California State University, Sacramento

Department of Counselor Education

EDC 218

Appraisal in Counseling

Spring, 2003

INSTRUCTOR: Bonnie Drumwright, Ph.D.

TIME: Tuesday, 9:00 - 11:50

11230 Gold Express Drive, Ste. 310-366

Gold River, CA 95670

LOCATION: Eureka 413C

Section # 2

PHONE: (916) 635-3365

E-mail: bdrum@sbcglobal.net

OFFICE HOURS: TBA

Course Description

The construction, application, interpretation, and evaluation of psychological tests. Tests used to measure general mental ability, specific abilities and aptitudes, personality, interests and attitudes are surveyed. You must have a Saclink account to access WebCT components of this course. To apply, go to the following site: http://www.csus.edu/uccs/inetemail/SacLink/index.htm

Course Objectives

1. To familiarize students with specific psychological tests used to measure general mental ability, aptitude, achievement, interest, and personality.

2. To provide practical experience in the administration and interpretation of psychological tests.

3. To develop an understanding of key concepts such as reliability, validity, norm groups and other factors pertaining to the use of psychological tests.

4. To consider the history of psychological tests and the ethical issues related to the use of these tests.

5. To encourage students to view testing as only one of the many factors the practitioner needs to consider while assisting individuals involved in a counseling or guidance process.

Text and Materials

Principles and Applications of Assessment in Counseling. Susan Whiston

Handout packet with Power Point lecture slides available at bookstore

A fee of $25 will be paid in class by students for psychological tests to be provided by the instructor during the semester.

Schedule

Week

Topic

Assignment

1/28

Course Overview

Strong Interest Inventory to be taken

Get Saclink account

2/4

Meet in Computer Lab

Perspectives: History, Definitions, Assumptions

Bring $25 for tests

Chapter 1 & 15

2/11

Statistics (of testing) for the terrified

In-class activity - WRAT

Chapter 2

2/18

Reliability, Validity and Test Construction

Chapter 3 & 4

2/25

Meet in Computer Lab

Quiz will occur online; you must have Saclink account

Locating and Selecting Tests ñ Orientation to library resources for group project

Study for quiz

3/4

Selecting, Administering and Scoring Tests

Wide Range Achievement Test to be taken and scored in class

Chapter 5 & 12

3/11

Overview of Assessment areas

16 PF to be handed out in class

Groups to meet to discuss project; summary to be handed in to teacher by end of class

Chapter 6

Hand in summary of group project

3/18

Intelligence Testing

Demonstration of WISC III

In-class activity ñ Intelligence testing

Hand in disk with 2 written portions of Ethical Dilemma Role Play assignment

Chapter 7

3/25

Students meet in teams of 2 with Instructor for video taped Ethics Dilemma role play

Last day to turn in 16PF

Be ready for role play

4/1

Measuring Achievement and Aptitude

In-class activity ñ SAT 9

Chapter 8

Prepare for in-class activity

4/8

CAPS to be administered in class

COPS & COPES to be scored in class

Complete COPS & COPES

4/15

SPRING BREAK!!!

HAVE FUN!!

4/22

Assessment in Career Counseling

In-class activity ñ Values Clarification

Discuss Strong Interest Inventory

Chapter 9

4/29

Appraisal of Personality

Discuss 16 PF

Chapter 10

Hand in MBTI activity

14 & 15

5/6 & 13

Group Presentations

View Ethical Dilemma Role Play Scenarios

Final: response to Role Play Scenarios

Course Requirements

1. Attend class and participate in discussion (see Attendance Policy).

2. Complete reading assignments by the date of the scheduled class.

3. Complete 5 in class activities

4. Complete a group project as described below.

5. Complete 2 multiple-choice quizzes online.

6. Complete psychological testing as noted on the outline above.

Psychological Tests

Throughout the semester, students will be expected to complete a variety of psychological tests and inventories. In addition, a number of tests will be demonstrated or discussed in class. Students will also learn how to score tests and how to utilize manuals to determine appropriate norms and to assess reliability and validity. The instructor will provide testing; a fee of $25 will be collected on the second day of class to pay for testing materials and computer scoring. The following tests will be taken this semester:

… Achievement: WRAT (Wide Range Achievement Test) - spelling and math

… Ability: CAPS (Career Ability Placement Survey)- mechanical reasoning, spatial relations, numerical ability, language usage, perceptual speed and accuracy, and manual speed and dexterity

… Interest: COPS (Career Occupational Preference System) & SII (Strong Interest Inventory).

… Work Values: COPES (Career Orientation Placement & Evaluation Survey)

… Personality: 16 PF (Sixteen Personality Factor Questionnaire)

A total of 6 psychological tests will be given during the semester. Some will be given in class as specified by the outline above. Tests need to be taken on the day they are scheduled to occur in class, unless, otherwise announced by this instructor. If you miss the day the test is administered, there may not be an opportunity to take this test later. You will receive points as follows for taking and, in some cases scoring tests:

WRAT ñ 3 points to take and score test

CAPS ñ 2 points to take and score test

COPS ñ 2 points to take and score test

COPES ñ 2 points to take and score test

SII ñ 3 points

16PF - 3 points

If you take, but do not score tests certain tests, you will not receive full credit for this activity.

Group Projects

You will work together in a group of 2-5 to complete one of the project options described below or an alternative you discuss with your teacher. As a team, you will need to gather and present the information. To facilitate group work, it is recommended that you choose roles early on in the semester such as facilitator, note taker, graphic creator, etc. Both the teacher and you as individual members of the group, will award points for your participation in this project. For example, if one member of your group is not pulling their weight, you might not give them full credit for the 5 points you will be awarding to each member of your group.

We will review online testing resources when we meet in the computer lab on 2/25. On 3/11, you will have time in class for your group to meet and formulate a project outline that you will turn in on that date. You may wish to use the chat rooms available on our class web site through WebCT to discuss your project as the semester progresses. You will find this is a convenient way to ìmeetî. Information on how to use these rooms will be provided during the orientation to WebCT on 2/4.

Project Options

A. Test Critique

Select a test and critique it using the following questions as guidelines:

1. What test did you select and why did this test interest you?

2. What is the purpose of the test, in other words, what is it intended to measure?

3. Who would benefit from using this test?

4. How is the test administered?

5. Is the test based on a theory? If so, briefly describe the theory? If it is not based on a theory, you may state this but then explain how this test was developed (e.g., factor analytically derived or criterion keyed inventory).

6. Does the test have adequate reliability according to reviewers who have critiqued this instrument?

7. Does the test have adequate validity according to reviewers who have critiqued this instrument?

8. What are the other pros and cons of this test according to the reviewers and in your opinion?

9. A summary to include some of the following possible topics: Would you use this test and if so, in what context? Do you think it is appropriate for general or specific use? Is the test practical to use given its length, cost, scoring protocol, etc.?

You should include handouts for the class, demonstrations or examples from the test so that we can visualize it better, and create a written summary of the questions above to hand in to the instructor with a list of references used for the project.

B. Chapter Presentation

Using a chapter we did not cover in class create an interesting presentation for the class using PowerPoint slides and any other visual medium you think would be appropriate. Or, you could create an online presentation by obtaining your own website and depicting the chapter information in a manner suitable to the medium. All CSUS students may establish their own websites; see the following address for more information: http://www.csus.edu/uccs/inetemail/SacLink/faq/webpage.htm

Information you would need to cover for this project would include the following:

1. Pertinent information from the chapter

2. Definitions and explanations of key terms and concepts

3. Discussion of one or more psychological tests that relate to the type of assessment discussed in the chapter

4. Interesting information you may obtain online related to the subject matter of the chapter

5. Trends and controversies related to the type of testing discussed in the chapter

C. Interview Professionals

Pick a setting where testing is conducted (e.g., schools, business, private practice) and interview people who conduct this type of testing using the questions below as examples of information to be gathered. An alternative to the setting selection would be for each of you to pick a different setting and ask the same questions to get an idea of how testing is used in different settings.

Each member of the team should interview someone or should conduct a substantial portion of the research for this project. The information you gather would then be presented in a panel discussion with the use of visual aides such as video, PowerPoint or the Internet. The following questions should be addressed:

1. What types of instruments are utilized?

2. How were these instruments selected?

3. What are the characteristics of a good appraisal instrument?

4. What decision making process is used to determine which clients or students will or will not be tested?

5. How much time is spent on testing and evaluation?

6. Does evaluation only consist of the use of standardized tests or are other methods utilized? If so, what methods?

7. Do computers play any role in the evaluation process?

8. How is the evaluation data utilized in working with clients?

9. How does this professional personally feel about the testing/evaluation aspect of their work?

Ethics Dilemma Role Play

In teams of 2, students will be responsible for developing an ethical dilemma related to assessment or counseling. Your instructor will give you a general ethical issue to address and you will create a short scenario that you will role play apart from the class.. Your instructor will videotape the role play and then create a short video of the role play that will be shown to the class. Class members will need to determine the best resolution of the situation based on the events portrayed and information in Chapter 15, Ethics and Legal Issues in Assessment. This determination will constitute the final for the course. (For ideas on possible role play scenarios, see a book on reserve entitled, Ethical and Professional Issues in Counseling)

The role play will need to be very brief, 1-2 minutes at most. It should focus on presenting the elements that constitute the dilemma and it should be self-explanatory. In other words, if you turned on your TV and only saw this 1-2 minute video clip, you would understand the dilemma. Videotaping of the individual sequences will occur on 3/25/03 as scheduled by the instructor in our normal classroom. Other students will not be in the room during the taping.

The written portion of this assignment is as follows:

1. Each team will hand in a disk with a written summary in Word describing the dilemma and entitled Description of Ethical Dilemma. This summary should not include the resolution but only a presentation of the problem and enough background to establish the nature of the ethical dilemma. It is meant to be a supporting document to accompany the role play. Use the case scenarios in the book on reserve for examples of a your write up. Do not copy these examples verbatim as that is plagiarism.

2. In a separate document, the team will present a Possible Resolution to the Dilemma that discusses the ethical or legal foundation on which the counselor should base his/her response to the situation. You will need to use references in Chapter 15 to research this and provide specific information on sections from ethics codes that apply to the dilemma. For example, 2 resources for such citations are the ACAís Code of Ethics and Standards of Practice or the Code of Professional Ethics for Rehabilitation Counselors (see p 334 of text).

3. Finally, the written portion should include a bibliography of resources used such as the ones mentioned in #1 & 2 above.

4. Hand in a disk with the 2 documents to your instructor on 3/18 at the latest so that we can proceed with our role play on 3/25/03

NOTE: Students will be asked to sign a release so that some of the video vignettes can be used later for instructional purposes.

Evaluation Criteria

Credit will be given for assignments based upon the following:

Quiz	20 points
Ethics Dilemma Role Play	15 points
Group Project	15 points (5 points awarded by group members and 10 by instructor)
Psychological Tests	15 points
Activities	10 points (2 points each)
Attendance and participation	15 points
Final	10 points Response to Role Play Scenarios
TOTAL POINTS	100

Attendance Policy

This instructor believes that attendance and participation is the most important element of this class. Your engagement in the learning process cannot occur unless you are present, physically and intellectually. A role sheet will be handed out during each class period. You will receive 1 point for each time you are in attendance.

Grades

Your final grade will be based on the following:

A	90-100 points
B	79-89
C	69-78
D	59-68
F	58 or below

Resources

The following websites might be useful to you in completing your project. If you access them through the course syllabus on WebCT, you will not need to type in the URLs, but can connect directly online.