Cooperative Development Lab

This program is co-taught by the Center for Entrepreneurial Leadership and Transformational Change (CELTC) and the Northwest Cooperative Development Center (NWCDC). In this program, students will dive deeper into cooperative development tools such as the Cooperative Index Tool, Social Auditing, Sustainable and Cooperative Business Model Canvases, Appreciative Inquiry, SCORE Financial Analysis, and Balanced Scorecard. Students will work with community cooperatives in a fieldwork project that applies these tools, regularly checking in with community partners. Students will work on these projects in groups which will require coordination and work with project teams and application of professional skills covered in the “Introduction and History of Cooperatives” course. In addition, each week, students will use lectures, readings, and media to explore course topics.

This course is offered fully online through Canvas and requires both asynchronous work as well as meeting synchronously for 3-hour sessions on Zoom on four Saturdays and 1-hour weekly evening check-ins (dates/times for weekly check-in sessions to be determined by the cohort) throughout the quarter. Saturday meeting dates and times are as follows: Saturday, April 15 9AM-12PM PST; Saturday, April 29 9AM-12PM PST; Saturday, May 6 9AM-12PM PST; & Saturday, June 10 9AM-12PM PST.

Our study will require 1-4 hours of synchronous work and 16-19 out-of-classroom hours of work every week. Technology required for successful engagement includes high speed internet and a computer (not just a cell phone) for Canvas; Zoom (including breakout rooms with audio and video), and MS Office 365 including One-Drive. Students will also need to be able to conduct online research. If students find themselves unable to participate due to technology, caregiving obligations, economic disruption, health risk, or illness, they should be pro-active in working with faculty.