interoffice memorandum

INTEROFFICE MEMORANDUMTO:FROM:CC:Dr. M. Singer, Provost and Vice PresidentDr. W.E. Lynch, Associate Dean, Undergraduate Programs and StudentAcademic ServicesDr. N. Esmail, Dean, Faculty of Engineering and Computer ScienceSUBJECT:Curriculum Changes for 2005-06 Calendar – Co-op ProgramsDATE: October 13, 2004These changes were passed by the Faculty of Engineering and ComputerScience Undergraduate Studies Curriculum Committee on September 1, 2004and by the Academic Programs Committee on September 23, 2004.These changes will be presented for passage at the Faculty Council of theFaculty of Engineering and Computer Science scheduled for October 15, 2004.Could you please put these on the agenda for the next Senate meeting,contingent on them passing our Faculty Council on October 15?The main benefit of co-op is that it enhances the educational experience forstudents. It gives them direct experience of the professional world they areseeking to join and the expectations that the professional world will hold of them.It also helps to motivate learning in the material that they are taking at school.The Faculty is determined to allow a larger class of our students to have theopportunity to experience co-op.Currently co-op in the Faculty is built for elite students. In particular co-opstudents in engineering programs are required to take the entire regular programthat would normally be done in eight academic terms in seven. This allows for 4work terms with the student finishing in the normal four academic years. In orderto make co-op more accessible, the Faculty with this change is moving to eightacademic terms for co-op students along with three work terms. The three workterms falls within the requirements that all co-op programs must meet.Among less substantial changes made here, the Faculty is directing students to aweb site rather than a calendar section in regards to the co-op work terms. This6