| Overview: |
The student will complete 40 hours (per credit) of documented experience at a pre-approved (by myself and the department head) internship site. The student's experience may be a
volunteer or paid position that is directly related to the field of psychology and/or the student's career path. Participation in professional activities allows students
to experience the work environment in their chosen field, make informed career choices, and enhance their employment credentials. These experiences reinforce the connection
between professional and liberal learning through the application of classroom theories to actual occupational problems. This course requires 40 hours (per credit) on site, as well as
the completion of the academic requirements established by the instructor (see below). |
| Objectives: | Upon successful completion of this course, each student will have the ability to:
- acquire specialized information, both theoretical and practical, about topics of particular interest to psychologists.
- apply knowledge gained in the classroom to diverse social responsibilities and situations.
- develop an awareness of and appreciation for the diverse and multiple employment opportunities provided by a Psychology major.
- develop a professional network.
- apply principles of psychology to solve a personal, organizational, social, research, or industry problem.
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| Help: | The following link may be helpful for identifying volunteer opportunities in your area:
Volunteer Solutions |
| Assessment: | Grades will derive from:
- Faculty-Student Conferences. You should confer with me (faculty advisor) to discuss your progress throughout the course
(our meetings can be face-to-face or virtual as needed). One of these meetings MAY be completed during a site visit by the faculty
advisor. We should meet once a week until you turn in all graded assignments (listed below). Our first meeting should be scheduled
immediately at the beginning of the semester so we can deal with any issues or concerns about your practicum site. YOU
SHOULD TOUCH BASE WITH ME EVERY WEEK! If you cannot meet with me in person (or virtually), then EMAIL
me! Topics of discussion at our meetings will include, but are not limited to, the following:
- Review of journal entries to date.
- Issues or concerns about your duties and experiences at the practicum site.
- Review of pre-planning and drafts for final paper.
- Journals: This component should include:
- Daily Entries: For each day, list the number of hours worked, a description of daily responsibilities and duties, and a brief
paragraph reflecting on that day's experiences.
- Weekly Reflections: How are your experiences consistent with or different from the content you learned in your course work? How has
your understanding of psychology evolved/changed/been supported by your experiences? How have you grown professionally through this experience?
- Photo-Tour PowerPoint of Practicum: This will provide a brief textual and
visual summary of your experience at the practicum site which other potential candidates can read over and view to get a sense of your responsibilities and experiences.
Important Note: This component is NOT intended to put you in an any awkward, ethical, or moral dilemmas. You should make sure that (a) your on-site supervisor understands
this requirement, and (b) no photo (or text) compromises the privacy or consent of any subject (person, event, or location) in the photos you take. There is no specific format that you
need to follow, but here are some basic guidelines mixed in with some minimum requirements:
- You should probably begin with a basic description of the practicum site (its goals, purpose, etc.). Consider whether it would be worthwhile to include the reason you selected the
site, how it relates to your career goals, or anything else you believe is pertinent.
- The final slideshow should have at least one photo for every 5 hours of on-site practicum time (e.g., 120 hours = 24 photos). If you are not sure if a photo can or should be taken,
you must ask your site supervisor. Before submitting your final PowerPoint file to me you should have all content checked by the on-site person supervising your practicum experience.
THEY will have final say over what can and cannot be included in this file before it is finalized for a grade.
- The final PowerPoint slideshow will be organized effectively to convey your duties and responsibilities (and any other topics deemed relevant) visually and in text. In other words,
each image should be accompanied by explanatory text. If you are unsure of the value of a photo topic, please discuss it with me beforehand.
- Please do not forget to end your slideshow with an overall take-away from your experience. Did you like it? Was it worthwhile? Would you recommend it to others? Any advice to students
thinking about doing the same practicum? Whatever else you can think of that helps to bring closure to your presentation.
- Final Evaluation Paper/Project: Compare and contrast your experience in the Practicum with
the theories and information that you learned in relevant course work. Requirements for this component include:
- The paper must be approximately 3 pages per credit hour with an appropriate list of citations (if needed) correctly utilizing current APA style of documentation.
- The paper should begin with a summary of your interests that led you to choose the practicum site; and be sure to describe the purpose/goals of that site (i.e., familiarize the reader
with the practicum site). Feel free to describe your most memorable or transformative experiences there (this would likely come from your journal entries). You should describe (as
specifically as possible) how the psychology courses you took at RMU helped to prepare you for this experience. You should describe ways that RMU could have reasonably better prepared
you for the practicum experience. And you should discuss ways that RMU could not have been expected to prepare you (in other words, this would be the things you learned or experienced that
you derived solely from the practicum site i.e., why the practicum is an important part of the educational experience beyond the classroom environment).
- If appropriate, the student may be invited to make an oral presentation to a class. The presentation will be arranged and evaluated by the faculty advisor.
- Student Evaluation of Practicum Experience: The student will complete the Student Evaluation of Practicum Experience form (see below). The student will make
recommendations for future students who may consider completing a Practicum at the same site.
- Site Supervisor's Evaluation of Your Performance: The form for this component is listed (linked) below. However, if the practicum site has
and uses its own evaluation, that may serve as a substitute for the one listed here (below). Your supervisor should email the completed form to me: paul@rmu.edu
- Official Time-Sheet: The form for this component is listed (linked) below. However, if the practicum site has and uses its own time-sheet form, that may serve as a substitute for the one listed here (below). This is needed to document that you fullfilled the 40-hour per credit practicum requirement.
- Reminders for meetings, dues dates, etc., IF ANY, are only a courtesy, not a guarantee. YOU are responsible for meeting deadlines, remembering to attend our 1-on-1 conversations,
email updates, and so on.
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| Policies: |
- Accessibility Accommodations for Students: Robert Morris University welcomes students with disabilities into all of the University's
educational programs. If you have, or think you may have, a disability that would impact your educational experience in this class, please contact Student
Accessibility Services (SAS) to schedule a meeting with the SAS Coordinator and Assistant Director Molly Hill. She will confidentially discuss your needs,
review your documentation, and engage with you in the interactive process to determine your eligibility for reasonable accommodations. To learn more about
academic accommodations, please visit rmu.edu/sas, email sas@rmu.edu, or call 412.397.6884.
- In an Emergency: RMU Police emergency response telephone number is: 412-397-2424. From campus telephones dial only: 2424.
- RMU Alert: All students are urged to sign up for the RMU emergency alert notifications at rmu.edu/rmualert.
Always check with RMU to see if classes are in session during inclement weather.
- Academic Integrity: Academic Integrity is one of this university's highest ethical values. All students are expected to understand and adhere
to the standards of Academic Integrity as stated in the RMU Academic Integrity Policy, which can be found on the RMU website at rmu.edu/ai. Any student who
violates the Academic Integrity Policy is subject to possible judicial proceedings that may result in sanctions, as indicated in the Policy. Depending on the
severity of the violation, sanctions may range from receiving a zero on an assignment, to being dismissed from the university. If you have any questions about
the Policy, please consult your course instructor.
NOTE: The use of artificial intelligence (AI) technology for the completion of coursework is not allowed unless expressly permitted by the instructor
for the course.
Excerpt from Robert Morris University Student Academic Integrity Policy and Judicial Procedures document (June 1, 2011, p. 3):
Violation of 'Fair Use': As noted, students' projects may include any of the following works:
- speeches, PowerPoint presentations, web pages, charts, graphs, illustrations, images, photographs, drawings, cartoons, and the like
- material obtained through people such as news sources, video and audio recordings, interviews, and the like
- information and opinions obtained through electronic media such as web sites, blogs, images, video as well as audio materials, and the like.
Improper use of any such work or similar authored by other people is a violation of academic integrity as is the failure to comply with "fair-use" requirements.
In many cases, written permission from the artist is required for use in a student's project. Students who feature the original artistic media works of others
in their projects should ensure that they have complied with the legal and artistic implications of this use. This includes knowledge of the concepts of "licensing,"
"copyright," "fair use" and "public domain." (See fairusenetwork.com).
- Incident Reporting: If there is an incident in which physical contact occurs between two or more persons at the practicum
site, students must complete an Incident Report Form which is included in
the practicum packet and submit it to their faculty mentor within 48 hours, whether an injury occurred or not. If an injury occurred, it must
be discussed in detail, along with listing any medical care which took place. The Incodent Report Form may be accessed HERE.
- Grading: The required meetings with me will constitute 15 percent of your final grade, and the journal will contribute
another 20 percent. Your final paper will earn you 40 percent toward your final grade. The PowerPoint tour will constitute 10 percent of your
final grade. The remaining 15 percent will come from your site supervisor's evaluation of your performance together with your own evaluation
of the experience. The breakdown below will be used to determine final grades (based on overall percentage earned by semester's end):
| A = 93.0 - 100 | B = 83.0 - 86.9 | C = 70.0 - 74.9 |
| A- = 90.0 - 92.9 | B- = 80.0 - 82.9 | D = 60.0 - 69.9 |
| B+ = 87.0 - 89.9 | C+ = 75.0 - 79.9 | F = 0 - 59.9 |
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| Documents: | The documents below should be helpful in completing the requirements for this
course:
- Psychology Practicum Timesheet
- Student Evaluation of Psychology Practicum Experience
- Site Supervisor's Evaluation of Student
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