Good News: LCC students apply classroom knowledge in real workplaces

Presenter: Gerry Meenaghan reviewed student evaluations of work-based learning courses at Lane Community College. He offered this public comment to the Board of Education July 1: 

Gerry Meenaghan: My name’s Gerry Meenaghan. I’m a faculty member in the Cooperative Education Department. I’d like to share a few findings from a comprehensive review of more than 600 student self-evaluations submitted in my cooperative education courses between 2017 and 2025.

Those courses are supervised work-based learning courses for academic credit. These students’ responses reveal that co-op courses, required in the majority of career technical degrees offered at Lane Community College, are not only meeting their educational goals. They are often described by students as the most meaningful experience in their entire program.

One student wrote this was easily one of my most positive experiences from school. Iterations of this response are very common.

Here are three consistent themes across the data. The first: Skill development. Students are learning to apply classroom knowledge in real workplaces. As one said, ‘I learned so much more about Server 2022 here than even in my Advanced Server class.’

Another shared: ‘I’m particularly proud of my ability to learn and retain new information quickly. I’m absorbing so much at a fast pace, which is incredible to me.’

Second, confidence and career clarity. Students are developing a sense of identity and confidence in their field. One student said, ‘I was offered a full-time position, which I’m so grateful for and will really set me up for a career as a CPA.’

Another reflected, ‘This internship helped me realize I could actually make it and thrive in a new and professional job field.’

Finally, deep appreciation for the experience. Students consistently express gratitude that this course is part of their degree. They describe it as transformative, essential, and the part that tied it all together.

Representative quotes include, ‘This was easily one of my most positive experiences from school.’ ‘It was a necessary and great experience.’ ‘I learned more in the 108 hours of co-op than I did in most of my two years of schooling.’

This data supports what we see, what I see anecdotally, that cooperative education helps students grow professionally, personally, and academically.

It reflects Lane’s mission in action: Transforming lives through learning. Thank you for continuing to support this vital program.

And I’ll just quickly add, how excited I was to be able to come and talk about something positive this evening. Thank you.

Presenter: Today, we heard Good News from LCC faculty member Gerry Meenaghan.  Good News is a KEPW segment created by resident lightworker, Nan. Reporting on councils and commissions, neighborhoods and nonprofits, preparedness and public comment, you’re listening to KEPW 97.3 – Whole Community News.