Download HUSB 332 Group Project III (Turner)

Springfield College
School of Professional and Continuing Studies
St. Johnsbury Campus
Group Project in Community Development and Change III
ADST/ECED/HUSB 332 (4 credits)
Summer 2017
Instructors Name: Patricia Turner , M Ed.
Address: 347 Emerson Falls Rd. St. Johnsbury, VT 05819
Phone number: (802) 324-0388
College e-mail address: [email protected]
Class Schedule:
Dates: Saturdays 5/20, 6/17, 7/15, 8/12/17
Time: 9am-5pm
Location: St. Johnsbury Campus
REQUIRED TEXT(S):
American Psychological Association. (2010). Publication Manual. (6th ed.). Washington,
DC: Author. ISBN 978-1-4338-0561-5. Please be sure to get the 2nd printing version! The
1st printing run has multiple errors.
The costs for all textbooks can be found at:
http://www.bkstr.com/springfieldstore/shop/textbooks-and-course-materials.
Community Toolbox Website http://ctb.ku.edu/en
Lawson, Hal A., Caringi, James, Pyles, Loretta (2015). Pocket Guide to Social Work Research
Methods: Participatory Action Research Oxford University Press eBook ISBN: 9780190204396
eBook/ Resources Option
The above reading materials for this course are made available at no cost to students, and may be
accessed via links found in our Moodle classroom. These resources are ebooks/articles licensed
through the library and/or high-quality materials that are freely available online, and they have
been chosen specifically for this course by PCS faculty in consultation with the school's library
liaison. For information about using library ebooks, please click on the Link:
https://youtu.be/l1TYiniKKYg
RECOMMENDED RESOURCES:
Stringer, E. & Dwyer, R. (2005). Action Research in Human Services. NY: Pearson Merrill
Prentice Hall. ISBN 0-13-097323-4
COURSE DESCRIPTION:
The third course in the Group Project sequence focuses on evaluation, documentation, and oral
presentation of the group project. The course requires students to produce a written final report
that assesses the impact of the group project on the participants and the community.
There is a formal group presentation of project findings to faculty and community partner(s).
COURSE OBJECTIVES:

Develop skills in critical analysis of community action.

Document the outcomes of community action.

Document personal development, both individually and corporately, in
community action.

Clearly and effectively through oral presentation communicate the outcomes
of community action utilizing computer technology.
COURSE DOCUMENTATION:
•
Final Group Binder, including 12 meeting minutes from the previous Group
Project courses, as well as six additional meeting minutes
•
Final Individual Binder
•
Final Group Project
•
Oral Presentation/ Power Point Presentation or can use other format
Tasks to be completed:
•
Group Project Final Report
The final phase in the Group Project sequence is analyzing the data collected and
reporting the results. Members of the group offer a capstone analysis of their work
over the three terms of the Group Project. In the process of ending the groups’
participation in the community, the group must assess the influence of the Group
Project within the context of the community and include the information in the final
paper noting all changes that have occurred as a result of the project. The report
should review and analyze the influence of the Group Project, with consideration
given to both the process and results. Finally, the report should determine the
sustainability of the Group Project with community partner(s).
•
Presentation to faculty, students, and community partner(s)
The oral presentation should be a summary of the group’s project experience
including a report on the influence of the Group Project and the lessons learned. Each
group member participates in the oral presentation. In order to enable information
about Group Projects to be collected centrally, each group is expected to complete
and submit a Scholars in Action Presentation Information Sheet by the third class
session which is posted in the Moodle classroom and available in the Project
Handbook.
•
Final Group Project Binder
The Final Group Project Binder is a compilation of the primary materials and
documents that the group utilized for the planning, implementation, and evaluation.
See Project Handbook for complete details. Two copies are required.
•
Final Individual Binder
The Individual Binder is a compilation of all journaling and self-assessment
assignments completed over the three course sequence.
COURSE FORMAT:
This course will make use of a combination of brief lectures, extensive and intensive
class discussions, topically relevant videos, small group work, project-based independent
research, and extensive self-directed reflective fieldwork and practice. As is the case in
each term of the three-semester Group Project cycle, active student involvement and
cogent self-discipline are very important to success. I strongly encourage you to revisit
regularly the clear requirements laid out in the Group Project Handbook; these mandates,
carefully followed, ensure excellent outcomes.
REMEMBER: KEEP A LOG OF ALL ACTIVITIES THROUGHOUT YOUR 3
SEMESTER PROJECT. THERE IS AN EXAMPLE IN THE GROUP PROJECT
HANDBOOK. THIS WILL BECOME PART OF YOUR FINAL PROJECT
REPORT.
ASSIGNMENTS, DETAILS, CLASS DISCUSSIONS, AND DUE
DATES
Each assignment is intended to provide you with an opportunity to think deeply and
broadly about the specifics of your ongoing collective project efforts. Please be creative,
analytical, forthright, comprehensive, and persuasive in your responses. A number of
additional assignments may be based directly on links to online resources that I may post
occasionally as the semester progresses. Please post your work to our Moodle Learning
Management System for each assignment by the stated due date. Please note, too, that the
APA Publication Manual (6th ed.) is listed as a required text simply to serve as a
reminder; you already have it from your Group Project I course. It is, as you know, an
invaluable resource to guide you in correct formatting of all papers for this course and in
fact for all your courses at Springfield College’s School of Professional and Continuing
Studies.
Important Detail 1. If you should ever have questions about items you come across in
our texts or in my comments, questions, or links that seem confusing, unclear, or simply
require more explanation or amplification to flesh them out, please bring them to my
attention. I have long since learned that if one student has questions about a particular
detail, almost invariably others have identical or similar queries.
Important Detail 2. Be sure that you access Moodle through the Firefox web browser,
which can be downloaded free at www.firefox.com. Among multiples advantages the
use of Firefox provides is a seamless spellcheck function, which do not work if you use
Internet Explorer, Chrome, or Safari browsers. Discussion forums do not work properly
in other browsers, either, and these are very important functions in our ongoing
exchanges.
Important Detail 3. As always (in this as in all your courses at the college), please post
all attachments to the Moodle LMS only in <.doc> format to ensure that all participants
can open them: <.docx> formatting often is not readable by older operating systems, and
our IT department requires that we not use <.rtf>.
Important Detail 4. Please note that under the guidelines of Federal mandates to colleges
and universities, 14 hours per credit of instruction must now be provided (56 hours for a
4 credit course). This is an additional 24 hours beyond the 32 hours in total that we meet
face to face during our monthly class encounters. We will fulfill this requirement by
way of instructor-led interactions within Moodle, carefully orchestrated and monitored
which will begin after the first class session and will continue across the times between
class meetings. These instructor-student exchanges will afford us the opportunity to
successfully reach the required number of web-enhanced instructional hours. All
relevant particulars about these activities, including specific time parameters and due
dates, will be clarified during our first class meeting, and all this necessary additional
information will also then be posted on our Moodle course homepage.
COURSE OVERVIEW:
Assignments in preparation for Session I: Pre-Class Assignment


Meet at least once with your full team to advance the vision, mission, and action
of your project. Continue to post details of your individual and collective work
to the Moodle classroom.
Assignment: Develop a 2 page essay that gives a summation of current project. Please
include the following:
o Your mission and vision statement
o Your current status as a group and as an individual
o Next steps
o What is still missing or outstanding
o Please post this essay to the Moodle assignment no later than May 17, 2017.
Session One:
In-class topics:
Our focus for this introductory class meeting will be primarily on working through the
progress the team has made since your last class meeting (the final class of Group Project
II).
We will discuss particulars regarding data collection for your project. This is a time to
formalize your process and discuss your action plan in detail.
Assignments in preparation for Session II:
Post the Group's Literature Review in Moodle by Sunday June 4 th
@Midnight.
• Meet at least once with your full team, preferably twice. A central focus of your
meetings needs to be discussion regarding and crafting your data collection and project
events. Continue meeting with as many of your community partners as possible, and
remain in regular contact with your Technical Advisor. Post regular updates in Moodle
via group meeting notes and journals. Continue to keep careful record of each
significant step forward to simplify final reporting, and to share this data both within
your group and with the class.
• Complete the data collection process of your project and begin the analysis process. Be
prepared to share your progress and findings in class where we assist each group with
the analysis process.
Prepare a draft outline of your presentation and post to the Moodle assignment area by
Saturday June 17, 2017, @ midnight including:
•
•
•
•
Draft PowerPoint
Roles for each group member
Listing of all handouts or documents to be used
Any additional tools
*NOTE: Each group member should post his/her copy of the outline and PowerPoint.
One copy of the PowerPoint should be brought to class for review and class discussion.
Moodle Assignments:
Between this class and the following, students must participate in web-enhanced
instructional activities via Moodle.
Session Two:
In-class topics:
Our focus for this class will be on collectively advancing the form and structure of your
Project. In particular, we will share work completed to date on data collection and
analysis, begin preparing your research paper (group binder) to include Literature Review
and all other parts, your individual binder and begin preparing for giving your formal
presentation.
Assignments in preparation for Session III:
• Please meet at least once with your team, and preferably twice. Continue meeting with
as many of your community partners as possible, and remain in regular contact with
your Technical Advisor. Effective communication and problem solving techniques will
be key in this phase of the process. Further review and modify all documents related to
your group’s project. Post regular updates in Moodle via group meeting notes and
journals. Continue to keep careful record of each significant step forward to simplify
final reporting, and to share this data both within your group and with the class.
Continue to keep careful records of all individual and group work to simplify final
reporting.
• Submit your final draft of your project (the material that will be placed in your group
binder) in the Moodle assignment area by Sunday July 16th, 2017, @ Midnight.
*NOTE: Each member of the group should post his/her copy of the project.
• Submit your presentation: PowerPoint and a brief description of your portion of the
presentation in the Moodle assignment area by Sunday July 16th, 2017, @ Midnight.
Moodle Assignments:
• Between this class and the following, students must participate in web-enhanced
instructional activities via Moodle.
Session Three:
In-class topics:
Our focus for this class will be to review final project paper (group binder) and individual
binders. Each group will present a practice run of your project presentation and the class
will offer constructive feedback. We will briefly discuss any outstanding issues and plan
for our final session of Group Project which will include logistics for the session IV and
the invitation list for the presentations.
Assignments in preparation for Session IV:
• Please meet at least twice with your full team, and preferably three times which should
include at least one practice session of your final presentation. Continue meeting with as
many of your community partners as possible, and remain in regular contact with your
Technical Advisor. Be sure to extend an invitation to your presentation to your
community partners, stakeholders, technical advisor, family, friends and colleagues.
• Do: Submit your group binders in hard copy to your instructor.
• Submit your individual binder in hard copy to your instructor.
• Submit your final presentation with all documents and handouts in the assignments
area of the Moodle classroom by August 9th, 2017, @ Midnight. Include a brief
description of your portion of the presentation.
*NOTE: Each member of the group should post his/her copy of the presentation.
• Write a 2 page (full pages) reflection essay on your experiences of the group project
process. What will you take away from this process, how you interacted with your
group, what are the three most compelling lessons learned, and how will you apply
some of the techniques and skills learned in your everyday practice. Please post your
essay to the assignments area of the Moodle classroom by August 9th, 2017 @
Midnight.
• Moodle Assignments:
Between this class and the following, students must participate in web-enhanced
instructional activities via Moodle.
Session Four:
In-class topics:
• Present your group project with your team members.
• CELEBRATE your accomplishments!!
COURSE PARTICIPATION:
Definition of In-Class Participation:
All talk does not constitute good class participation. Class participation that contributes to a
positive grade is characterized by the following:
• Ties personal experiences to the concepts being studied, gives an orderly, brief version of
the experience, with a point that is stated clearly;
• Avoids repeating in a different form points made by others;
• Shows evidence of having completed, understood, and applied the readings for the
course;
• Incorporates ideas shared by others and the instructor to create “a fuller picture” of the
concept under discussion;
• Poses real-life questions or challenges that spring from the discussion and attempts to
shape an “informed” conclusion.
Definition of Online Class Participation (Moodle Web-enhanced Discussion
Link)
The success of your learning experience in online discussion is dependent on the active
participation of all students. Therefore it is imperative that you enter each discussion link
prepared to participate in the class discussions, which requires that you not only post your
responses to the questions in a timely manner allowing time for others to respond, but you must
also respond/react/provide substantive feedback to other’s postings.
It should be noted that not all engagement in class discussions constitutes substantive class
participation. Class participation in an online environment is characterized by the following:
• Connects personal experiences to the concepts being studied, gives an orderly, brief
version of the experience, with a point that is stated clearly;
• Avoids repeating points made by others;
• Shows evidence of having completed, understood, and applied the reading for the course;
• Incorporates shared ideas to create an understanding of the concept under discussion;
• Poses real-life questions or challenges that spring from the discussion and attempts to
shape an informed conclusion.
GRADING CRITERIA:
GRADING AND EVALUATION:
Each student’s final grade will be based on the overall quality of her or his work and
involvement in the class.
Pre-Class Assignments
10 points
Class participation
5 points each, 20 total
Written assignments
50 total
Group work outside class (minutes/journals) 30 total
Discussion Forums
45 points total
Final Project/Presentation/Binders
45
Total
200
Undergraduate courses are graded on a letter basis on the following scale:
A
4.0 quality points
100-93 percent
A3.7
92-90
B+
3.3
89-87
B
3.0
86-83
B2.7
82-80
C+
2.3
79-77
C
2.0
76-73
C1.7
72-70
D+
1.3
69-67
D
1.0
66-63
D0.7
62-60
F
0.0
less than 60
U
Unsatisfactory (No pass)
W
Withdrew
NR
Grade not reported by instructor
I
IP
X
Incomplete
Course in Progress
Audit
NOTE: Each student in the course is responsible for all SPCS academic policies and
college policies as found in the School of Professional and Continuing Studies Student
Handbook. This can be found on the Springfield College website at:
http://springfield.edu/sites/default/files/inline-files/PCSStudentHandBook.pdf
SPECIAL SERVICES: Springfield College and the School of Professional and
Continuing Studies are committed to providing an equal educational opportunity for all students.
Any student who requires a reasonable accommodation to meet the requirements of this course is
encouraged to notify the instructor as soon as possible. Reasonable services and
accommodations are provided for students with physical, psychological, and learning disabilities
based on need. The disability must be documented with appropriate evaluations administered
by qualified professionals. This documentation must be on file with Darlene Young, Assistant
Director for Administration, [email protected], campus designee for the SPCS
Office of Student Support Services.
The syllabus is a binding agreement between the faculty member and the students in the
course. After distribution of the syllabus, any changes to the syllabus must be (1) agreed
to by all parties without coercion, (2) distributed in writing, and (3) distributed to all
parties.
Rubric for Assessing Formal Writing Assignments
The rubric below is designed to help students and instructors define what quality writing is and
the criteria by which SPCS evaluates all students.
1. Clarity of Expression: The writer expresses ideas in a natural voice that permits a smooth
reading and clear communication of ideas. The ideas are written so they can be understood
easily, and the reader does not have to struggle to understand what the writer is saying.
2. Logical Organization of Ideas: Most college papers require an introductory paragraph (or
two) that grabs the reader’s attention, makes the reader want to continue reading, and gives
the reader some idea of what the paper is about. The main idea of the paper does not have
to be stated in the opening sentence or even in the opening paragraph, but it should be clear
before the end of the essay. What’s important is that the reader has a sense of the writer’s
direction throughout the essay and that each paragraph should flow logically into the next.
3. Elaboration and Detail: The writer needs to develop the ideas of the essay fully and provide
adequate supporting detail. Details can include examples, allusions, statistics, quotations,
paraphrases, summaries, and more. Has the writer answered questions such as “what,”
“what if,” “why not,” “how,” “how come”?
4. Critical Thinking: The writer needs to demonstrate the ability to analyze a subject from
different perspectives, identify what’s at stake in each of these perspectives, and connect his
or her conclusions to the central theme of the paper. It is not enough to present supportive
examples without making clear the significance of these examples and how they advance the
point the writer is trying to make.
5. Effective Use of Research Techniques Where Appropriate: The writer needs to select
appropriate material from references to support ideas, use a variety of references, integrate
the source material smoothly into the flow of the paper, and demonstrate consistent and
correct use of the APA documentation style.
6. Effective Use of Language And Diction: The writer should use a vocabulary that is suitable
to the subject and the audience. Are the words used accurately and effectively?
7. Mechanics and Usage: Mechanics include the standard conventions of spelling,
capitalization, punctuation, and correct paragraph indentation. Usage involves issues of verb
tenses, apostrophes, subject-verb agreement, noun-pronoun agreement, run-on sentences,
sentence fragments, and misplaced as well as dangling modifiers. Occasional errors that do
not interfere with the reading of a text may be considered acceptable.