ASSIGNMENT SHEET

CONTACT YOUR EDITOR

Editor Nicolette Colosimo
Phone 604 8371176 Emai ncolosimo00@mylangara.ca
THE VOICE: ASSIGNMENT SHEET l
Publication date Feb 16, 2022 Page no. 03
Editor’s name Nicolette Colosimo
Reporter’s name Aishwarya Singh
Story slug COVID Co-op Date assigned Feb 7, 2022
Word count 1st story-300, 2nd story-500 Draft due Feb 13, 2022 at 4:00

Type of story (feature, news, profile, human interest, etc.):

This is campus story.

Story summary (angle – include rough lede and nutgraf):

This is a story about how the work-from-home trend, adopted during the pandemic, has changed the co-op
experience. The reporter will explore three different perspectives: online, hybrid and in-person co-op.

300 word –The story is about the various experiences when students do online, hybrid or in-person co-op.

500 word- this update will focus on coping mechanisms for working at home during the pandemic.
(Expert interview)
Conflict:
With online co-ops becoming more common, there is also a lack of direct in-person mentorship,
environmental learning, work place support and traditional networking.

Context (why is this story relevant today? Why should our readers care?):
The pandemic is still ongoing, so work placements will continue to be a different experience.

Background and details:

Departments

1
Co-ops used to have to be a minimum of 420 hours. When the pandemic hit, the hours were lowered to 320.
A number of students in computer science and business have been doing co-ops from home.
A few students commented that it was nice to have a supervisor with a set schedule to meet with them online.
Throughout the pandemic, the number of co-op placements have not decreased.
There is a myth that doing a co-op at college is not worthwhile if students are transferring to a university.
Students need to get into the program as early as possible. The sooner, the better.

Potential sources
Source 1 Source 2
Name Jose Tellez Name Lara Aknin
Organization Online Co-op Organization SFU psychology professor
Email Josetellez@facebook Email laknin@sfu.ca
Phone 604 319 2926 Phone 778 7829563
Source 3 Source 4
Name Sue Yang Name Steven Taylor
Organization Co-op Department Chair Organization UBC psychology professor
Email sueyang@langara.ca Email steven.taylor@ubc.ca
Phone 604 3235022 Phone 6048227331
Event details
Sue Yang has contact information for the co-op student of the year.
Sreya (778) 8287311 An online co-op student.
Photo requirements (Explain what you are expecting from the reporter: action, street scene, etc…).
Reporter – always get a mix of vertical and horizontal photos and head shots of anyone you speak to.
Headshots of all interviewees.
Photographs of in-person co-op student at the workplace. A variety of shots of the work experience and
coworkers.
Photographs of the online co-op student at home. Shots of student experiencing the co-op on the computer.
Ask students if they have photos of their workplace or work from home space.

Week 1 – Multimedia element for social media: Instagram story, infographic, chart or map.
Infographic of co-op trends since 2020.
Use information on the spreadsheet from Sue Yang and show that there was no decline in co-op placements
since the pandemic.

Week 2 – Multimedia element to accompany story: NATS story, interview with cover, slideshow, or short
demo video.
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 Interview with cover- highlighting the experience of the online, hybrid or in-person co-op students. Use a
variety of shots of students experiencing their co-op, working on their computer or collaborating with
coworkers. Take shots of their workspace, get close-ups and wide shots of their workday.