Self-Designed Co-ops and/or Fellowships Requests

Proposing a Self-Designed Co-op

The Cooperative Education (Co-op) Program is committed to broadening its conception of the co-op experience in response to changes in the world of work. It is understood that a significant number of students hope to use their cooperative work term to explore entrepreneurial opportunities with start-up firms, become involved in artistic ventures, or experiment with their own endeavors. It is also clear that numerous students are interested in proposing a co-op job that is outside of our jobs list.  

If a student desires to propose a Self-Designed Co-op Experience, they are required to work with their co-op advisors to develop their plan and to complete the Self-Designed Co-op Proposal Form. Draft proposals must be submitted by the deadline communicated the quarter preceding the cooperative work term in question. Final proposals with a signed employer/mentor verification form are due by the communicated deadline before the end of the term. Proposals should be approved by the co-op advisor before being submitted to the Dean of Cooperative, International & Community-Based Learning. 

All Self-Designed Co-op proposals must identify someone with legitimacy in the proposed field of interest who has agreed to serve as a mentor and provide guidance throughout the co-op. They are required to provide the name, contact information, and signature or email from the individual in order to verify the mentorship relationship. Antioch College faculty or staff are not eligible to serve as a mentor.

Proposals will be judged on the following criteria:

• • A safe, ethical, legal, and supportive working/learning environment – In this regard, students are informed that employers in the United States are bound by workplace fairness standards as codified in federal and state law and are required to maintain an environment that is free from harassment and other forms of discrimination as stipulated by the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC).
  • Reciprocity – One of the primary expectations of the co-op model is that the student commits to work in situations where other people have legitimate expectations of them, and thus, those individuals can be reasonably expected to offer compensation, training, or other forms of support for the student. The idea here is that students are in a position to add value to an organization as they further develop their skills.
  • Appropriate preparation and clear definition of activities – The student should expect to receive appropriate training so that they understand clearly the activities to be performed.
  • Adequate supervision – It is expected that the student will engage with a supervisor or mentor who will provide support and guidance.
  • Thematic Consistency – If the student will work in different locations with different sets of people during the co-op, their work should focus to some degree on a consistent purpose in order to afford them a coherent learning experience.
  • Sustained Engagement – The student must be occupied full-time throughout the cooperative work term.  This is defined as a minimum of 10 weeks of full-time work of at least 30 hours per week. Students may have more than one employer but must provide verification from all.

  • Performance Evaluation – Supervisors or mentors are asked to complete an evaluation form at the end of the co-op and discuss it with the student.

If you are an Antioch Student who is logged into your Antioch account, you can access the Self-Designed Co-op Proposal Form. Please save this form within the Co-op Advising subfolder within your Student Advising Portfolio, listed under your last name in Google’s Shared Drives

Students seeking any kind of fellowship through the college to assist with financing a co-op should complete the Fellowship Application for Co-op Students. Please save this form within the Co-op Advising subfolder within your Student Advising Portfolio, listed under your last name in Google’s Shared Drives