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Graduate Studies in Counseling
COU510 – Assessment and Appraisal
Heidelberg College
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Summer 2008 |
Summer
Session II Monday/Wednesday
5pm to 9pm July 7th
to August 1st |
Location: CH218
3 Semester Hours
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Associate Professor & Clinical Coordinator Past President, Ohio Counseling Association College Hall 207 (800)925-9250 ext. 2308 or (419)448-2308 dcruiksh@heidelberg.edu Office hours: M-W
4-5pm Prerequisite: none Conceptual Framework: Vital Connections The graduate counseling
programs at Specifically, the
students build or construct their new knowledge about counseling with several
tools - theory, practice, and reflection. These are the building
tools that connect the constructivist core of the conceptual framework to
each of the counselor education licensure programs.
Course Description (from the catalog) Development
of knowledge and skills needed for effective client appraisal. Emphasis on learning how to gather data and
make interpretations of individuals, groups and case studies. Emphasis will be on sensitizing the student
to individual differences in gender, culture, ethnicity, and environmental
factors which affect test results. Goals:
To
provide Master’s-level counseling students with a comprehensive overview of
the assessment process, assessment instruments and procedures (and issues
relevant to measurement and assessment) common to school and community mental
health counseling. Objectives By
the end of this term, students should have an understanding of: a.
the historical
perspectives concerning the nature and meaning of assessment; b.
basic concepts
of testing and other assessment techniques including norm-referenced and
criterion-referenced assessment, environmental assessment, individual and
group test and inventory methods, behavioral observations, alternative
assessment, and computer-managed and computer-assisted methods; c.
statistical
concepts including scales of measurement, measures of central tendency,
indices of variability, shapes and types of distributions, and correlations; d.
reliability:
models of reliability, and the use of reliability information; e.
validity:
evidence of validity, types of validity, and relationship between reliability
and validity; f.
age, gender,
ethnicity, language, disability, and additional cultural factors related to
the assessment and evaluation of individuals, groups, and specific
populations; g.
strategies for
selecting, administering, & interpreting assessment/evaluation
instruments & techniques in counseling; h.
an
understanding of general principles and methods of case conceptualization,
assessment, and/or diagnosis of mental and emotional status; and i.
ethical and legal considerations. Course Conceptual Framework
This course provides students with an understanding of current standards of practice and the theoretical basis for the assessment of intelligence, achievement, aptitude, personality, development, career, and interpersonal relationships. A variety of hands on exercises will provide students with opportunities to gain first hand experience and understanding of essential assessment principles and practices allowing them to link theory to practice.Standards
This course is designed to meet NCATE Standard 1 and CACREP Standard 7.These standards require that this
course provide a means to an understanding of individual and group approaches
to assessment and evaluation, including all of the following: a.
historical
perspectives concerning the nature and meaning of assessment; b.
basic
concepts of standardized and nonstandardized
testing and other assessment techniques including norm-referenced and criterion-referenced
assessment, environmental assessment, performance assessment, individual and
group test and inventory methods, behavioral observations, and
computer-managed and computer-assisted methods; c.
statistical
concepts, including scales of measurement, measures of central tendency,
indices of variability, shapes and types of distributions, and correlations; d.
reliability
(i.e., theory of measurement error, models of reliability, and the use of reliability
information); e.
validity
(i.e., evidence of validity, types of validity, and the relationship between
reliability and validity; f.
age,
gender, sexual orientation, ethnicity, language, disability, culture,
spirituality, and other factors
related to the assessment and evaluation of individuals, groups, and specific
populations; g.
strategies
for selecting, administering, and interpreting
assessment and evaluation instruments and techniques in counseling; h.
an
understanding of general principles and methods of case conceptualization, assessment,
and/or diagnoses of mental and emotional status; and i.
ethical and legal considerations. Diversity
Diversity is addressed in this course by providing an in-depth review of the history of assessment as influenced by racism, cultural and ethnic biases, and early efforts to use mental measurement as part of the scientific methods that attempted to prove racial inferiorities of women and people of color. Based on this review of the history, and the ongoing impact that this history has on the field today, students will have the opportunity to learn the context in which mental measurement takes place, and thus, they will develop the sensitivities needed to utilize and apply assessment tools appropriately.
Erford, B. T., (2005), Counselor’s
Guide to Clinical, Personality, and Behavioral Assessment, Lichtenberger, E. O., Mather, N., Kaufman, N. L. Kaufman,
A., (2005), Essentials of Psychological Report Whiston, S. C., (2009), Principles
and Applications of Assessment in Counseling, 3rd Ed. United
States: Brooks/Cole Additionally: I reserve the right to assign
additional readings (such as journal articles) that I find appropriate to
this course. Course Structure and Instructor
Expectations Due to time constraints of this course, class time
is largely comprised of lectures, group activities and discussions. Your
learning will be enhanced by these class activities and discussions; however,
the
bulk of your learning necessarily will come from your independent work on
readings and assignments. To maximize your in class experience, you
should come to class having read assigned readings and having prepared to
discuss and become actively involved in your own learning by asking questions
and engaging in class activities.
Requirements/Grading
During
the term, you will have opportunities to earn a total of 1000 points for you
final grade. Grading is on a standard scale:
90% = A; 80% = B; 70% = C; 69% or less = F.
(note: although specific requirements for assignments may
change as the semester progresses, this will never happen without prior
discussion and negotiation with you.)
Preparation & participation: Learning and teaching are social processes. As an active learning, seminar course, your
presence and active engagement is particularly important. For you to learn and for me to claim to
have taught, we must be present and engaged.
To me, preparation and participation means that you are familiar
enough with the material to work with it in class and that you are prepared
to discuss your readings in class. My
expectation of you is that you will attend class prepared and ready to engage
the material and ask questions about it. You should expect the same from me. You
should understand that part of how I assess your learning is by observing
your behavior in class. With this in
mind, consider the following: Top
Five ways to Impress Your Professor: #5) Be polite: Even if you are convinced that your prof is a pin headed idiot, it’s probably wise not to
tell him that. If your prof is wrong about something or you disagree with him,
it’s fine (even encouraged) respectfully to voice your disagreement, but it
is wise to back up your opinion with evidence from the literature and to
voice your disagreement or opposing views with respect. Yelling, name
calling, and other aggressive behaviors are not likely to impress your prof or your classmates, and this definitely will fail to
get your point across. #4) Show respect: Profs see all! If you slump over your desk and enter
a catatonic state, do work for other courses or your job, roll your eyes,
and/or whisper to your neighbor, your prof will
almost certainly notice you, but not in the best light. Also, unless otherwise invited, don’t
assume that you know your prof on a first name
basis—Dr. C. or Professor C. are respectful. If you
behave disrespectfully, you are far less likely get respect in return. Cell
phones should be turned off during class. Texting
during class is unprofessional and unacceptable and will not be
tolerated. #3) Pretend you care: Let’s be honest, you and I both know that you are not
necessarily interested in every course you take—including this one! On top of
that, you’re tired and just want to get home and the last place on Earth you
want to be right now is here. Hint: regardless of what you’re really
thinking about this course, your prof only has your
behavior as a basis of judgment. Pretend you care, that you’re interested and
that your prof is interesting. You might be surprised to discover
that the course actually becomes interesting to you. #2) Ask questions: Asking questions
and making comments in class suggest to your prof
that you are interested and paying attention.
Neither of these things may be true, but who cares? The goal here is
to convey to your prof that you are interested,
engaged and learning something (see #3) #1) Lighten up! I take my work both as a professor and as a mental
health professional very seriously. I
am serious about designing courses that provide the best possible learning
experience and I am serious about ethically sound, good practice. However, I also believe we can have a lot
of fun
doing these things well. I have a
sense of humor (though many would argue, not a very good one!). Studies have found that learning is most
effective in the context of a heightened emotional state, and I do attempt to
capitalize on this through the use of humor in class. I make every effort not to be offensive or
disrespectful with humor (and I expect the same from you), but I also tend to
be very spontaneous. If I ever fail in my efforts not to offend, please let
me know. I’m not afraid to
apologize. So, be serious about
learning, but don’t be afraid to have fun in the process. At the very least, if others are having
more fun than you are capable of having on a Tuesday night after a long day
of work, deal with it : ) Attendance
– Psychological Profile: Each student will administer a conduct a
psychological assessment that includes an assessment interview and a test
battery. Based on your findings, you
will write up an assessment report. Based on an analysis of your results, you
will address questions such as:
Your report must be
typed. It must be presented in a
professional manner. You must model
your report on the example presented in class (also see Lichtenberger et al,
Ch 10). You will be assigned to
pair up with one of your classmates and will use each other as clients for
this evaluation/case study. In this
case, you will conduct an assessment interview with and administer the tests
to your “client” and then analyze and write-up the results in the form of an
assessment report. You will use the counseling
lab to conduct your interview session and the computers in the lab to
administer your computer based tests. In the event that there is
an odd number in class, then see me for an alternative arrangement. Total assignment is worth 400 points* * This
assignment is designated as an NCATE Assessment. This means that this task is
seen as an indicator of a minimal standard of professional competency
necessary to enter the field ready to practice. This SPA Assessment is rated
as follows:
Students
who earn a 1 will be given an Incomplete and 1 month to bring the report up
to standard. If after this second
attempt, the student still has a 1, then this will result in an earned C for
this course regardless of the combined total points earned. Students
who fail to earn at least a 2 will be required to repeat the course. Instrument Evaluation/Research Paper and Report: For this project, select two assessment instruments
for comparison (such as any of those mentioned in your text). At the library web site, refer
to the Mental Measurements Yearbook On-line [MMYB] (ask the reference librarian
for assistance if needed) and, based on reviews in MMYB, determine the
strengths and weaknesses of these instruments. Then using PsychInfo,
ERIC, or other appropriate research databases, conduct a brief review of the
literature and examine what, if any, research has been done on or using these
instruments.
Please note Summer
Hours at the Library Do not present a simple article review. Your paper
should present a well organized and presented discussion on the benefits
and/or detriments of the instruments you have researched with regard to their
use in client assessment. This
portion of the assignment is worth 150 points I expect this report to be
approximately 5 pages. Be
concise. In addition to the MMYB, you
must use a minimum of 2 references per instrument (4 total), and these
references must be from professional,
peer-reviewed journals. This paper must be presented in APA 5th
Ed. format and must include all of the necessary elements including: Cover
page, Abstract, body text organized by appropriate headings, appropriate
citation of references in the text, conclusion, and references. (for sample click
here) This
portion of the assignment is worth 150 points Total assignment is worth 300 points. Exams: We will have a mid-term as well as a final exam
during this term. These exams will be administered on-line
at the mid-point and after the last day of class. They will consist of 75
multiple-choice items based upon assigned readings from your text and in
class discussions and materials. Each
exam will cover the assigned material for that portion of the term. The final is not comprehensive. Exams are worth 150 points each. Academic honesty: (from the college policy manual) Dishonesty in any form,
including but not limited to academic cheating or falsification on any
official college record will result in disciplinary action. I expect adherence to the
APA ethical guidelines for publication with regard to the proper citation of
non-original materials used in papers (e.g. plagiarism). DIVERSITY STATEMENT: The MAC
program is committed to maintaining a community that recognizes and values
the inherent worth and dignity of every person; fosters sensitivity,
understanding, and mutual respect among its members; and encourages each
individual to strive to reach his or her own potential. In pursuit of its
goal of academic excellence, the MAC program seeks to develop and nurture
diversity, believing that it strengthens the organization, stimulates
creativity, promotes the exchange of ideas, and enriches campus life. The American
Counseling Association has explicit policies, standards, and ethical
guidelines regarding diversity issues. In this class, you will be expected to
reflect the standards and ethics of the counseling profession, especially in
the area of diversity. Any use of written or verbal language should be
consistent with the respect and tolerance that are the cornerstone of the
counseling profession and should reflect the ACA Human Rights Committee’s
1987 statement on tolerance, which states: In order to guarantee that each individual is free
to pursue his/her potential, each member of AACD (now ACA) is charged to (a)
engage in ongoing examination of his/her own attitudes, feelings, stereotypic
views, perceptions and behaviors that might have prejudicial or limiting
impact on others; (b) contribute to an increased sensitivity on the part of
other individuals, groups or institutions to the barriers to opportunity
imposed by discrimination; (c) advocate equal rights for all individuals
through concerted personal, professional, and political activity. Students
with Disabilities
Students
with documented physical, psychological, and/or learning disabilities are
eligible for reasonable and appropriate accommodations under the Americans
with Disabilities Act (ADA). Under
provision of the Please
feel free to discuss any concerns regarding disabilities with me for further
guidance and information. Incompletes Students
who, at the end of the semester, wish to be considered for an
"Incomplete" must request this in writing to the professor,
explaining the reasons and identifying a specific date that the assignment(s)
will be submitted. It is the professor's discretion to approve or decline the
request for an incomplete. If promised work has not been completed and
submitted by the agreed upon date, the incomplete will become an F. Grade Disputes Students who feel that they have received an inappropriate grade for
any assignment or for the course have the right to challenge that grade. To challenge a grade, students should
adhere to the following procedures.
In the event of a grade conflict, you must follow this
procedure. If you fail to follow this
procedure (for example calling the Dean first), you will be instructed
appropriately to follow this procedure. I encourage you to discuss any concerns regarding this course with
me, and I will make every effort to address these concerns and resolve
them. I understand that this is not
always possible, and in such events, I invite you to pursue such matters following
the above procedures as needed. WEATHER EMERGENCY POLICY When
the Seneca County Sheriff’s Department and the City of Tiffin Police
Department declare the roads in The following media sources, WTTF ( If the weather worsens during the day, you may
benefit by calling |
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Date Scheduled Topic Assignment
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