Practicum in Social Work - SOSC4901

Course Syllabus – Fall 2017

TABLE OF CONTENTS

PROFESSOR INFORMATION:

Professor:Abigail Kolb, PhD

Email:

Office:T103 Clayton Hall

Office Hours:Mon & Wed 10-12:30

Tuesday 4:30-5:30(or by appointment)

Office Phone:(678) 466-4866

Fax: (678) 466-4899

COURSE INFORMATION:

Classroom:N/A; students will meet individually with instructor

Textbook:No textbook; readings will be assigned by instructor

Course Prerequisites: SOSC 1101

Catalog Description:Students will work with a community agency to identify and research a community need. They will then work with the agency to develop a plan for addressing the need

Learning Outcomes: Students enrolled in this course will apply material learned in their major to real life experiences gained through their practicum.

ATTENDANCE

University Attendance Policy:

Students are expected to attend and participate in every class meeting. Instructors establish specific policies relating to absences in their courses and communicate these policies to the students through the course syllabi. Individual instructors, based upon the nature of the course, determine what effect excused and unexcused absences have in determining grades and upon students’ ability to remain enrolled in their courses. The university reserves the right to determine that excessive absences, whether justified or not, are sufficient cause for institutional withdrawals or failing grades.

Course Attendance Policy

This course does not require class attendance. However, students enrolled in the Social Work Practicum are required to meet with their instructor a minimum of one (1) time per month.

EMAIL CORRESPONDENCE

PLEASE SEND ALL EMAILS TO my account. Since I teach multiple classes each semester, it is easier for me to monitor one email account than check 3 or more separate accounts (one email account for each course).

Please allow a 24 hour response time for any correspondence. Thus, if I receive an email on Monday morning at 9am I will respond by Tuesday 9am. In addition, I will respond to emails received on Friday by Monday.

I will ONLY respond to emails sent from a Clayton State University address. Therefore, do not send me emails using a personal account such as Hotmail, Yahoo, Gmail, etc.

I maintain a busy schedule and may not be able to respond to email requests or questions immediately. Therefore, please do not wait until the last minute to email me questions about assignment instructions or requirements. You need to review assignments promptly and ask any questions immediately.

When sending emails please include: (a) your name and (b) course name. Without this information, it will be difficult for me to respond.

Finally, I will not respond to emails that will request information that is outlined on the syllabus such as course readings or assignment due dates.

STUDENT EXPECTATIONS & RESPONSIBILITIES

Clayton State University Student Responsibilities:

Students must abide by policies in the Clayton State University Student and the Basic Undergraduate Student Responsibilities (

Student Expectations: Students will be expected to:

Read all course materials,

Complete and submit assignments on the due date.

Student Disability Services:

Individuals with disabilities who need to request accommodations should contact the Disability Services Coordinator, Student Center 255 (678) 466-5445.

Academic Dishonesty:

Students will be expected to uphold the academic code of ethics. This means that academic dishonesty (i.e., cheating, plagiarism, etc) will not be tolerated under any circumstances. Academic misconduct violates the integrity of the classroom, the learning environment, and the rights of others.

Students who cheat will receive no credit for the assignment and may be subject to receiving a grade of “F” for the course depending on the severity of the offense. Don’t cheat; it’s not worth it!

All instances of academic dishonesty will be reported to the Office of Student Life/Judicial Affairs. The Judicial procedures are described at

Plagiarism Detection Software: Students agree that by taking this course all required papers may be subject to submission for textual similarity review to Turnitin.com for the detection of plagiarism. All submitted papers will be included as source documents in the Turnitin.com reference database solely for the purpose of detecting plagiarism of such papers.

Plagiarism also includes over-quoting. Do not directly copy information from the book or scholarly articles without proper citation (see Writing Tips or go to for help referencing). At most you should only include two or three short (i.e., not multiple sentences) direct quotes for your entire paper. If you include more than this, you will be in jeopardy of plagiarizing your paper.

• Missed Assignments/Work:

Any student who misses class and does not complete a quiz and fails to submit their assignments by the deadline will receive a “0”. Consideration for make-up assignments will be given to students with documented emergencies. Students must get in touch with me within the week in order to make up the assignment. Students approved to make up work will be given a different version of the quiz, or assignment.

Please do not ask me to make an exception for you unless you provide proper documentation within the allotted time frame

Do not wait until the end of the semester to discuss concerns about grades.

I will not, under any circumstances, make special exceptions or provide additional assignments to students who are unhappy with their grade. Please do not ask.

COMPUTER REQUIREMENTS & SKILL REQUISITES

Each CSU student is required to have ready access throughout the semester to a notebook computer that meets faculty-approved hardware and software requirements for the student’s academic program. Students will sign a statement attesting to such access. For further information on CSU’s Official Notebook Computer Policy, please go to

Students will be required to use their computers to access course materials, submit assignments, view grades, communicate with the professor, and so forth. Students will be expected to perform or use the following applications without professor instruction:

1.Windows™ operating system

2.Microsoft Word™ word processing

3.Send & receive e-mail using Outlook™ or Outlook Express™

4.Attach and retrieve attached files via email

5.Use a Web browser

6.Use Adobe Reader to access files in PDF format:

i.To properly access the course content you will need to download the following free software:

1.Adobe Reader (needed to access files in PDF format):

2.Adobe Flash (needed to access video content):

OPERATION STUDY

At Clayton State University, we expect and support high motivation and academic achievement. Look for Operation Study activities and programs this semester that are designed to enhance your academic success such as study sessions, study breaks, workshops, and opportunities to earn Study Bucks (for use in the University Bookstore) and other items.

DESIRE 2 LEARN

All course information including the syllabus, study guides, assignments, course readings, and other handouts will be posted in Desire2Learn.

Students will be expected to submit (upload) all assignments in D2L Dropbox.

NOTE: I WILL NOT ACCEPT any assignments that are emailed or delivered as hard copies.

You can gain access to Desire2Learn, by signing on to the SWAN portal and selecting the “D2L” icon on the top right-hand side of the page.

If you experience any difficulties in Desire2Learn, please email or call The HUB at or (678) 466-HELP. You will need to provide the date and time of the problem, your SWAN username, the name of the course that you are attempting to access, and your instructor's name.

Student training videos and print materials can be found at

Course Expectations:

This course provides an opportunity for students completing a social work minor to gain experiential knowledge through a practicum. A practicum is designed to allow students the opportunity to observe and participate in an agency’s activities in order to determine one’s interest in career direction. Students are not expected to implement agency changes but rather to demonstrate their understanding of the agency and relevant literature to propose a solution based upon feasible outcomes. Students are expected to complete 60 hours at the agency (5 hours per week), and log their hours.

Students must contact agencies of interest, and should decide on an agency by the first week of September. A list of potential agencies can be found at: .

Assignments:

  • Agency Overview:Students are required to complete an overview of the agency in which they will complete their practicum. The Agency Overview document is located in D2L in the folder titled “August 2017”. Students will submit this assignment in D2L no later than Sunday Sept. 3rd by 11:59pm. In addition to this assignment, students are to discuss professional expectations with their direct supervisor at the agency. Students will submit a copy of the expectations with their overview.
  • Needs Assessment:The purpose of this practicum is to identify and address a current need, or needs, within the agency. Students will complete a needs assessment based on a review of agency data, and communication with employees and administrators of the agency. The needs assessment template is located in D2L in the folder titled “September 2017”. Students will submit this assignment in D2L no later than Friday September 15th by 11:59pm.
  • Agency Evaluation: I will meet with your supervisor at the agency –either in person or over the phone –to discuss your progress. Your supervisor will also fill out a performance evaluation at the end of the semester regarding your participation at the agency and hours completed.
  • Oral Presentation: Students will be expected to give an oral presentation using a PowerPoint slideshow. The presentation should provide an overview of their agency, agency need(s), and proposed program implementation.
  • Final Paper:The paper will be written in sections including:

A general overview section will include information about your agency, including purpose and structure, agency strengths, and identified needs.

A literature review section will include a summary of five academic references that address the specific need(s) you have identified. The literature review should highlight important findings related to your identified agency need(s).

A proposal of evidence-based program implementation to address agency need(s)

  • Extra Credit: No.

Grading Criteria:

Points / Percent of Final Grade
Agency Overview / 10 / 4
Needs Assessment & Professional Expectations / 50 / 20
Agency Evaluation / 10 / 4
Timesheet/log of hours and activities / 60 / 24
Final Paper / 70 / 28
Oral Presentation / 50 / 20
250 / 100

TENTATIVE COURSE SCHEDULE

IMPORTANT NOTES:

This is a tentative schedule and is subject to change at any point during the semester at the discretion of the professor. Any changes will be noted in the weekly announcements.

Month / Readings / Assignments
August / - Armand Lauffer (2011). Understanding Your
Social Agency. Thousand Oaks, CA: SAGE Publications
ISBN: 9781452274690
Read: Chs. 7 and 10 /
  • Contact agencies
  • Schedule initial meeting with
Dr. Kolb
September /
  • Conducting a Needs Assessment
Center for Urban Research and Learning and the Dept.
of Psychology. (2000). A Community Needs Assessment
Guide: A Brief Guide on How to Conduct a Needs Assessment.
Chicago, IL: Aparna Sharma, Mindy Lanum, and Yolanda
Suarez-Balcazar.
Dudley, J.R. (2008). Social Work Evaluation:
Enhancing What We Do. Chicago, IL: Lyceum Books (Read: Ch. 6)
Kolb – Conducing a Needs Assessment document
University of Arizona. (nd). Needs Analysis
  • Professional Communication:
Datar, S., & Karve Institute of Social, S. (2010). Skill
Training for Social Workers : A Manual. Deonar, Mumbai:
Sage Publications (Read Ch. 5)
Neville, L. (2009). Interpersonal Skills for the People
Professions: Learning From Practice. Exeter: Reflect Press.
(Read Chs. 4 & 5) /
  • Agency overview and professional
Expectations due in D2L no later
than Sunday Sept. 3rd by 11:59pm
  • Agency needs assessment due in
D2L no later than Friday Sept. 15th
By 11:59pm
October /
  • Self-Care
Jackson, K. (2014). Social Worker Self-Care – The
Overlooked Core Competency. Social Work Today. Vol. 14(3).

Moore, S., Perry, A., Bledsoe, L.K., Robinson, M.A.
(2011). SocialWork Students and Self-Care: A Model
Assignment for Teaching.Journal of Social Work Education
November /
  • Professional Writing and Presentations
Platow, M. (2002). Giving Professional Presentations in
the Behavioral Sciences and Related Fields : A Practical Guide
for Novice, the Nervous and the Nonchalant.
New York: Psychology Press.

Weisman, D., and Zornado, J. (2012). Professional Writing for
Social Work Practice. New York, NY: Springer Publishing Co.
(Read pp. 55-59)
  • The Termination Process
Knapp, H. (2010). Introduction to Social Work Practice : A
Practical Workbook. Los Angeles: SAGE Publications, Inc. /
  • Final Presentations Friday Dec. 1st
from 12-1:30pm
  • Timesheets due Friday Dec. 1st

December /
  • Final Paper Sunday Dec. 3rd no later
than 11:59pm in D2L Dropbox

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