NOVA Students Must Submit the Following Documents:

• The co-op office will need 30 days written notification from students prior to the semester in which they want to register for the internship. This time allows the co-op coordinator and faculty time to review job descriptions; review the students’ academic eligibility, contact faculty references and review any contracts from the employer. Students must submit their packet of information (see the link for materials students must submit) three weeks prior to the semester during which they intend to conduct their internship. The co-op coordinator will not register students until they have submitted all documents and a signed agreement.
• A list of five specific behavioral objectives which should be based upon the job description. They should reflect specific behaviors or skills students want to have learned by the end of the internship. After students have created this list of objectives, they should schedule an appointment to review them with their employer and then submit them to the co-op coordinator for review. These objectives are the cornerstone of the internship. They will serve as the course objectives; the criteria by which the employer will evaluate students’ performance (which accounts for 24% of their grade) and will serve as the basis for the last assignment where they will be asked to explain how they completed them, what challenges they encountered and what they learned in the process. It can take on average 3 to 5 working days for the coordinator to review these objectives and for students to make revisions. The coordinator must have received these objectives before she can fax an agreement to any employer. See information below on how to write behavioral objectives.
• If students are not U.S. citizens or permanent residents then they must go the International Student Center to obtain a letter verifying your eligibility for employment. They must submit a letter verifying their eligibility to enroll in the Co-Op Program.
• An unofficial copy of your NOVA transcript.
• An Academic Advising Worksheet that lists the curriculum of your degree program. Students must first complete their academic advising curriculum sheet on their own. They can obtain this form at their division office or at the Counseling Center. The purpose of this exercise is for the student to become knowledgeable of their degree requirements, the courses they have completed and the courses they have remaining to finish and how or if the co-op course will apply to their degree program. Once students have completed this form they should ask their faculty advisor to review it and make sure that they have completed it correctly. In addition students should ask the advisor to note on their academic advising how their co-op will apply to their program of study. If the advisor suggests applying the co-op as substituting for another course, then the student needs to complete a course substitution form, attach a description of the position and submit it to his advisor in order for this co-op to be counted toward graduation requirements.
• A Co-Op Contact Sheet
• A copy of an updated resume which includes, but is not limited to:
  • A list of skills and experience you bring to your co-op experience
  • A list of previous jobs you have held
  • A description of the type of co-op position you hope to secure
  • Skills you would like to learn or develop further as a result of your co-op experience
  • A brief statement of your career goals
• The name and title of your supervisor, his/her telephone number, fax number, mailing address and email address.
• Please provide the names of two NOVA faculty whom I could contact as references.
  Please complete and sign the document attached to this link and give the original to the faculty member from whom you are asking the reference and fax a signed copy to me at 703.323.3015. Students should allow 3 to 5 business days for Coordinator to contact faculty. I must have this signed release form 30 days before the last day of classes. Click here for attached release form.

Students From Other Colleges and Universities Who Want to Enroll in Co-Op Should Submit the Following Documents:

• The co-op office will need 30 days written notification from students prior to the semester in which they want to register for the internship. This time allows the co-op coordinator and faculty time to review job descriptions; review the students’ academic eligibility and contact faculty references. Students must submit their packet of information (see the link for materials students must submit) three weeks prior to the semester during which they intend to conduct their internship. The co-op coordinator will not register students until they have submitted all documents; approval has been granted by the division and the agreement has been signed by the student; employer and co-op coordinator.
• Complete an application for admission and an application for in-state tuition rates (if they are VA residents) via NOVAConnect. The co-op coordinator cannot register any student for co-op until the college has processed their application. Students should allow 3 to 5 business days for their applications to be processed before they can register.
• A list of five specific behavioral objectives. Based on the job description given to you by your employer, create a list of specific objectives that you hope to achieve from your co-op experience. After you have created this list of objectives, schedule an appointment to review them with your employer and then submit them to the co-op coordinator. These objectives are the cornerstone of the internship as they will be your course objectives; the criteria by which your employer will evaluate your performance (which accounts for 24% of your grade) and will serve as the basis for your last assignment where you will be asked how you achieved them; what challenges you encountered and what you learned in the process. It can take on average 3 to 5 working days for the coordinator to review these objectives and for students to make revisions. The coordinator must have received these objectives before she can fax an agreement to any employer. See information below on how to write behavioral objectives.
• See information below on how to write behavioral objectives.
• A transcript from the college where you have been enrolled or are currently enrolled which confirms that you are in good academic standing
• A Co-Op Contact sheet
• A copy of an updated resume which includes, but is not limited to:
  • A list of skills and experience you bring to your co-op experience
  • A list of previous jobs you have held
  • A description of the type of co-op position you hope to secure
  • Skills you would like to learn or develop further as a result of your co-op experience
• A brief statement of your career goals
• The name and title of your supervisor, his/her telephone number, fax number, mailing address and email address.

When you have collected all the items listed above please email Felicia Blakeney at fblakeney@nvcc.edu and provide her a list of dates and times when you can meet her at her office in room 327 of the CM building at the Annandale Campus.

The Purpose of Behavioral Objectives

Behavioral objectives enable you to clearly define at the outset of your internship the specific concepts you hope to master and the behaviors or tasks that you hope to be able to perform at the completion of your internship. Behavioral objectives should be drawn from your internship job description. They should state in clear and specific terms what you want to accomplish and learn as your internship. The behaviors or actions in these objectives should be measurable (i.e., a supervisor should be able to assess how well you have completed an objective).

Writing Behavioral Objectives

Your behavioral objectives should contain three elements listed below and should reflect the last three stages of Bloom's Taxonomy (i.e., application, analysis and synthesis). See this URL for a more information on Bloom's Taxonomy: http://faculty.washington.edu/krumme/guides/bloom.html

Three Elements of Behavioral Objectives

• Condition: The circumstance under which a person engages in a behavior that can be observed by others.
• Behavior: The actions a person will engage in that constitute progress toward an objective.
• Criteria: The level and degree of performance that a person must reach in order to have achieved his or her objective.

The Five Stages of Bloom's Taxonomy

Your behavioral objectives should reflect the last three stages of Bloom's Taxonomy (i.e., application, analysis and synthesis).

Examples of Behavioral Objectives

Instructions for Writing Behavioral Objectives 

Tips on Writing Behavioral Objectives

• Behavioral Objectives should begin with "action verbs" which describe observable behavior.
• State each objective as a specific learning outcome that can be measured.
• State one outcome per objective.
• Use action verbs such as: Identify, write, classify, draw, diagram, distinguish, construct, label, order, recognize.

Please Note: You must use verbs that are appropriate to your job description. Do not merely copy the action verbs used on this website. Passive verbs you should not use when writing behavioral objectives and stating the outcomes of your objectives include but are not limited to: understand, listen, participate, enjoy, think, know, review, is, am, are, will be able to, will demonstrate the understanding of, in order to, etc.

• Don't list criteria in terms of percentages, as some outcomes cannot be measured in statistical terms.

Examples of Statements that are not Behavioral Objectives

• I will explain how to extinguish a small fire within two minutes.
• I will fulfill the goals of the company.

Examples of Statements that are Behavioral Objectives

• Given the employee manual of rights and responsibilities (condition), I will list and discuss (behavioral verb) at least five that need clarification.
• I will create monthly revenue escalation reports using monthly Tenant Schedules and Monthly Changes Report to streamline the monthly close procedure.
• I will produce monthly reports to track company’s leasing and financial fluctuations in order to identify potential gains and losses.

Given a small fire (condition), the firefighter will extinguish (behavioral verb) the fire completely in two minutes.