Syllabus for PSY-331-OL
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Introduction to Counseling introduces counseling theory and practice. Various aspects of the counseling profession are explored including: the foundations of counseling; psychological theories; techniques and processes relevant to counseling; professional, ethical, and legal issues; and counseling practice. The purpose of this course is to provide you with the opportunity to examine these areas of counseling and to introduce you to this profession. This course should serve as a foundation for other counseling courses.
Through studying Introduction to Counseling, you should be able to:
You will need the following textbook to complete the work of the course. The textbook is available from the textbook supplier, MBS Direct.
Introduction to Counseling is a three-credit online course, consisting of five (5) assignment modules. You are required to participate in five (5) graded class discussions, complete five (5) written assignments, and take a proctored midterm examination. In addition, you are required to prepare and submit two papers: (1) a written report based on your observation of a counseling agency and (2) a final project. For further details on these requirements, see the sections that follow. For the course's five assignment modules, go to the Assignment Modules area of the course Web site. See also the course Calendar.)
Introduction to Counseling requires you to participate in five graded online discussions, in addition to an ungraded "Introductions" forum in module 1. Communication with the mentor and among fellow students is a critical component of online learning. Participation in online discussions involves two distinct activities: an initial response to a posted activity and subsequent comments on classmates' responses. Meaningful participation is relevant to the content, adds value, and advances the discussion. Comments such as "I agree" and "ditto" are not considered value-adding participation. Therefore, when you agree or disagree with a classmate, the reading, or your mentor, state and support your agreement or disagreement. You will be evaluated on the quality and quantity of your participation. Responses and comments should be properly proofread and edited, professional, and respectful. Deadlines for posting discussion threads on the class Discussion Board are given in the course Calendar. For additional information on online discussions, see Online Discussions in the Online Student Handbook.
The five (5) written assignments in the course are built around associated chapters in the textbook. Take the time to familiarize yourself with the written assignment questions for each assignment module before you begin that module's reading assignments. Your answers to the assignment questions should be well developed and convey your understanding of the course materials. Formulate responses in your own words (do not merely copy answers from your reading materials), citing text materials where appropriate and in an appropriate manner. Prepare your written assignments using whatever word processing program you have on your computer. Include your name at the top of the paper, as well as the course name and code and the semester and year in which you are enrolled. Before submitting your first assignment, check with your mentor to determine whether your word processing software is compatible with your mentor's software. If so, you can submit your work as you prepared it. If not, save your assignment as a rich-text (.rtf) file, using the Save As command of your software program. Rich text retains basic formatting and can be read by any other word processing program. When satisfied that your assignment represents your best work, submit it to your mentor by means of the
>>View/Complete Assignment link provided at the bottom of the respective assignment page. Use the Browse button within this link to locate and attach your assignment file. Click You are required to take a proctored midterm examination. Consult the course Calendar for the scheduling of this exam. The midterm is a closed-book, proctored exam. It is two hours long and covers material from textbook chapters 1–10. The exam consists of four (4) essay questions. You may take the examination only during the designated exam week, at an approved location, and with an approved proctor. In this regard, you need to schedule your exam and submit your "Proctor Request Form" with the necessary documentation no later than the end of the first week of the semester (see Administrative Forms in the General Information area of the course Web site). If you are on a course extension and have not yet taken the midterm exam, you must let your examination proctor know when you plan to take the exam and contact the Office of Test Administration (609-984-1181) two weeks in advance to request that your exam be sent to the proctor. For more information on scheduling a proctored examination, see the section Examinations and Proctors in the Online Student Handbook. You are required to visit a counseling agency (e.g., a shelter for the homeless, a rehabilitation center, a college counseling center, etc.) and write a report based on your observation of the agency. The report must be 3–5 pages in length (typed, double-spaced) and should include descriptions of the type of agency, its purpose, the counseling provided, and the staff structure. See the Agency Report area of the course Web site for further details. If you are not sure of the appropriateness of a particular agency for your report, contact your mentor to discuss your choice before making a decision. In lieu of a final exam, you are required to complete a final project (worth 20 percent of your course grade). The final project asks you to choose a counseling specialty and to complete a 5–7 page paper (typed, double-spaced) on a specific problem related to that specialty. The project entails two stages: Stage 1: Prepare and submit either a detailed sentence outline or a rough draft of your paper to the mentor for comments and feedback (worth 5% of your course grade). Stage 2: Complete and submit the final paper (worth 15% of your course grade). Please see the Final Project area of the course Web site for further details. Your grade in the course will be determined as follows: To receive credit for the course, you must earn a letter grade of D or higher on the weighted average of all assigned course work (e.g., exams, assignments, discussion postings, etc.). You will receive a score of 0 for any work not submitted. Letter grades for online participation, written assignments, the agency report, and examinations are based on the following numerical grades: First Steps to Success Study Tips |
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to turn in the assignment.