Action Research Project
Title:
Level of Competency Achievement in Chemical
Dependency Studies Class, “Law and Ethics”,
HUMS 208
Class Description:
This class includes coverage of all the laws involved
in substance use disorders, and state and federal
rules, statutes, and charters regarding competence,
licensure, professional conduct, and more. Ethics
for Chemical Dependency Professionals are
discussed in depth, with special attention to ethical
dilemmas commonly encountered by counselors.
Learning Outcome Desired:
Students will achieve the rubric level of:
“Developing Counselor”. This means the student
will have the entry- level skills to enter a treatment
site as a trainee or intern. These skills and
competencies are:an understanding the rules/laws
the purpose and rationale they serve, the
Code of Ethics, and importance and value these
provide both the patient and the professional.
Awareness is stressed regarding potential conflicts
between a law and an ethic, as well as other
dilemmas.
Page one
Pedagogical Strategies:
Discussions and readings by students reviewing the
rationale, and importance of law and ethics in
professional practice.
Students will write brief essays explain how both
Counselor, and the patient are “stakeholders”, when
appropriate adherence to the guidelines of the laws
and ethics are followed.
Students will practice finding solutions to ethical
dilemmas in classroom discussion and activities.
Assessment Methods:
Content of essays, discussions, and dilemma solving
strategies will be reviewed for depth, andthe
comprehension of the above stated strategies, with
special attention to value and importance for all
stakeholders involved.
Outcome Measures:
Students will be able to articulate the relevance of the
subject, how it applies to the individual in
professional practice, demonstrate both critical
thinking and creative problem solving, when dealing
ethical dilemmas, and express the importance of this
knowledge with clarity in both written and verbal
presentations. Ranking is: (1) exceeds levels needed
for entry level training; (2) meets expectations for
training; (3) needs more work to attain “Developing
Counselor” entry level competency,
Results:
The paucity of students attending (N=3) did allow for
more interaction between faculty and students. The
discussions were lively and did allow for more depth.
The benefits did certainly outweigh the negatives.
These were obvious in the sense that this smaller size
class afforded more “hands on” time and exploration
by the instructor to pursue the issues of relevance in
depth and how such applied to profession practice
situations. The negatives were that the group did not
represent a wider range of responsesa group of 20
would , presumably, given different learning styles of
learning may provide (interest, fund of knowledge,
etc.). It seems a more empiricalresult would occur
using a more sizable ‘N’.
Strategies:
The brief essays were more than adequate in
demonstrating a solid grasp of the “ stakeholder”
issue.
Solving ethical dilemmas was equally adequate from
observations, and some faculty involvement – students
compared an ethic with a law in a hypothetical
situation in which the two were in conflict. The
energy, creativity, and challenges were excellent in
these discussions.
Assessment:
The depth, comprehension, and appropriately weight-
ed value and importance, was even across the students.
The Outcomes:
The students were more adequately prepared for the Entry
Level ranking of Number 1.