In the world of academia, "experiential education" can take many forms. Internships and co-ops (cooperative education) are the most commonly known, but many do not know the difference between them. Here's the answer.
Internships and co-ops differ mainly in terms of their length and full- or part-time status and whether the student is also simultaneously enrolled in regular university coursework. Making the choice of which program is often a matter of individual and professional preference. It also depends on the progress and requirements of any given school. The appropriate focus of both internships and cooperative programs is engaged student learning.
There exist some clear distinctions between the two. Cooperative education is specifically tailored to integrate off-site work and classroom learning. There are varieties of co-op structures, but co-op is always paid. The traditional form involves alternating semesters of study and work with multiple field experiences. They also tend to be more common in engineering and technical fields. The formalities involved with co-op programs often involve greater interaction with employers and/or more monitoring and reporting requirements by employers and students alike. Co-ops are an immersed experience.
Internships may be part- or full-time and occur during the summer or the academic semester. Students may be unpaid or receive an hourly wage, salary or stipend. The work differs widely from basic administrative activities to duties with more responsibility. Internships tend to be less structured and, therefore, more vulnerable to have a lesser quality experience. In contrast, they also offer students greater flexibility, especially to explore and, perhaps, pursue alternative career interests beyond their core studies.
By the way, other forms of experiential education include: service learning for non-profit organizations; externships, which are typically short-term and often done in the legal and medical profession; apprenticeships, which are specific to skilled trades, field experience programs, such as for science or sociology students, practicums, which involve semester-long projects - usually by MBA students; and, study abroad programs, which are sharply on the rise in our global economy.
Did you get all that?
Regardless of what you call these programs, the "real value" always comes down to the commitment by the individual employer to fully utilize students' talents.
Article by, Matthew Zinman, who founded The Internship Institute to make internships THE solution to close the gap between school and work. He has created several internship staffing management products to make it as easy as possible for employers to create the best program. These solutions include: The Blueprint for Internship Success, a supervisor training video (DVD) of proven best practices, the Intern Toolkit with step-by-step resources and downloadable templates, and The Intern Supervisor Guidebook to improve where the internship experience truly happens: one-on-one. These solutions combine his experience managing more than 200 student interns with his passion to make a difference. The professionalism of these products reflect his expertise in communication management and business strategy consulting to nearly 100 companies since 1989. He is a frequent lecturer and author about related topics.
