WORK-TERM REPORT GUIDELINES€¦ · Work Term Report Guidelines for Civil Engineering 2015- 2016 2. Click on course 20149_OS00289_CVGCOOPF14: Rapport de stage coop - CO-OP Work Term

Work Term Report Guidelines for Civil Engineering 2015-2016

WORK-TERM REPORT GUIDELINES Introduction

The work term report is an important part of a quality co-operative education program. This assignment

provides you with the opportunity to report on your experience with your CO-OP employer and on how

the experience related to your learning. Ideally, the report helps you bring together knowledge and

practice.

Marking

CO-OP academic coordinators are professors in your discipline who grade the work term reports.

The official grade for the assignment is a “pass” or “fail”, although you will also receive a letter grade to

provide you with feedback on the quality of your report. Please see Appendix A for general guidelines

and Appendix B for the evaluation form.

If your report is judged to be unsatisfactory, you may be given a one-time opportunity to submit a revised

version within a specific period of time. Please note that a “fail” affects your cumulative grade point

average and results in dismissal from the CO-OP program.

Deadline and drop-off

The work-term report is to be submitted to the Co-operative Education Programs Office by the

second Friday of the following session. Be sure to check under “Upcoming Key Dates” on the CO-OP

program website for the exact date.

Frequency

You must submit a report for each four-month work term.

Electronic submission

In order to facilitate the process for both students and the CO-OP Office, the Department of Civil

Engineering accepts only electronic submissions of CO-OP reports. In order to make electronic

submissions possible, the CO-OP Office created a special course space in Blackboard Learn.

Submit your report as ONE zip file (for example, George _Marshall_COOP_Report.zip). The zip file will

include five PDF files (one for each component of the report, as described in the guidelines).

Examples of file names:

George _Marshall_Transmittal_Letter.pdf

George _Marshall_Mid-term_Evaluation.pdf

George _Marshall_Employer_Evaluation.pdf

George _Marshall_Student_Evaluation.pdf

George _Marshall_Work_Term_Report.pdf

How to submit via Blackboard Learn

1. Log into Blackboard Learn.

http://coop.uottawa.ca/en/team/academic-coordinators

https://uottawa.blackboard.com/


2. Click on course 20149_OS00289_CVGCOOPF14: Rapport de stage coop - CO-OP Work

Term Report.

3. Click on Rapport de stage coop / CO-OP Work term Report in the left menu.

4. Click on the title link Rapport de stage coop / CO-OP Work term Report in the middle of the

page.

5. Follow the steps for uploading and submitting your file.

How to retrieve your corrected report

Once your report has been corrected, go back to the assignment page for the course in

Blackboard Learn to retrieve it.

The uploaded corrected report will be on the right-hand side of the page.

Language

As for any course at the University of Ottawa, you can write the transmittal letter and your work term

report in English or in French. However, for a Type 2 confidential report, the employer determines the

language.

Writing help

We recommend that you have your work term report reviewed and critiqued by staff at the Academic

Writing Help Centre (AWHC) or by your employer, a professor, friends or family members.

Academic Writing Help Centre (AWHC)

http://www.sass.uottawa.ca/writing


Components

There are five components to the CO-OP work term report, and they must be submitted together: (1)

transmittal letter, (2) mid-term evaluation, (3) employer evaluation, (4) student evaluation and (5) work

term report.

1. Transmittal letter

This letter provides readers with a brief overview of key information. It should be typewritten and single-

spaced, and it must follow appropriate business format. It should be addressed to your CO-OP academic

coordinator.

The letter must contain the following information, in the order shown:

1. Your full address

2. Date

3. Complete contact information for the CO-OP academic coordinator

4. Subject/RE statement, including course number

5. First paragraph:

o The academic term completed before the work term (1A, 1B, 1C, etc.)

o The work term completed (first, second, etc.)

o Title of the work term report

o Type of report submitted (Type 1 or Type 2)

o Acknowledgement of assistance and statement that the report is your own work

6. Second paragraph:

o Name of employer and name of supervisor

o Position held and brief overview of the job and daily tasks

7. Third paragraph:

o Overall evaluation of the work term

o Skills gained through the work term

8. Your signature

9. Your name and student number

Note: All references to the CO-OP academic coordinator also refer to the coordinator’s delegate.

In the letter, you can also pass on any other information about the work term or the report.

2. Mid-term evaluation

Your employer will review your progress with the CO-OP Program Coordinator during the mid-term

evaluation. You must download the completed evaluation from COOP Navigator and submit it as part of

your assignment.

3. Employer evaluation

Your employer will evaluate you at the end of the work term. We recommend that you meet with your

employer to discuss the evaluation. You must download the completed evaluation from COOP Navigator

and submit it as part of your assignment.

4. Student evaluation of the work term

At the end of the work term, you will evaluate your work term and the CO-OP program. You must

download the completed evaluation from COOP Navigator and submit it as part of your assignment.


5. Work term report

In consultation with your CO-OP academic coordinator, you can choose one of the following types of

reports. If you want to complete a Type 2 confidential report, you require permission from your CO-OP

academic coordinator to do so.

Type of report Overview

TYPE 1

Non-confidential

report

You are expected to demonstrate critical thinking relative to the work term and

your program.

In this type of report, you summarize your work term project. If you did more

than one project, you can choose to explain one or two projects in detail.

See Appendix A for detailed guidelines.

See Appendix B for the evaluation form.

See Appendix C for technical aspects.

TYPE 2

Confidential

report

We recommend that you choose topics and material that do not contain

information of a proprietary nature. If this is not possible, you must obtain

permission from your CO-OP academic coordinator at least six weeks before the

CO-OP report submission deadline.

If your report is confidential, your employer must evaluate the report and submit

a signed evaluation form by the work term report submission deadline.

Note: We recommend that the employer evaluate the work term report using the

same guidelines and evaluation form presented in this document.

See Appendix A for detailed guidelines.

See Appendix C for technical aspects.

See Appendix D for the marking grid.


Timeline

We recommend the process of writing and submitting your work term report be done over the course of

several months.

1. Early in the work term: Set performance and learning objectives with your supervisor and enter

them in COOP Navigator. Reflect on your experience and enter your reflections in COOP

Navigator. Your objectives and reflections provide good material for writing your work term

report.

2. Mid-point of the work term: Meet with the CO-OP program coordinator during the on-site visit.

Discuss performance and learning objectives, reflections and the type of work term report you

will complete.

3. Mid-point of the work term: Meet with your supervisor to discuss the work term report. If the

employer requires you to complete a Type 2 confidential report, you MUST get permission to

proceed from your CO-OP academic coordinator.

4. Last month of the work term: Attend the final evaluation with your supervisor. Complete the

student work term evaluation. These final evaluations become part of your work term report. You

must submit your work term report to your employer for approval one week before the end of

your work term.

5. Second Friday of the following session: Complete the student work term evaluation in COOP

Navigator. Submit the five components of the work term report: (1) transmittal letter, (2) mid-

term evaluation, (3) employer evaluation, (4) student evaluation and (5) work term report.

Evaluation

Five criteria are used to evaluate your work term report. Recommendations are provided to help guide

you in achieving high-quality results for each criterion (outlined below).

Each of the criteria is included in the Work-Term Report Evaluation Form, which will be used by your

CO-OP academic coordinator to evaluate your assignment (Appendix B). We recommend that you use it

as a self-assessment tool throughout the writing process.

Criteria

Rigour: The report must satisfy the guidelines, timeframe, criteria and conventions set by the Faculty.

Adhere to the work term report style and guidelines (Appendix A), follow the evaluation form

(Appendix B) and meet the technical aspects (Appendix C).

Make a plan and ensure that you submit the work term report to the CO-OP Office on time.

Discuss the type of work term report with your work supervisor, CO-OP program coordinator and

CO-OP academic coordinator (professor).

Self-assess by asking, “Does the assignment follow the rules?”

Avoid creating a situation where you are rushed.

Precision: The concepts, terms and principles in the report must be used precisely.

Use materials from your work term and from your academic field as resources.

Add a glossary if the text includes many technical terms.

Use figures, graphs or histograms for clarity and to shorten your text.

Include an appendix for items like lengthy tables and computer codes.

Self-assess by asking, “Does the assignment demonstrate meticulousness?”

Avoid using Wikipedia as a primary source.


Relevance: The content of the report must be relevant to the work term course.

Use your job description, objectives, reflections and assignments, as well as the company website

as resources.

Describe your work environment so the reader understands the context of your work term.

Describe the major tasks you completed. If the work was project-oriented, give a detailed write-

up of one project and briefly describe a select number of other projects.

Self-assess by asking, “Does this assignment provide an overview of my work term experience?”

Avoid listing daily activities.

Depth: The work in the assignment must be supported by analysis and scholarly references.

Use the literature from your academic program as material.

Describe your academic field so the reader understands the context of your learning.

Use your work term reflections as material.

Use tools, such as the SWOT method (Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities, Threats), to aid

your analysis.

Reference any methods, principles or theories of practice from the literature.

Self-assess by asking, “Does this assignment deepen my understanding of the work term?”

Avoid discussing basic learning outcomes, such as learning to use Microsoft Outlook. Avoid

listing research and researchers.

Coherence: The report must be highly organized.

Adhere to work term report guidelines (Appendix A) and follow the evaluation form (Appendix

B).

Structurally and conceptually link elements across the assignment.

Present your ideas clearly so the reader can follow along with ease.

Weave your ideas together in a way that piquing the reader’s interest.

Self-assess by asking, “Is this assignment organized and interesting?”

Avoid creating a situation where you are rushed.


Appendix A: Guidelines

General work-term report structure

All work term reports are to conform to the following general structure:

Title page

Abstract and keywords

Table of contents

List of figures

List of tables

Body of work term report (including introduction and conclusions)

References

Appendices

Specific guidelines

Title page

Include the work term report title only. Include your name, student number, course code and report

submission date. Do not boldface or italicize any font on the title page.

Abstract

Include a 100- to 200-word (up to one page) abstract describing and summarizing the work term report.

The abstract should be self-explanatory and provide the reader with an overview of the report contents.

Keywords

At the bottom of the abstract page, include three to five keywords (separated by commas) that can be used

to index the work term report.

Introduction

Give a background of the project. The introduction is not the same as the abstract.

Body of the work term report

Include a detailed explanation of the project undertaken. Provide enough information so that the CO-OP

academic coordinator, who may not be familiar with the topic of the report, can easily follow the context.

The body of the work term report should conform to the following guidelines:

Length

The work term report should be between 15 and 30 pages. This length includes only the text of the

work term report, and not the abstract, references and appendices.

Format

double-spaced text

twelve-point standard font (e.g., Times, Times Roman)

one-inch margins (i.e., top, bottom, left, right)

italics, as needed, but no underlining

page numbers, in the upper-right corner of the page header

section headers, as needed


Tables and figures are to be numbered sequentially (e.g., Table 1, Table 2, Figure 1, Figure 2) and

bear descriptive titles. The figure title appears under the figure and the table title appears above

the table.

Work term report style

Use proper punctuation, spelling, capitalization, italics, abbreviations, headings, quotations, numbers,

tables and figures. Avoid bias in language.

Footnotes and endnotes

Do not use footnotes or endnotes. Include relevant information, which might normally be placed in a

footnote or endnote, in the work term report text.

References

Be sure to cite all references in the body of your report.

Sample references

Articles: Habron, Geoffrey. “Breathing Life Into the Case Study Approach: Active Learning in an

Introductory Natural Resource Management Class.” Journal on Excellence in College

Teaching 13, 2/3 (2002): 41-58.

Books: Bruner, Jerome. Acts of Meaning. Cambridge, MA: Harvard University Press, 1990.

Chapters: Butcher-Powell, Loreen. “Teaching, Learning and Multimedia.” In Interactive Multimedia

in Education and Training. Edited by Sanjaya Mishra and Ramesh C. Sharma. Hershey,

PA: Idea Group, 2004: 60-72.

Web pages: Anderson, John R., Lynne M. Reder, and Herbert A. Simon. “Applications and

Misapplications of Cognitive Psychology to Mathematics Education." (1995). Retrieved

June 29, 2002, from http://act.psy.cmu.edu/personal/ja/misapplied.html.

Additional writing resources

Gibaldi, Joseph. MLA Handbook for Writers of Research Papers. New York: Modern Language

Association of America, 1999.

Turabian, Kate L. Manual for Writers of Term Papers, Theses and Dissertations. 6th edition.

Chicago: University of Chicago Press, 1996.

You’ll find a number of books on business report writing on the fourth floor of the Morisset Library (they

begin with the call number HF 57). Books on technical writing can be found on the sixth floor (they begin

with the call number T 11).


Appendix B: Work-Term Report Evaluation Form

Note: Please use this form to evaluate the CO-OP student’s work term report.

For a Type-1 report, the CO-OP academic coordinator (professor) evaluates the report.

General information

Student’s name

Evaluator’s name

Evaluator’s signature

Work term report overall grade

Overall grade the student received (out of 10) (with 5 as the minimum passing grade):

Official work term report overall grade

Overall grade the student received (Pass or Fail):

Note: If the student receives a “Fail,” the CO-OP academic coordinator contacts the student and the CO-

OP Office to discuss the evaluation and determine whether the student can resubmit the work term report.


Please fill out the following evaluation form by indicating a grade for each criterion.

Fail Fail Pass Pass Pass Pass

Criteria Not satisfactory

E to F (0 – 1)

Needs improvement

D to D+ (2 – 3)

Good

C to C+ (4 – 5)

Very good

B to B+ (6 – 7)

Excellent

A- to A (8 – 9)

Exceptional

A+ (10)

Rigour

Work term report follows

guidelines, timeframe and

conventions: transmittal

letter, presentation,

pagination, references,

literary quality (grammar,

spelling, clarity) and

appendix, as well as

appropriate use of tables and

figures.

The assignment

complies with very

few or none of the

guidelines,

timeframe, criteria

and conventions.

The assignment

complies with a few

of the guidelines,

timeframe, criteria

and conventions.

The assignment

complies with

several of the

guidelines,

timeframe, criteria

and conventions.

The assignment

complies with

many of the

guidelines,

timeframe, criteria

and conventions.

The assignment

complies with

almost all of the

guidelines,

timeframe, criteria

and conventions.

The assignment

complies with all of

the guidelines,

timeframe, criteria

and conventions.

Precision

Current concepts, terms, and

principles are used precisely

(degree of accuracy and

clarity) throughout the

assignment.

Very few or no

current concepts,

terms and principles

are used precisely

throughout the

assignment.

A few current

concepts, terms and

principles are used

precisely throughout

the assignment.

Some current

concepts, terms and

principles are used


the assignment.

Many current

concepts, terms

and principles are

used precisely

throughout the

assignment.

Almost all current

concepts, terms and

principles are used


the assignment.

All current concepts,

terms and principles

are used precisely

throughout the

assignment.

Relevance

Content in the assignment is

relevant to the work term

course (job description, tasks,

objectives, reflections, etc.).

The relevance of the

content in the

assignment is not

evident.


content in the

assignment is

evident to a limited

degree.


content in the

assignment is

moderately evident.

The relevance of

the content in the

assignment is

evident for the

most part.


content in the

assignment is

clearly evident for

the most part.


content in the

assignment is clearly

and specifically

evident throughout.

Depth

The work in the assignment

is supported by analysis and

scholarly references (for

example, methods, principles

or theories of practice).

None or very few of

the aspects of the

assignment are

supported by

analysis and

scholarly references.

A few aspects of the

assignment are

supported by

analysis and


Several aspects of

the work are

supported by

analysis and


Many aspects of

the work are

supported by

analysis and

scholarly

references.

Almost all of the

work is supported by

analysis and


All the work is

supported by

analysis and


Coherence

Elements across the

assignment are linked

together structurally and

conceptually.

None or very few of

the aspects of the

assignment are

organized

structurally and

conceptually.

A few aspects of the

assignment are

organized

structurally and

conceptually.

The assignment is

somewhat

organized with

some elements

linked, either within

or across the

assignment.

The assignment is

fairly well

organized with

elements linked

structurally or

conceptually

within and across

the entire text.

The assignment is

very well organized

with elements linked

structurally or

conceptually within

and across the entire

text.

The assignment is

impeccably

organized with

elements clearly

linked structurally or

conceptually within

and across the entire

text.


Please provide additional comments:


Appendix C: Technical aspects

Your report should include the following items:

1. Introduction

This section includes a concise description of the relevant theory or theories needed for your project. It

also explains how you are going to analyze the data. All the equations you use throughout the report are to

be introduced here, and all their terms need to be clearly defined. Make sure you provide references to the

literature used.

In this section, you can provide:

background information, literature review, previous designs

problem statement, goal statement, scope, criteria or objectives, constraints.

2. Student’s role, tasks and objectives

In this section, identify your role or position in the company and list the tasks you were assigned.

3. Methods

For field or laboratory projects:

details of the field site or laboratory set-up, data collection procedures, data treatment

procedures

site maps, apparatus drawings, program flow charts

For design projects:

design alternatives

evaluation (technical, cost, social context analyses)

design selection

optimization

design specifications (detail drawings, etc.)

4. Results

This section can include figures, tables and design drawings.

5. Discussion

In this section, state the meaning and the implication of your results. You need to demonstrate your

understanding of the project. You can do this by analyzing and interpreting the data presented in the

previous sections.

6. Conclusions

In this section, summarize the key results of the project as well as their relevance. Do not introduce new information in this section.

7. Recommendations

In this section, you summarize the experience. This can include your work experience and how it

complements your studies and work goals, how well you were prepared for the work term given your

level of education and areas that can be improved either in the department curriculum or from the CO-OP

Office perspective.


8. References

See Appendix A.

In your report, include technical items relevant to your project (if allowed). Such items can include

AutoCAD drawings, theoretical background and equations, solution methodology, software used,

assumptions, boundary conditions and loading, initial conditions, available data and their sources, return

period, design alternatives, sensitivity analysis, parameter estimation methods, contours of bathymetry

and water depth and velocity, cost analysis, soil/sediment grading, borehole data, soil property, hydraulic

conductivity, consolidation parameters, strength parameters, test results, description of the equipment, and

plots of lab tests or field tests and locations, analytical methodologies (QA/QC if done, description of

analysis performed by commercial labs), chemical/physical/biological characterization of the

water/wastewater/soil/air, treatment objectives, treatment solutions, flow diagrams, treatment train

description.

Note that your report must be more than just a journal of activities. You need to give background

information on technical activities. If software was used, do not just give the name and general

description of the software; provide background on the parameters it was using, on the models it might be

using, etc. What the software does and how it does it are to be given more emphasis than the simple fact it

was used and when.

Also, while you may not be allowed to give detailed information on specific projects, try to include the

general size of the areas covered by the project and design outputs. Report any quantitative information

you can, while ensuring you maintain confidentiality if required by the employer. If you entered data in a

spreadsheet, be sure the type of data and how the company uses the data is explained as clearly and in as

much detail as possible. If you have done research on your own to better understand the tasks you

performed, you can mention it in the report.

Finally, grammar, report structure and appropriate use of tables and figures are other factors that are

considered in the evaluation of your report.


Appendix D: Confidential report marking grid

Note: The CO-OP student’s supervisor must complete this form if the work term report contains proprietary

information and cannot be released for evaluation. The completed form must be submitted by the deadline for

submission of the work term report.

Student’s name: _____________________________ Program: _____________________

Work term: 1st 2nd 3rd 4th 5th: ____________________

CO-OP employer: ___________________________+ Evaluated by: _________________________

Phone no.: _________________________________

Criteria

E = excellent

G = good

F = fair

U = unsatisfactory

Comments

Presentation

Submittal letter

Front cover

Title page

Table of contents

List of tables and appendices

Overall appearance

_________

_________

_________

_________

_________

_________

Structure

Summary, abstract

Introduction

Conclusions

Recommendations

Appendices

References

_________

_________

_________

_________

_________

_________

Literary quality

Grammar

Spelling

Clarity

Style

_________

_________

_________

_________

Quality of subject matter

Relevance of ideas, solutions

presented

_________


Criteria

E = excellent

G = good

F = fair

U = unsatisfactory

Comments

Quality of analysis

Understanding and depth of the

concepts discussed

Understanding of significance of

the work within the employer’s

environment

_________

_________

_________

Overall appraisal Pass _________ Fail _________ Resubmit _________

Signature of evaluator: ___________________________________________

Date: _________

Documents

WORK-TERM REPORT GUIDELINES€¦ · Work Term Report Guidelines for Civil Engineering 2015- 2016 2. Click on course 20149_OS00289_CVGCOOPF14: Rapport de stage coop - CO-OP Work Term