The on-campus COOP class provided an opportunity for me to gain professional work experience, develop cross-cutting skills, engage with professionals to develop workplace etiquette. This class was layered on top of my position as a math Supplemental Review Session (SRS) Leader at the Learning Commons here at UC. The course consisted of a series of assignments that ultimately nurtured my professional development to aid growth and reflection from my position. I was able to set SMART goals and evaluate my progress periodically throughout the entire semester. Through this class, I believe that I have improved in my ability to market myself and take advantage of my experiences. For example, my position as an SRS leader did not directly correlate to my future aspiration as a health professional. But soft skills I have developed such as interpersonal skills, critical thinking, and problem-solving from my co-op will directly impact and translate into my future career. Another situation I foresee is that as a physician, I will be explaining diagnoses to patients in a calm and thorough, and non-assumptive method similar to how I taught math to my students. Altogether, this experience of my co-op position and the class intertwined has significantly aided my professional development.
The worksheet attached above is an assignment from the course COOP 1001. It displays how the course was structured to help reflect growth from the experience and how to market ourselves professionally going froward.