Project Summary: Your final work term report is the capstone assignment that is designed to assist you in reflecting on what you learned in your co-op work term, how it connects with your classroom experience, and what sort of insight your work experience may have given you into your future career. This work term report must be completed in order to earn a passing grade for your work term. Through writing this report, you will demonstrate the ability to: Reflect on your own skills, strengths, and weaknesses Perform self-evaluations and evaluations of your workplace Integrate theoretical concepts and practical experience Clarify future learning objectives and career goals Understand the employers organization and work environment Prepare professional quality reports Process Use the following steps as a guide to complete your work term report. 1. Discuss your report with your supervisor/manager early in your work term 2. Maintain regular notes of your activities and experiences in a work journal 3. Prepare an initial draft of your report. 4. Edit, review, and share with a peer for comments and feedback 5. Prepare a final draft. 6. Proofread for accuracy, completeness, spelling, and grammar. 7. Upload the work term report to the appropriate work term course on Blackboard. 8. Give your employer this link so that they can confirm they have read and approve the report. http://www3.algonquincollege.com/coop/employer-approval-of-final-report/ 9. Your Faculty Co-op Coordinator will mark the report however sometimes you will see an IF on your transcript until all final marks are submitted. Requirements Your report should contain between 2,000 to 2,500 words. More important than length, however, is the conciseness, clarity, accuracy, and completeness of the report. Your report is not merely a user guide, a technical description or an informational report; it should contain your own ideas and be an analysis of your work term. Many ideas are better explained using graphs, charts, diagrams or photographs, instead of words, so please be sure to add visuals wherever possible. Aligning with Algonquin Colleges plagiarism policy (AA20: Plagiarism), all content in this report must be your own work or properly cited in the works cited section. Report contents and format The main elements of a formal work term report are: Title page Table of Contents Introduction Personal reflections / observations Learning objectives revisited Recommendations Conclusion Works Cited Appendices (if applicable) Title Page Title of Report Prepared by Name of Student, Program of study (e.g. Sam Brown, Bachelor of Interior Design) Specify work term (e.g. FALL 2016) Institution Name (e.g. Algonquin College) Name of Employer (e.g. Industry Canada) City, Province (e.g. Ottawa, Ontario) Table of Contents This section indicates the page number of all of the sections in the report. For assistance on creating a table of contents, please read these step-by-step instructions from Microsoft. Introduction The introduction is an important part of the report. It should: Define the purpose of the report Outline the order in which the topics will be presented Provide any required background information Personal reflections / observations In this section, please reflect on your entire work experience including the tasks you were responsible for, relationship with your supervisor and other co-workers, the working environment, and how this experience has helped you connect with the lessons from your academic studies and your future career path. Please include sub-headings for discussion of the following topics: The employer - Provide an overview of the organization/company, work environment, and its products/services. Student duties / responsibilities - Detail your daily job responsibilities and any special projects you were involved with. Describe the knowledge and skills you used or learned on the job and how they connect to your program of study. Personal reflection This section asks you to think critically about your work term experience. Completing this part of the report requires time, consideration, and reflection. Your reflections can include answers to the following questions: How has this experience contributed to my academic and professional development? How has this experience influenced my career path (positive or negative)? How relevant are my academic studies to the job? this can include examples of when your college education made you well prepared, and also when you felt underprepared for your on-the-job requirements What future learning or work place experiences do I need to attain my career goals? How have I developed, or improved my job search skills within my industry of study? Learning Objectives revisited In this section, please review the learning objectives that you established with the assistance of your supervisor at the beginning of your work-term. List each learning objective and comment on if you were able, or not able, to achieve it. Spend some time outlining why you were able, or not able, to meet these objectives. What would you do in your next co-op experience to ensure your objectives were both attainable and challenging? Recommendations In this section, you can offer recommendations to your employer regarding your work term. This can range from working environment observations to communication style, to feedback and mentoring. This section can also include areas you hope to see added to the curriculum of your program, based on your experience working in the industry. Conclusion This section should briefly summarize your main points, recommendations, and key reflections made throughout the course of the report. Works cited For some reports a works cited list is required to acknowledge sources of information. Appendices This is the place for additional content (detailed calculations, charts, statistics, etc.) that needs to be included in the report, but is not an integral part of the main body. Sections of the Appendix should be arranged in the same order in which they are first identified in the text and should be lettered "Appendix A", "Appendix B", etc. Each item should be listed under "Appendix" in the Table of Contents. Evaluation of the Final Report Your report will be evaluated by the Faculty Co-op Coordinator based on the following criteria: format, quality, content, and appearance. The mark given is either a pass or fail. The staff in the Co-op office cannot grant you an extension only the faculty coordinator can do that. Before submitting your reports, please visit your Work Term course on Blackboard as your faculty coordinator may have provided specific instructions for your program.