Rule 3362-2-22 | Student work experiences, internships, and cooperative education programs.
(A) Purpose
Shawnee state university is committed to providing programming that responds to the needs of a dynamic and evolving workforce. This includes integration of quality, major-related work experiences into the education of students through degree requirements and cocurricular programming. These offerings shall allow the student to develop transferable skills, expand their professional network, and evaluate potential career options. This rule serves to further the university's commitment to these outcomes by defining types of student work experiences, internships, and cooperative education programs and establishing consistent parameters for implementation of such programming.
(B) Definitions
(1) Work experience. Work experience involves learning practical skills and gaining insights in a work setting in order to understand specific roles, companies, or career paths. This may include short duration shadowing typically done without any payment.
(2) Internship. An internship is a partnership between students, the university, and an employer(s) that formally integrates academic study with work or community service experience. Internships:
(a) Are of a specified and definite duration;
(b) Evaluate each participating student's performance from both the university and employer perspectives;
(c) May provide the student with academic credit upon successful completion and/or may provide students with compensation in the form of wages, salaries, stipends, or scholarships.
(d) May be full-time or part-time during the internship period.
(3) Cooperative education (co-op). A co-op is a partnership between students, the university, and an employer(s) that formally integrates academic study with work experience in cooperating employer organizations and:
(a) Alternates or combines periods of academic study and work experience in appropriate fields as an integral part of student education;
(b) Provides students with compensation from the cooperative employer in the form of wages or salaries for work performed;
(c) Evaluates student performance in the co-op position from both the university and cooperative employer perspective;
(d) Provides academic credit upon successful completion of their cooperative education;
(e) Is part of an overall degree or certificate program for which a percentage of the total program is acceptable to the chancellor of the Ohio department of higher education and involves cooperative education.
(C) Participation in work experiences, internships, and/or co-ops should not automatically extend a student's overall time to degree completion. This may require completion of experiences or courses during the summer semester.
(D) Where accredited programs of study have requirements for clinical and field experiences dictated by their accrediting bodies, any conflicts created by this rule with the requirements from the accreditor are settled in favor of the accrediting body.
(E) Faculty and staff shall not prevent students from participating in a work experience, internship, or co-op that meets established learning outcomes on the basis that the student is both financially compensated and earning academic credit for the opportunity.
(F) In all instances where a degree program requires a mandatory work experience, internship, or co-op, students will be given assistance from the department or school in identifying employers who will enter into a partnership with the student and the university that is designed to meet required learning outcomes.
(G) Co-op and internship experiences must be educational, allowing opportunity to apply classroom knowledge in a real-world setting. It must not only advance the operations of the employer or replace the work that a regular employee would routinely perform.
(1) Each opportunity shall include a position description, with clear responsibilities and qualifications.
(2) Each opportunity will have clearly defined learning objectives in alignment with academic program goals and institutional requirements.
(3) Each opportunity will include direct supervision by a professional(s) with relevant expertise, education, and/or professional experience who provides feedback, guidance, and resources for successful completion of the work experience, internship, or co-op.
(4) Unless prohibited by a programmatic accrediting body, students will not be disallowed from participating in a work experience, internship, or co-op based upon their currently holding a regular position of employment with the cooperating employer.
The participating student shall gain new skills and experience outside of their normal employment job description or duties while engaged in the work experience, internship, or co-op.
(H) Employers entering into work experience, internship, or co-op arrangements are expected to:
(1) Adhere to ethical and legal recruiting, interviewing, selection, and offer practices and regulations of the U.S. equal employment opportunity commission;
(2) Be legitimate organizations that can provide verifiable information such as business name, type of business (sole proprietorship, corporation, LLC, partnership, or other), physical address, contact name, email address, phone number, and website;
(3) Share any materials received from Shawnee state students (letters, resumes, transcripts, etc.) with only those persons involved in the selection or hiring process. This may extend to clinical supervisors or coordinators at the location;
(4) Enter into clinical affiliation agreements/contracts where required by programmatic accrediting bodies, degree programs, or the university.
(I) The university reserves the right to decline work experience, internship, or co-op arrangements or offers that do not match the mission or goals of the academic program or institutional requirements. Examples include:
(1) Work in private homes such as childcare, tutoring, nannying, moving, etc.;
(2) Positions that pay students in cash, in informal arrangements, or commission-only positions (students who are compensated via accepted forms must receive a W-2 or form 1099);
(3) Fast food, catering, bartending or other food service;
(4) Adult industry, escort services, or similar organizations;
(5) Network, matrix, or pyramid marketing organizations;
(6) Organizations involved in the production or promotion of cannabis.
Important links: Ohio department of higher education internship and co-op information
Last updated February 28, 2025 at 7:51 AM
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