Enrollment rates for Simpson College’s May Term COOP-119 course continues to soar above the rest, with record enrollment numbers for the spring of 2025.
Career Observation is a three-week, four-credit class offered every May for first- and second-year students. It includes eight in-person sessions and, most importantly, 40 hours of job shadowing of up to three employers.
COOP-119 is led by the Office of Career Development, specifically Assistant Director Michelle Pierce and Director Kelsey Bolton. The course was created based on National Association for Colleges and Employers (NACE) regulations in 2014 by past Career Development directors Bobbi Sullivan and Laurie Dufoe.
“I’m a huge advocate for before you spend all this time and money pursuing a career and major, take this quick class and see if this is what you really want to go into,” Pierce said. Since Pierce took over in 2022, she’s made annual changes to the curriculum, but one thing has stayed the same. COOP-119 has always served as an introductory step to help students better understand and plan their career development journey through self-discovery and experiential learning.
“Studies have found that when students get some type of experiential learning, they feel more confident in major and career decision-making,” Pierce said.
First-year Zoe Ackerman, who’s taking COOP-119 this May, said she enrolled to gain a confident stance on her major and career decisions.
“I figured it would be beneficial to take COOP because I’m not entirely sure what I want to do with my life,” Ackerman said. “It’ll impact what classes I end up taking, what career I go into, and ultimately where I end up.”
Students who take the course are required to apply in the fall. The application sorted students and asked about past job shadowing experiences, how the course will benefit them and what careers students are chasing.
Pierce got around 130 applications this year, denying 30 students only because they already had shadowing experience and were ready for internships. Previously, the class capped enrollment at 75, but Pierce pleaded to open 25 more spots for the first time in course history.
Bolton elaborated on the high enrollment numbers and specified that the course can accept so many students because, unlike other May Terms, COOP-119 has five teachers, splitting the group of 100 students.
Another student enrolled this May, Lexi Voss, hopes to gain experience in multiple fields and grow her Des Moines connections. Pierce said about 99% of employers shadowed reach back out and give students advice on their next steps or offer internships.
Director of Institutional Effectiveness Luke Behaunek shared findings with Pierce and Bolton that students who have taken the class return with higher retention rates in the fall. Pierce and Bolton said they think it’s because the students find their purpose.
Pierce and Bolton said they most enjoy watching students bloom and being there when they find the security of knowing what their future may look like.
Enrollment data proves that COOP-119 has been a massive hit since its creation, with the lowest enrollment year being 2023, with 52 students. The average enrollment rate is shy of 70 students (not including the pandemic years 2020-21).
“As far as it being a hot commodity, Laurie and Bobby developed this course so well that faculty have been huge advocates for it because they’ve seen how successful it is,” Pierce said. The course success is measured in multiple ways. In the eyes of the Career Development team, a student who determines their dream job is exactly how they thought it’d be is the same as a student who decides that they want nothing to do with the career they shadowed. “Some students take the course, and they find out, ‘Oh, that’s not what I want to do,’ and even though that wasn’t their goal, I still think that’s really impactful to figure that out your first or second year of college and not after you graduate,” Bolton said.
Another measure of COOP’s success is past Simpson students remembering their experience.
“When I connect with alumni at various things, it’s really interesting when they’re like, ‘I remember taking this class at Simpson where we got to job shadow,’ so I think it does leave a lasting impact,” Bolton said.
“This isn’t a one-stop shop; we’re here for you throughout the entire time,” Pierce advised students. “This is just the start of your journey.”
