IS 399 – Cooperative Education in Information Systems

This course provides the opportunity for IS and BTA majors to earn academic credit while employed in a professional position under the Cooperative Education Program. The course is repeatable to a maximum of six credits for a second co-op assignment. Course grading is Pass/Fail only, based on the students meeting the requirements of The Shriver Center’s Work and Service Learning Programs, and an acceptable performance evaluation from the employer.  Note-This course cannot be used to fulfill the MAJOR requirement for an upper-level IS elective. The course does count toward the university graduation requirement of 45 upper level credits.

 

Meeting Times:  To Be Arranged with Dr. Seaman

                                   

Prerequisites:  Admission to the Cooperative Education program at the Shriver Center.

 

Enrollment Procedures:

A.    First, arrange your internship with the Shriver Center. Once arranged, the Shriver Center will give you a Permission Slip and enroll you in PRAC 099 or PRAC 098.

B.     Once you have your Permission Slip from the Shriver Center, make an appointment with Dr. Seaman, and decide how many credits you want to register for.

C.     Meet with Dr. Seaman, show her your Permission Slip, tell her how many credits of 399 you want, and she will enter your permission.

D.    Register for IS 399.

 

Course Requirements:

      A.  Compliance with all the requirements of the Internship program as indicated by registration for the Practicum section through the Shriver Center.

B.  A weekly journal, summarizing major duties, projects, and responsibilities, with entries beginning the first week of the internship and concluding the last week of the internship (You might have a separate work log that is submitted to the Shriver Center.)

C.  Required reading: A minimum of three (3) journal or periodical articles related to the work you are performing in your internship. Consider asking your internship supervisor for periodicals and book suggestions about your company or industry.

D.  Summary paper: A 10-15 page, double-spaced, typed summary paper that reports on your internship responsibilities and discusses (in sections 3 and 4) your experience as it relates to the articles read for part “C”. The outline of the paper is as follows:

1.  A Title page

2.  An Introduction section with a brief description of your company or agency, with emphasis on how your particular position fit in the whole organization. An Organizational Chart should be included.

3. The learning objectives you established at the beginning of the semester, and an explanation of how they were met. Include a summary of your responsibilities and duties.

4. The value of your placement as a part of your IS curriculum including your observations about the curriculum as it relates to your internship job. 

5. A conclusion section

6. A proper bibliography with appropriate references placed in the body of your report.

                       

Grading:         Grading for this course is Pass/Fail only. A grade of Pass will be given for students whose journal and summary report meet requirements and are deemed satisfactory.

 

Due Dates:     The summary paper and journal entries must be submitted according to the following schedule:

 

For internships in:

Assignments are due:

Fall semester

The first Friday in December

Spring semester

The first Friday in May

Summer

The first Friday in October

 

The summary paper and journal entries must be submitted by email (MS Word or PDF format is preferred) to Dr. Seaman by midnight on the due date. If your internship ends earlier you may submit the documents earlier. If you need an extension, you must get Dr. Seaman’s permission to extend the date, and that must be done before the due date.  Late submissions, without an arranged extension, will result in an “F” for the course.

 

Once Dr. Seaman receives your work, she will determine if it is acceptable. If it is, you will get a “P” for the course. If not, she will notify you and you will have until 2 weeks after the original due date to submit a revised version of the paper and/or journal entries, to be evaluated again.

 

Academic Integrity:

By enrolling in this course, each student assumes the responsibilities of an active participant in UMBC's scholarly community in which everyone's academic work and behavior are held to the highest standards of honesty. Cheating, fabricating, plagiarism, and helping others to commit these acts are all forms of academic dishonesty and they are wrong. Academic misconduct could result in disciplinary action that may include, but is not limited to, suspension or dismissal. Full policies on academic integrity should be available in the UMBC Student Handbook, Faculty Handbook, or the UMBC Directory.

 

 

FAQ’s

 

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