DEPARTMENT OF REHABILITATION PSYCHOLOGY AND SPECIAL EDUCATION

UNIVERSITY OF WISCONSIN-MADISON

RP & SE 501 Rehabilitation Counseling Psychology-Applications

RP & SE 630 Internship in Rehabilitation or Special Education

Instructor: Kristine M. Eiring, Ph.D.
432 North Murray Street
263-5941
dreiring@dreiring.us
Other office: 233-9558

TA: Maria Romero
432 North Murray Street
Email:
Phone:

Secretary: TBA
432 North Murray Street, Room 423
263-5790

Welcome
Welcome to this combined 501/630 class. This is also a Comm B Class and this means the seminar class will also address writing and communication skills. The University outlines specific guidelines for Comm B courses, including a required number of written assignment pages with opportunities for revisions. This class will emphasize written and oral communication skills, along with reading research and literature review articles.

Course Objectives
The combined courses provide an introduction to the rehabilitation and human service system and the clientele served within that system through classroom instruction and discussion sections, visits to rehabilitation and human service agencies and programs, and participation in field placements. In addition, instruction is provided, in combination with assignments completed, in professional communication, particularly writing, related to course content and professional practice in rehabilitation and human service settings. Course objectives focus on the following areas:

1. Promoting understanding of the rehabilitation and human service system and a number of specific agencies and programs within the system.

2. Promoting understanding of the clientele served by rehabilitation and related agencies and their needs.

3. Promoting a more thorough understanding of one particular agency or program and the clientele served (the field placement agency).

4. Promoting skills in professional communication, particularly writing, along with speaking, presentation skills, reading and listening skills.

5. Promoting consideration of career options within the field of rehabilitation.

Accommodations
If you have a disability for which you require accommodations to promote your learning and participation in this class, please let the instructor or teaching assistant know, within the first three weeks of class. The McBurney Disability Resource Center (263-2741) is the organization on campus to contact regarding campus disability-related policies and services.

If circumstances arise during the semester which require you to miss class you are responsible for notifying the instructor, if possible, in advance. If this is not possible, you are required to make some type of contact within 48 hours of class time in order to have the opportunity to make up any work you may have missed. You are allowed to miss one class without penalty (unless you can provide a reason, within writing, why you need to miss more). You will miss participation and attendance points if you miss more than one class. Reasons for missing more than one class will be reviewed on a case by case basis. Assignments are to be handed in on time; if extra time is given it will be no more than one week unless outlined differently in a plan outlined by the McBurney staff.

Organization
Two general types of activities will be included in the combined courses:

1. Class activities (RP & SE 194-501). Class activities will provide an introduction to the rehabilitation and human service system, specific rehabilitation and human service agencies and programs, clientele served, and basic communication skills, particularly writing. Class activities will include the following:

a. Field visits to rehabilitation agencies and programs, with opportunities to observe agencies and programs and to meet with rehabilitation professionals and clientele served by those agencies and programs.

b. Classroom presentations by the instructor and/or teaching assistant and general discussion regarding course content and student observations from field visits.

c. Classroom presentations by the instructor and/or teaching assistant on basic writing skills, as well as more specific formats and professional conventions for writing case notes, case reports, and library research papers (including APA style). One class session will be conducted in collaboration with library staff to facilitate skills in library resources relevant to rehabilitation psychology (emphasizing such databases as PsycINFO and ERIC, major journals and related literature sources, and Internet resources); this session will prepare students for one of the major writing assignments for the semester and will be partially structured around that assignment.

d. Student presentations on field placement sites where the internship credits are being satisfied, providing an opportunity to learn about all of the agencies and programs where field placements are being completed.

e. Student presentations on research topics and final paper conclusions to promote learning of professional communication with peers.

2. Field placement (RP & SE 194-630). A field placement or internship will be arranged for each student in a cooperating rehabilitation and human service agency or program. Field placements will be arranged during the first two weeks of the semester and will begin in the third week. A total of 8 hours per week will be required in the field placement, extending over 13 weeks, from the 3rd week of the semester through the
15th week (the last week of classes).

Texts
A few required readings and materials will be distributed in class, including materials and samples related to written and other assignments, and other written materials and brochures will be distributed at field visits. The following books are also required and are available at University Book Store:

Required
Kiser, P. M. (2000). Getting the most from your human service internship: Learning from experience. Belmont, CA: Wadsworth.

Crimando, W. & Riggar, T. F. (2005). Community Resources. Long Grove, IL: Waveland Press.

American Psychological Association. (2001). Publication manual of the American Psychological Association (5th ed.). Washington, DC: Author.

Course Requirements
The following are course requirements for RP & SE 194-630 (Internship):

Field placement. The field placement must be completed according to terms specified in the individual student contract.

In addition to completing the field placement, satisfaction of this requirement will entail the following activities.

Contract. A contract must be prepared by you, signed by both you and your supervisor, and submitted to the instructor by the specified date. The contract will include a list of responsibilities specified in some detail, including observational and other activities designed to familiarize you with the agency, its services and procedures, and clientele. It will also describe the major case service responsibilities and duties that you will carry out over the course of the semester. In addition, a list of learning objectives will be included, specifying what knowledge and skill you hope to develop through the placement.

The instructor and/or teaching assistant will meet with you and your agency supervisor prior to the beginning of your placement, when responsibilities and objectives will be discussed. A second meeting will be scheduled at midterm to review progress and make any necessary modifications in the contract.

Date due: September 27

Written evaluation. Your agency supervisor in your field placement will be asked to complete two written evaluations of your performance. The final evaluation will provide the primary basis for the course grade in the field placement. Evaluation of your performance for grading purposes will be based on the supervisor’s rating in two areas: (a) reliability and conscientiousness in fulfillment of assigned responsibilities; and
(b) perceptions of your potential for future work in rehabilitation settings serving people with disabilities and other special needs. The instructor may adjust the supervisor ratings if, after consultation with the agency supervisor and student, this seems justified. The agency supervisor will be asked to review the final evaluation with you, and you will then bring the final evaluation to the instructor on the last day of class.

Date due: December 13 (final day of class)

The following are course requirements for RP & SE 194-501 (Applications):

1. Presentation to the class on field placement sites. This assignment involves an oral presentation to the class regarding the agency or program in which you are completing your field placement. The following topics should be addressed: (a) agency structure, administration, funding, and staffing; (b) clientele served, including types of disabilities and needs presented and typical referral sources; (c) services provided; (d) case process within the agency. In addition to providing you with experience in oral presentation skills, the collective presentations will serve to introduce all students to all of the agencies and programs represented among students in the class. You will need to provide an outline to the class; you may do this as a power point presentation.

In compiling information for the presentation, you will need to interview staff at your field placement agency or program and collect written materials from the agency, was well as materials from other sources. All of the information will then be integrated into the presentation. A total of 15 minutes will be allotted for your presentation. About 10-12 minutes will be allotted for the presentation itself and the remaining time for questions and comments from the class. You should also bring copies of brochures or other written materials to hand out to the class, and distribute copies of an outline or summary of your presentation. Presentations will be graded on comprehensiveness, accuracy, and effectiveness in communicating the information to the class.

Dates: Oct. 04 and Oct. 11

2. Class participation. Students are expected to take responsibility for their learning in class and on field visits by asking questions and participating in discussions. Students are also responsible for facilitating a positive learning environment by demonstrating professional behaviors that would be expected in a rehabilitation work setting. Professional behavior will be graded as described in the class participation handout.

3. Observations and impressions from field visits. Following some of the field visits, two page observations and impressions will be prepared (typed, double-spaced) in narrative form. The observations and impressions help you reflect on what you learned through the visits, and further practice your basic writing skills. These writing assignments will be graded as described in your field visit handout.

Dates due: One week after the field site visit.
1. Valley Packaging: Due Sept. 27
2. UW Hospital: Due Oct. 25
3. UW Hospital: Due Nov. 15

4. Case note assignment. This assignment involves answering questions based on information presented in class and from your readings. To assist you in preparing case notes, instruction and guidelines will be presented in class.

Date due: Nov. 1

6. Major paper. The major writing assignment will be a paper (a “review article”, according to terminology used in the APA Manual) describing rehabilitation services appropriate to clients experiencing a disability/condition of interest. The paper will be developed in steps over the entire semester, with the final version of the paper due at the end of the course. Additional information and handouts will be provided regarding each of the steps in preparing the paper. The components of this assignment, along with due dates, include the following:

Proposal. A two-page proposal will be developed, as discussed in class and described in handouts. Individual meetings will be scheduled with each student to review the content of the proposal and to provide feedback on writing quality.

Date due: Oct. 11

Outline. An outline for the major paper will be developed as discussed in class and described in handouts.

Date due: Oct. 18

Major paper (first draft). The major paper, and also the revised major paper, will be ten pages in length (in addition to the title page and reference section). At least 6-10 references should be cited in the paper and included in the references section. The paper should follow APA style.

Date due: Nov. 8

Revision of major paper. The major paper will be revised incorporating feedback from the instructor and/or TA.

Date due: Dec. 6

You will also present your final paper to the class; you will provide the class with an outline hand-out of your paper.

Attendance/Assignments
Attendance at every class is expected. Absences will result in a course grade reduction. Please speak with the instructor or TA if you cannot be on time to class. Students absent on the days of presentations, field visits, and/or class activities will not receive credit for those portions of the grade.

Assignments are due on the dates specified. Late writing assignments will result in a grade reduction on that assignment.

Previously written papers and papers being written in other courses will not be accepted; students can expect that there will be consultation with other instructors. Plagiarism and other instances of academic dishonesty will be processed according to university policy.

All assignments should be typed, double-spaced, and in APA style. Please make copies of assignments before handing them in.

Course Grades

RP & SE 501 Rehabilitation Counseling Psychology-Applications

Presentations and Class Participation

20 points Presentation on field placement site

30 points Presentation on final paper and conclusions

20 points Class participation and Attendance (be prepared for field visits and have questions)

Writing Assignments

30 points Observations and impressions from field visits (total across all 3 assignments, 10 points each); your first review you must revise; your grade will be the average of the two versions

30 points Case note and questions assignment

35 points In class work on writing (title page, introduction paragraph)

Major paper

20 points Proposal

10 points Outline

25 points PsychINFO search (five references)

35 points Major paper first version

45 points Major paper revision

Total points possible: 300

Grading guidelines:

100-92% = A

91-85% = AB

84-78% = B

77-73% = BC

72-67% = C

66-61% = D

Below 60% = F

RP & SE 630 Internship in Rehabilitation or Special Education

70 % Evaluation of performance in the field placement evaluation

30% Includes completing learning contract by due date; contribution to class discussions regarding placements, fulfilling your hours; handing in your evaluations, making up work as needed