Graduates of the Counseling MA program are effective counselors.
Objective
Competency In Core Content Areas And Skills In Counseling.
Graduates in the Counseling MA program will be knowledgeable in the core content areas for community counselors.
Indicator
Evaluations
1. To graduate, students must meet satisfactory criteria on the Professional Counseling Performance Evaluation.
2. To be licensed, graduates must pass the National Board of Counselor Certification (NBCC) exam.
Criterion
Passing Scores
1. 90% of graduates will make the passing score on the National Board of Counselor Certification (NBCC) exam. (Page down on the NBCC attachment to see MA results) 2. To continue in program, faculty must score counseling students on a scale of 0-2, with 1 and above being acceptable and program faculty preferring a score of 2.
Finding
Counseling Weaknesses
In studying the completed Professional Counseling Performance Evaluations and the NBCC results, the following weaknesses emerged: context of client's story on the Professional Counselor Evaluation. Only 86% passed the NBCC exam. The common weak area is Career and Lifestyle Development
Action
Strengthening Weaknesses
Program faculty are determining where counseling in context and career and lifestyle development can be strengthened in the curriculum.
Goal
Professional Practice And Training
Candidates will engaged in an internship providiing supervised professional practice and training experiences.
Objective
Graduate Students Complete An Appropriate Professional Practice And Training Experience.
Students will successfully complete an appropriate professional practice and training experience by demonstrating a thorough understanding of the process of counseling.
Indicator
Site Supervisors Evaluation Form.
Site supervisors will complete and submit the Site Supervisor Evaluation Form to faculty teaching CNE 686, Field Practicum (Internship for Counseling students) when student completes the field experience.
Criterion
At Least Meets Expectations.
All students enrolled in CNE 686, Field Practicum will be evaluated by their site supervisor. Items are scored on a scale of 1-6, with 3 and above being acceptable. Program faculty prefer scores of 4-6. The site supervisor will review the completed evaluation form with the student. Both site supervisor and student will sign and submit the evaluation to the faculty member teaching the course. Students will receive a rating of meets or exceeds expectations on all items of the Site Supervisor Evaluation Form.
Finding
Internship Results
In reviewing the evaluations, the following weaknesses emerged: 19. Uses silence effectively, and 26. Completes scheduled evaluation of goals, action-steps, and related reports during counseling.
Action
Curriculum Revision
Weaknesses will be addressed by focusing on the use of silence in counseling and completing paperwork in the initial practicum class.
Goal
Knowledge Of Current Counseling Literature
Knowledge through literature reviews.
Objective
Graduate Students Will Demonstrate Knowledge Of Counseling Literature
Graduate students in the counseling program will demonstrate knowledge of current literature in counseling by preparing literature reviews of selected topics.
Indicator
Literature Review Rubric And Comprehensive Exams
1. Literature Review Rubric 2. Comprehensive Exams
Criterion
Scoring
1. 85 points out of 100 points on the rubric. 2. Comprehensive exams are scored by faculty resulting in fail, pass, or high pass. Students must score pass or high pass. If the score is failing, students must retake the comprehensive exam.
Finding
Results
The rubric indicated weaknesses in APA format. The comprehensive exams displayed weaknesses in CNE 570 Career Counseling and CNE 564 Theories of Counseling.
Action
Remedial Measures
APA format will needs to be required in all writing required in CNE courses so that students use it naturally. Career counseling, assessment, and research courses need to be examined to address the weaknesses that emerged on the comprehensive exams. The goal is to decrease the number of retakes and increase those passing the initial test.
Goal
Research Competence
Candidates are competent in research.
Objective
Graduate Students Will Demonstrate Competency In Research.
Counseling MA students will demonstrate competency in research; including design, methods, procedures, and evaluation of research in course CNE 579, Research Methods.
Indicator
Research Project Grading Rubric
Students enrolled in CNE 579, Research Methods will present a scholarly prepared and conducted research project demonstrating graduate level research skills.
Criterion
At Least 75 Points
Students must score 75 out of 100 points on the Research Project Grading Rubric
Finding
Research Weaknesses
The major weaknesses associated with the research project are methodology, integration of results, discussion and current literature.
Action
Research Competence
More practice and experience with methodology and integration will be provided in CNE 579.