be read quickly. The memo should have only one main idea, be short and well-structured, and get to the point within the first paragraph, or the first sentence, if possible. Engineers and scientists use memos to make or respond to requests, provide updates and announcements, and sometimes to communicate a condensed version of a report.

Memos are often circulated, forwarded, and posted, which means they can reach large audiences. Principals of good technical writing, such as accuracy, clarity, knowing your audience, and using a professional tone, are important considerations when writing memos. Do not be fooled by the short length of the document; proper and effective memo writing can be more difficult than a full technical report.

Examples of technical memos: Type of Memo Example

Field Reports • Soil Quality Changes in the Columbia Basin from April to July 2013• Analysis and Comparison of Concrete Samples at Sites 1, 2, and 3• Overview of Occupational and Safety Hazards at the New Afton Mine

Lab / Analytical Reports

• Extreme Temperature Effects on Bio-diesel Blends• Limitations of Optical Lithography for Semiconductor Etching• Statistical Analysis of Defects Found in Product X

Progress or Status Reports

• Status Report for Stage 2 of M-phone Testing• New Production Numbers due to Manufacturing Line Improvements• Top Construction Challenges Facing the George Massey Tunnel

Policy / Process / Operational Changes

• Updates to Test Script for Amazing Game XII• Replacement of BC Hydro Energy Meters in the Lower Mainland• Flex-time Procedures for Union and Non-Union Staff• Amendment to Mechanical Changeover Procedure for Filler Machine

Assignment The length of your Technical Memo will be between 650-1000 words, double-spaced, in a 12-point font (approximately three pages), and should include informative headings. The word count does not include the header. Select a topic and type of memo that is relevant to your current work term. Consult the table above for examples and ideas, or speak with your employer, work colleagues, or a Co-op Coordinator.

Detailed Section Information The following table explains the purpose and suggested content of each memo section.

Work Term Asssignment Guide17

Section Purpose Content Header Identifies the date, writer

of report, intended audience and topic of the memo.

• Date: spelled out• To: name(s) & title(s)• From: name & title• CC: list of names & titles• Subject: as specific as possible

Purpose To immediately inform the reader of the reason for the memo.

• Who are the stakeholders?• What is the situation?• Where does the situation take place?• When does the situation take place?• Why is it necessary to change / update; why are

you writing this memo?Summary To summarize content of

memo, mostly the discussion and recommendations.

• Key points• Key recommendations

Discussion To provide enough information / evidence to justify your recommendations.

• Include necessary background information• Expand on details of the situation• Include data / findings• Explain the result (e.g., theory behind change)

Action / Recommendations

To lay out the next steps with specific tasks and timelines.

• Based on the results / situation, describe yourrecommended course of action and next steps

• Be specific with clear roles (name & title) andresponsibilities with timelines

• Include follow-up action for your audience andyourself

Submission The technical memo must be submitted and reviewed by your work supervisor for confidentiality prior to submission on Canvas. A signed Release Form [http://apsc-pd.sites.olt.ubc.ca/files/2019/05/Work-Term-Assignment-Release-Form.pdf] must accompany your non-confidential memo or it cannot be accepted by the Co-op Program. Submit your memo and release form via Canvas on or before the deadline outlined in the Work Term Checklist (http://pd.apsc.ubc.ca/engineering-co-op/current-students/undergraduate-checklist/).

If your supervisor deems the memo to be confidential, a signed Release Form acknowledging the memo has been received and is confidential must be submitted. Submit your release form via Canvas on or before the deadline outlined in the Work Term Checklist (http://pd.apsc.ubc.ca/engineering-co-op/current-students/undergraduate-checklist/). Your supervisor will have two weeks from the deadline to grade your confidential memo using the [http://apsc-pd.sites.olt.ubc.ca/files/2019/05/Confidential-Technical-Memo-Evaluation-Form.pdf]. Submit the completed grade form via Canvas.

Grading A technical evaluator grades all Technical Memos. Your memo receives an overall evaluation on a scale ranging from “Excellent” to “Unsatisfactory”. If your memo is marked “Unsatisfactory”, you will be given one (1) attempt to re-write and be provided with 30 days to make revisions and re-submit your memo to the Co-op Office for re-evaluation by the technical evaluator.

Work Term Asssignment Guide18

The Technical Memo is graded out of 100 points and will be assessed according to the following table:

Technical Quality 15 Points

• Appropriate topic• Effective structure

5

Excellent: 80 to 100 Good: 65 to 79

Satisfactory: 50 to 64 Unsatisfactory: 0 to 49

• Presentation of data (table / figure)• Information is reliable, repeatable, accurate• Information is justified (i.e., evidence,

theories, examples, citations)

10

Literary Quality 20 Points

• Clear, concise, coherent, using professionaltone

10

• Sentence structure, spelling, punctuation 10

Structure 65 Points

• Subject is specific• Appropriate names and titles are included• Date is spelled out

5

• Purpose is explained within the first fewsentences

• Thorough – 5 W-questions are answered

10

• Includes all key points andrecommendations

10

• Background information (5)• Sufficient data / evidence (5)• Valuable explanation of results (15)

25

• Convincing• Clear directives - role & responsibility• Timelines• Follow-up for all stakeholders

15

Work Term Asssignment Guide19

Technical Presentation (Option 3)

Objective Throughout your professional engineering career you will be expected to give a variety of presentations. You may find yourself hosting “lunch-and-learn” sessions to disseminate information to colleagues, outlining proposals to clients, or updating senior managers on your project outcomes. This technical oral presentation will provide you with the opportunity to gain practice with delivering formal presentations.

Delivery of Presentation You will deliver a formal, ten-minute technical oral presentation on an aspect of your work term or project. The presentation should include an overview, summary, analytical content, ending with conclusions and recommendations.

Your presentation slides should be created using MS PowerPoint. If handouts are required, they must be provided to the Engineering Co-op office at least two days prior to your scheduled seminar for copying and distribution at your presentation.

Students must sign up for presentation times through PD Portal when directed by Co-op Staff. Each student will receive feedback from Co-op representatives after their presentation, and a grade will be submitted. Presentation timetables will be scheduled with a new student presenting every 25 minutes. Students may invite their employers to attend.

Alternatively, students may wish to conduct their presentation for their supervisor or company on site before the completion of the work term. In this case, a Co-op Coordinator may be able to attend to make the presentation. Contact the Co-op Office in advance of the presentation to make arrangements.

Submission A Release Form [http://apsc-pd.sites.olt.ubc.ca/files/2019/05/Work-Term-Assignment-Release-Form.pdf] is required for all Technical Presentations indicating whether the presentation is confidential or non-confidential. Submit your release form via Canvas on or before the deadline outlined in the Work Term Checklist (http://pd.apsc.ubc.ca/engineering-co-op/current-students/undergraduate-checklist/). Co-op staff cannot attend nor grade your presentation without the release form. Confidential/On-site Presentations: If you present for your supervisor or company, your supervisor will need to complete the Technical Presentation Evaluation form [http://apsc-pd.sites.olt.ubc.ca/files/2019/05/Confidential-Technical-Oral-Presentation-Evaluation-Form.pdf]. Submit your completed grade forms via Canvas on or before the deadline outlined in the Work Term Checklist (http://pd.apsc.ubc.ca/engineering-co-op/current-students/undergraduate-checklist/).

Grading Your presentation will receive an overall evaluation on a scale ranging from “Excellent” to “Unsatisfactory”. If your presentation is marked “Unsatisfactory,” you will be given one (1) attempt to re-do it and will be provided with 30 days to make revisions and re-present.

Work Term Asssignment Guide20

The Technical Oral Presentation is graded out of 100 points and will be assessed according to the following table:

Structure 20 points

• Overall Structure of the Presentation (5 points)• Knowledge of the Audience (5 points)• Clarity & Style (5 points each)

Excellent: 80 to 100 Good: 65 to 79

Satisfactory: 50 to 64 Unsatisfactory: 0 to 49

Content 40 points

• Suitability of Topic (5 points)• Reliability and Accuracy (10 points)• Analytic Content (10 points)• Thoroughness of Treatment (10 points)• Table/Figure Presentation (5 points)

Expression 40 points

• Quality of Visual Aids (10 points)• Ability to Engage the Audience (10 points)• Oral Communication Skills (20 points)

Work Term Asssignment Guide21

Fourth or Fifth Work Term (APSC 410 or APSC 411)

Career Planning Assignment (APSC 410/411 - Option 1)

Objective Having completed several co-op work terms by this point, you should have a clearer picture of where you see yourself after graduation compared to when you were embarking on your very first co-op work term. The summation of all of your experience to date has afforded you insight into aspects of careers that you might enjoy, as well as those that do not appeal to you. This assignment will allow you to reflect on your experience and ideate on potential career paths you wish to pursue for future co-op work terms or post-graduate employment.

Instructions Answer each of the following questions (max. 200 words per answer, except question 1 which has a max. 400 words). Support your responses with properly cited research as needed:

1. What is your desired career path post-graduation? Are there particular industries you are interested inor do you have a specific type of role in mind? What about the size of company? Does it align with yourcore values? Does this career path align with where you want to be in your career in 5-10 years?

2. Are you extroverted or introverted? How has this affected your work performance to date and how doyou think this will impact the type of job you will seek in the future?

3. Does the career path you are currently interested in offer a lot of room for personal challenge and skilldevelopment, as well as long-term career growth?

4. What is the job security in this career or industry like for the next 5-10 years? Are there any majoreconomic factors that might adversely affect job prospects in this field?

5. How relevant are you to your desired career path/industry at this time? Are your skills and experiencein line with what the market is seeking, or is there additional training, self-directed learning, professionaldevelopment opportunities you can seek out that would give you a competitive edge?

6. What kind of autonomy and control do you want over your career and day-to-day work? Will thisimpact the type of company you explore working for?

7. Where are you willing to live? Think about the factors of an area that contribute to your personal long-term happiness such as access to outdoor areas, thriving nightlife, energetic culture, walkability orcommute time, proximity to family, etc. Are the careers or industries you are interested in available inthese type of areas?

8. What aspects of a potential career will contribute to your long-term job satisfaction, or in other words,what would make you happy to go in to work every day?

Submission Submit your completed assignment in Canvas on or before the deadline outlined in the Work Term Checklist (http://pd.apsc.ubc.ca/engineering-co-op/current-students/undergraduate-checklist/).

Grading Your Career Planning Assignment will be assessed as follows:

Excellent Articulate, interesting, and engaging responses that convey your unique career path to the reader in fully developed and easily read answers; content is thoughtful, researched as needed, and thorough; free from any grammatical or spelling errors

Good Well-written answers speaking to your career path and self reflection; content is thoughtful and researched as needed; little to no grammatical or spelling errors

Satisfactory Answers may contain a few grammar or spelling errors. May not read well or engage the reader, but still communicates valuable insight into your career path; content could be more fully developed and researched more thoroughly.

Unsatisfactory Multiple grammar or spelling errors; unclear or unreadable; responses are not full sentences. Little to no research demonstrated and responses are neither thoughtful nor thorough.

Work Term Asssignment Guide22

Newsletter Article Assignment (APSC 410/411 - Option 2)

Objective The objective of the Newsletter Article Assignment is to provide you with an opportunity to share your co-op experiences with junior students in the co-op program, as well as to reflect on your co-op experience. As a senior level co-op student, you now have the opportunity to provide mentorship and advice through your article. Articles can be written on a variety of topics, including but not limited to:

• What is your unique co-op story? How did you get to where you are today?• Insight into your current co-op employer’s unique corporate atmosphere, work culture, operations, etc.• Summary and advice on what it is like to work in a camp, remote or international location for a co-op

work term• Tips and advice for students relocating for a co-op position• Reflection on skills gained from your first co-op term(s) that have served you well in your co-op career• Summary and advice on how you maximized the networking opportunities in your previous and current

co-op positions• Reflection and advice you would give your younger self when searching for your first co-op work term

How to Begin Select or determine a topic relating to your co-op experience that you would like to share with the junior engineering co-op students. Try to think back to when you were a junior student and the advice or information you would have liked to read at that time. Personalize your article by writing in your own unique voice, and feel free to add a photo or yourself or interesting photos you took during your work term.

Introduction Tell the reader about yourself, your work term, company, and so forth.

Body Typically 3-4 paragraphs in length detailing your co-op experience and sharing advice with students who may be following in your path

Conclusion Summarize your article, reflect on the key points and/or reflect on how your experience has shaped your future plans

Photo An optional aspect of the assignment, photos help your reader engage in your article and help the reader feel more connected to your story. Photos must be your own original images and can be of yourself, interesting things from your co-op position, or even fun photos of the area if you travelled for your co-op position.

Note: For confidentiality purposes, you must omit company names when referring to previous co-op terms. Your current co-op employer can review and determine whether or not to sign the confidentiality release to allow you to share their company name in your article. See the submission section below for further instructions.

Select articles will be shared with current co-op students primarily via student newsletters (email). It may also be published on the co-op website, archived for future use, and/or shared via social media such as LinkedIn, Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, etc. Submission does not automatically guarantee the article will be shared.

Submission The Newsletter Article Assignment must be reviewed by your supervisor prior to submission via Canvas if it speaks about your current company and submit with a completed release form. If your article topic is not about your current company, then a release form is not required. If you are referring to previous co-op employers/supervisors in your article, you must omit the names and can refer to them in generalities only

Work Term Asssignment Guide23

(i.e., “In my past experience working in the oil & gas industry….”). Please see the work term checklist for specific deadlines (http://pd.apsc.ubc.ca/engineering-co-op/current-students/undergraduate-checklist/)

As this assignment is intended to provide mentorship to other co-op students, if your supervisor deems your article confidential you must revise the article to omit confidential information or change your article topic so that the assignment can be deemed non-confidential and submitted to the co-op office for grading and possible sharing with other students.

Grading Your Newsletter Article Assignment will be assessed as follows:

Excellent An articulate, interesting, and engaging article that shares your unique perspective on your co-op experience to the reader in a fully developed and easily read article; free from any grammatical or spelling errors and cleanly formatted

Good A well-written article speaking to your co-op experience; little to no grammatical or spelling errors; cleanly formatted

Satisfactory Article may contain a few grammar or spelling errors. May not read well or engage the reader, but still communicates valuable insight into your co-op experience

Unsatisfactory Multiple grammar or spelling errors; less than 500 words; unclear or unreadable; topic is not relevant or suitable

Work Term Asssignment Guide24

Sixth or later Work Term Assignment (APSC 412) – To be determined with your Co-op Coordinator Objective The objective of this assignment is for you to reflect on your development over the past five work terms and determine what area you need to further develop – communication or networking. Select an assignment from APSC 210, APSC 310 or APSC 410, which you have not completed, and confirm with your co-op coordinator.

Work Term Asssignment Guide25

19Step