Co-op and Experiential Education

Rui Su (PharmD ’18) is used to rejection. The Rx2018 pharmacy grad has worn many hats over the years, but the one that suits her best is trailblazer. Su is an entrepreneur committed to improving Canada’s health-care system. On this journey, she’s learned that rejection is part of the process.

During his time as president and vice-chancellor, Feridun Hamdullahpur has invested deeply in the success, support and development of Waterloo students. Known for approaching students on campus to chat or say hello, Hamdullahpur often took the time to make connections. Over the past decade, he has overseen the growth and development of our campuses, a renowned co-op program and many diverse initiatives, all designed to foster student learning and growth.

You probably didn’t picture Zoom calls or working six feet apart when envisioning your first co-op work term. Instead, you may have practiced the perfect handshake or purchased actual “work pants” for your first day – both of which no longer apply.  

Tomographic 3D printing is a revolutionary technology that uses light to create three-dimensional objects. A projector beams light at a rotating vial containing photocurable resin, and within seconds the desired shape forms inside the vial. The light projections needed to solidify specific 3D regions of the polymer are calculated using tomographic imaging concepts.

The University of Waterloo is launching a new style of work-integrated learning specifically designed to help co-op students seeking their first work term during the COVID-19 pandemic.

After three years of hard work, members of the Warrior Home design team were thrilled to finish second overall this week in an international competition that challenges university students to design and build highly efficient buildings.

But regardless of the outcome in the virtual finale of the Solar Decathlon, a nine-team event sponsored by the U.S. Department of Energy, more than 200 student contributors at the University of Waterloo already felt pretty good about it.

When you have a neurodegenerative disease, like Parkinson’s or Alzheimer’s disease, your symptoms may ebb and flow during the day. Going into a clinic for testing captures your status at that point in time, but how do you gain an understanding of what is happening throughout the rest of the day or over the course of many days?

The coronavirus pandemic has placed a bright spotlight on the need to collaborate and work together to meet community needs.

It’s also presented a unique set of challenges for Waterloo’s co-operative education students, who set out each term to apply their skills and education to solve real-world problems.

The University of Waterloo has the largest work-integrated learning program of its kind in the world.

One year after the start of the pandemic, we spoke with Norah McRae, Associate Provost, Co-operative and Experiential Education (CEE) at the University, to learn how COVID-19 has impacted co-op students, how students found jobs during the pandemic and how the program intends to prepare students for the future of work in a post-pandemic economy.

How is Waterloo’s co-op program different from what it was a year ago?