HD 430-01, Professional Skills

Spring 2008

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Instructor Information:

Jackie McReynolds
Education/Human Development Building, Room 228
Phone: 360-546-9740
Fax: 360-546-9076
Office Hours: Tuesdays 10:00 a.m. - 12:00 p.m., or by appointment
Email: mcreynol@vancouver.wsu.edu
Home Page: http://www.vancouver.wsu.edu/fac/mcreynolds/mcreynolds.html

Course Information:

Schedule:

M, W, 12:00 - 1:15 p.m.

Location:

Multi-media Classroom Building , Room 217

Description and Objective:

Description  

Three semester credits.  Development of skills important for effective human service professionals:  organizational structure and management; planning and program design; managing human and financial resources; program evaluation; effective communication; establishing productive group dynamics; staff supervision; leadership development; ethical behavior; cultural sensitivity, and others. 

Objectives 

Upon completion of this course students will be able to:

  1. Identify organizational, administrative, and financial structures dominant in human services programs in the U.S.;
  2. Identify elements of professional practice (including collaboration and interdisciplinary perspectives) and core skills within the context of human service organizations;
  3. Develop an understanding of communication, resume development, and interview skills;
  4. Increase awareness of leadership, team building, and cultural sensitivity;
  5. Understand guidelines for ethical practice;
  6. Gain familiarity with supervision practices in human service settings, including volunteer recruitment, management, and reward;  and
  7. Acquire and apply introductory skills in seeking external organizational funding.

Prerequisites and Other Notes:

Three credits of Human Development and junior/senior standing; successful completion of HD 385 (Perspectives in Human Services) strongly recommended.

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Required Texts and Other Materials:

Required Text:

Lewis, J, T. Packard and M. Lewis. (2007). Management of human service programs.   Brooks-Cole:  Belmont, CA.

Additional resources: 

National Human Services Organization:  www.nationalhumanservices.org
American Public Human Services Association:  www.aphsa.org
WSU Career Services Resource Center:  http://www.careers.wsu.edu/
APA Reference Guide:  http://www.vancouver.wsu.edu/hd/resource.htm

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Classroom Requirements:

Student Conduct and Academic Dishonesty

Per the WSU Vancouver Student Handbook, students are "Expected to show due respect for ... the rights of others". Students should be familiar with the Washington State University standards of conduct. The following web site for the WSU Vancouver Student Handbook provides information on student conduct and academic integrity: http://www.vancouver.wsu.edu/ss/handbook/conduct.html . 

Plagiarism and Cheating

Plagiarism and Cheating are serious offenses that may be penalized severely. Students who plagiarize or cheat on any exam or assignment for this course will receive a grade of “0” for the exam/assignment.  You are plagiarizing or cheating if you:

  • present someone else's words or ideas as your own, in writing or in speaking
  • present ideas without citing the source
  • paraphrase without crediting the source
  • use direct quotes with no quotation marks
  • use direct quotes without footnotes or other textual citation of the source
  • present work in a group project that is not your own or the work of the group
  • submit the same paper for credit in more than one course without discussing this option with the instructors involved
  • submit material written by someone else as your own (this includes purchasing a term or research paper)
  • submit a paper or assignment for which you have received so much help that it is no longer your own work
  • do not do an equal part of the work on a group project
  • copy someone else's exam or graded homework
  • purposefully allow another student to copy your work or submit work you have written as his/her own                  

Reasonable Accommodation 

Reasonable accommodations are available for students who have a documented disability.  Please notify the instructor during the first week of class of any approved accommodations for the course.  Late notification may cause the requested accommodations to be unavailable.  All accommodations must be pre-approved through Disability Services, located in the Student Resource Center, Room 20C or (360) 546-9155.

Inclement Weather and Other Class Cancellations 

When students have questions about classes being held during inclement weather, please contact the faculty support for the department.  Faculty support will have information regarding class closures and will post that information on their voice mail messages.  Human Development Support:  Lynda Dezellem at 360/546-9721.

Academic Calendar 

The WSU Vancouver Academic Calendar for the current semester is located at the following web site http://www.vancouver.wsu.edu/ss/handbook/calendar.html . Please refer to this document for important dates and deadlines throughout the semester.

Electronic Mail

All students are required to be on e-mail to further communication between students and instructor. Students at WSU Vancouver have access to free e-mail by going to the following web site:  http://www.vancouver.wsu.edu/vis/vit/accounts.htm.  A home e-mail account is also acceptable.

Blackboard 

All class notes and assignment information for HD 430 will be posted on WSUV’s “Blackboard” web-based system.  All students must be enrolled in the class in order to access the information.  To “sign-up” use the following address and go to “Blackboard” on the menu.   http://www.vancouver.wsu.edu/vis/vit/accounts.htm.   The official link to “Blackboard” is http://www.blackboard.wsu.edu/.

Procedures for Submitting and Retrieving Papers and Assignments 

The Human Development Department maintains a student drop box for students submitting assignments to Human Development faculty.  Students use the drop box on the second floor of the VEHD building (next to room 201). Directions are located on the top of the box.  The box is checked several times daily and the contents distributed according to the faculty name you have placed on the envelope.  The file cabinet under the box is used only for returning graded assignments to students and for students to pick up copies of non-graded class materials such as class notes, etc. 

Late assignments

All assignments are considered LATE (a loss of 5 points per day from the overall score) if they are not received by the date and time specified on the syllabus or in the assignment instructions.  Assignments may be e-mailed to the instructor as Word attachments or faxed (please put the instructor’s name on a fax cover page). Students turning in work should use the student drop box on the second floor of the VEHD building for any work not submitted during class time.

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Grading:

Grading Scale:

Final grades for the course will be assigned according to the following distribution for all WSUV Human Development classes.

Grade Percent Points
A 100-94 470-500
A- 93-90 450-469
B+ 89-87 435-449
B 86-83 415-434
B- 82-80 400-414
C+ 79-77 385-399
C 76-73 365-384
C- 72-70 350-364
D+ 69-67 335-349
D 66-60 300-334
F 59 or below Below 300

GRADED ASSIGNMENTS

A.  Exams (3 at 100 points each for a total of 300 points)

Each exam will cover the material presented for that portion of the class.  The focus of the exams will be to review the application of information presented in lecture/readings/discussion.  

B.  Self-assessment  (1 at 50 points)

Each student will be asked to complete a self-assessment reflection profile.  All information provided in this assignment will be considered confidential and will be used by the student at one additional time during the course.  Details will be provided in class.

C.  Resume and Letter Assignment (1 at 50 points)

You will need to prepare and submit a personal resume and fictitious letter of interest for review and editing; feedback will be given by the instructor and a re-submission of a letter of interest and resume will be required.  Specific instructions will be distributed well-before the due date.  Use of the WSU Careers web site provided on page 1 will be useful to students in completing this assignment.

Optional Choice for C:  Any student who feels that they have a good, professional resume already in hand, may instead opt for this optional assignment for the same number of points.  Identify five (5) non-profit human service organization web sites (preferably ones that serve your home community) and compare/contrast the following key components:  mission statement, service provision, volunteer opportunities, annual report access and content, and opportunity for the reader to make a financial contribution (and receive recognition for it).  Rank the five chosen organizations from best web site to worst, and provide a rationale for the ranking.

D.  Volunteer Management Project (1 at 50 points)

The use of volunteers must be as carefully planned as the hiring of paid staff for most human service organizations.  Assessing an organization’s current volunteer needs and the degree to which the volunteer program is currently working are key.  For this assignment, identify a local human service organization and answer the following questions (you should plan to use web sites, annual reports, and personal interviews):

  1. What structure is in place to make the organization volunteer-ready?
  2. What can be achieved for the organization through volunteers?
  3. What demonstrates that there is a legitimate need for volunteers in the organization?
  4. How committed is the board and upper management to a volunteer program (i.e., how do they support volunteerism)? and
  5. How is volunteer work divided into jobs or categories of work that meet the needs of the organization?

E.  Grant Project  (1 at 50 points) 

In a collaborative small group of no more than 5 members, students will be developing a grant proposal.  Directions will be distributed at the beginning of the grant development section of the course instruction, and each team will be expected to develop a class presentation on their proposal.  

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Schedule:

Tentative Course Outline

Week Date Readings/Assignments
1 Jan 7 Attendance;
Review of course syllabus;
Introduction to the course material
  Jan 9 Chapter One: Facing the Challenges
2 Jan 14

Chapter One, continued

  Jan 16 Chapter Two: Environments
3 Jan 21 Martin Luther King, Jr. Day, No Classes, Offices Closed
  Jan 23 Chapter Three: Planning and Design
4 Jan 28 Chapter Three, continued
  Jan 30 Chapter Four: Organizational Theory
5 Feb 4 Chapter Four, continued
  Feb 6 Chapter Five: Organization Design
6 Feb 11 Chapter Five, continued
  Feb 13 EXAM #1
7 Feb 18

Presidents Day, No Classes, Offices Open

  Feb 20 Chapter Six: Human Resources
8
 Feb 25 Chapter Six, continued
  Feb 27 Chapter Seven: Supervision
9
 Mar 3 Chapter Seven, continued
  Mar 5 Designing a Resume and Letter, hand-outs
  Mar 10-14 Spring Break Week. No Classes, Most Offices Open
10
 Mar 17 Employment Interviews, hand-outs
  Mar 19 EXAM #2
11
 Mar 24

Chapter Eight: Managing Finances

  Mar 26 Writing and Evaluating a Grant Proposal, hand-outs
12
 Mar 31 Chapter Nine: Information Systems
  Apr 2 Chapter Ten: Program Evaluation
13
 Apr 7 Chapter Ten, continued
  Apr 9 Chapter Eleven: Leadership
14
 Apr 14 Chapter Eleven, continued
  Apr 16 Chapter Twelve: Organizational Excellence
15
 Apr 21 In-class grant proposal presentations
  Apr 23 In-class grant proposal presentations

16

 April 28 - May 2 Final Exam Week. Time and Exact Date TBA.

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Useful Links:

You may find some useful information at web sites listed on the department resources page.