Although a multitude of programs in higher education integrate formal pedagogy with practical work experience (e.g., internships, practicum, and cooperative education), their underlying logic is largely the same: to enhance the value of the learning experience through an integration of work and education. To date, however, there appears to be no…

Reviews the status of cooperative education research; presents an analytical discussion on issues related to the evolution of cooperative education research (dissemination, graduate programs, co-op practitioners); and offers suggestions for enhancing research in cooperative education. (JOW)

Performance appraisal is an appropriate method for evaluating cooperative education students. Coordinators should use them to give students feedback on job performance, help improve communication between co-op students and job supervisors, measure student progress for grading purposes, and help students establish performance objectives for the…

Respondents (n=158) from 23 institutional members of the Cooperative Education and Internship Association evaluated cooperative education/internship students' competence and supervision issues; 56% felt they were more difficult to supervise than regular employees but perceive their work-related skills to be the same or better; 63% were interested…

Develops a framework of work-related social skills that should be a focus of skills training for cooperative education students: sensitivity, knowledge, intangibility, learning, listening, and socialization. Explains how to apply, monitor, and evaluate the skills framework in internship programs. (Contains 39 references.) (SK)

In a quasi-experimental study, social skills training was offered to cooperative education students; 117 attended, 83 did not. Supervisors' performance evaluations were higher for the attendees on interpersonal effectiveness, promptness, and application; there were no differences on work knowledge, accuracy, quantity, promotion possibilities, or…