PRACTICUM/FIELD EXPERIENCE PROCESS

FOR OSU-CASCADES HDFS

EARLY CHILDHOOD AND HUMAN SERVICES OPTIONS

1)    All students interested in the Human Development and Family Sciences Program are welcome following admission to Oregon State University- Cascades Campus. We currently do not have a separate admission process into our program. OSU students are required to meet with their assigned Academic Advisor often as they work toward their academic goals. The first step to advising is to contact Enrollment Services (541-322-3100) to sign up for New Student Orientation where you will meet with your Academic Advisor.  Students will review requirements for graduation and review transcripts with their Advisor at Orientation. The Academic Advisor will then work with the student in choosing the most appropriate option and developing his/her Academic Plan.

2)    Once the Academic Plan is approved and an option (Early Childhood Development and Education (ECDE) or Human Services (HS)) is chosen, the student will meet with either Candace Brey, Lead Instructor, Early Childhood Development and Education (candace.brey@osucascades.edu)  or Dennis Lynn, Lead Instructor, Human Services (dennis.lynn@osucascades.edu)  to forecast and plan for the required field experience and/or practicum courses: HDFS 331, 405, 410 and 430 (Practicum or Field Experience Forecasting Meeting). This discussion will include information regarding the student’s lower division practicum placement (HD 291)[1] and plans for upper division practicums (HDFS 331 and 430 for ECDE option) and field experience (HDFS 405 for ECDE and HDFS 410 for HS).

3)    During the Practicum or Field Experience Forecasting Meeting, site options and student goals will be discussed pertaining to career objectives and related work experience.

4)    At least one term ahead of when the student will be doing practicum or field experience, the Coordinator of Educational Placement (Meredith Mason) will contact the agency or school to see if they are receptive to having a student during the term the student intends to take the practicum or field experience. The Coordinator of Educational Placement will communicate outcomes of these discussions with the student through his/her ONID email account. The student should not contact the site directly until instructed to do so by the Coordinator of Educational Placement.

5)    When the agency/school has agreed to meet the student, the Coordinator of Educational Placement  will email the student and ask that he/she contact the agency/school representative to set up a pre-placement and orientation meeting. PLEASE NOTE: only one email will be sent via the student’s ONID address by the Coordinator of Educational Placement asking the student to contact the agency or school representative. It is the student’s responsibility to follow up with the agency/school to make the appointment to meet as soon as possible.  The student will be prepared to:

a)    Discuss the practicum or field experience course with the agency or school.

b)    Discuss a possible schedule of planned hours at the practicum/field experience site, including planned holidays, days off, or changes in schedule to accommodate midterm and final examinations if known.

c)      For HDFS 331, 405 and 410 sites, provide a copy of documentation of any background checks already completed. Clarify whether a different or additional background check is needed for this site and, if so, start this site’s background check process at this meeting. For HDFS 430 schools, start the background check process as soon as possible.  Also, depending on timing, student may be asked to get background checks in more than one school district.  The Administrative Coordinator (Donna Harris) will guide all students through the correct process.

d)     Provide the agency/school with contact numbers so the site supervisor can reach the student and the faculty instructor as needed.

6)      Once this meeting is held, the student will inform the Coordinator of Educational Placement right away of the outcome. This step is, in addition to background check results being given to the Administrative Coordinator (Donna Harris), needed to confirm the placement and register for class.

7)    Every student must obtain appropriate criminal background checks for each practicum or field experience (HDFS 331, 405, 410 and 430) and in most cases these vary. Once completed, the student needs to provide a copy of the criminal background check results to the Administrative Coordinator, Donna Harris (donna.harris@osucascades.edu), Room 213 in Cascades Hall.  PLEASE NOTE: only one email will be sent via the student’s ONID address by the Administrative Coordinator (Donna Harris) or the Coordinator of Educational Placement, Meredith Mason (meredith.mason@osucascades.edu) asking the student to complete and submit the paperwork to secure the background check.  It is the student’s responsibility to follow up with the agency or school district to complete this background check process as soon as possible and to provide a hardcopy of the results to the Administrative Coordinator (Donna Harris). Please keep in mind that some background checks can take up to six weeks to clear. Note: class registration and start of practicum or field experience are contingent upon this step in the placement process.

8)    The student will give a copy of their criminal background check results to the Administrative Coordinator (Donna Harris), Room 213 in Cascades Hall, at least two weeks prior to the beginning of the term in which practicum or field experience is taking place.  The student should keep their original copy.   

9)    Once the Administrative Coordinator is in receipt of background check clearance from a student, the Administrative Coordinator will notify Enrollment Services to request that the hold on class registration be lifted.  Once lifted, the Administrative Coordinator  will notify the student of class registration availability. 

10) Aside from the reason listed in #9 above, the Lead Instructor for Early Childhood Development and Education (Candace Brey) or the Lead Instructor, Human Services (Dennis Lynn), as appropriate, can be contacted if students have any trouble registering for field experience or practicum courses (i.e., blocks to registration awaiting instructor approval, etc.).

11) Other OSU-Cascades-recommended procedures (and some are required by placement sites) include:

a)    Updated immunizations, including Hepatitis A and B, MMR (Measles, Mumps, and Rubella), Tetanus (DpT), and confirmation of Varicella or the immunization (i.e., Chicken Pox). All practicum and field experience students should receive the flu vaccines when available.

b)    TB screening is recommended if working with high-risk populations (i.e., immigrants from developing countries, HIV/AIDS patients, or with drug addiction programs).

12) The Coordinator of Educational Placement will send a list of student placements to the appropriate instructor*[2] for the practicum/field experience courses before the start of each term.  

13)  The instructor will provide all students with a syllabus and an outline of the seminar format.

14)  At the end of each field experience or practicum course, the student and site supervisor will complete evaluations of their course experiences. Please return a copy of these forms to the Lead Instructor for Early Childhood Development and Education (Candace Brey) or the Lead Instructor for Human Services (Dennis Lynn), as appropriate, for our records.

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A Checklist of Steps for Practicum/Field Experience for all HDFS students:

1. _____ Contact OSU-Cascades Campus Academic Advisor for advising regarding the HDFS Program.
2. _____ During the first few weeks of the term or two preceding the actual practicum or field experience placement, the Lead Instructor for Early Childhood Development and Education (Candace Brey, candace.brey@osucascades.edu) or the Lead Instructor for Human Services (Dennis Lynn, dennis.lynn@osucascades.edu) , as appropriate, will contact you to make an appointment to forecast and plan for the required field experience and/or practicum courses (HDFS 331, HDFS 430, HDFS 405 and HDFS 410).
3. _____ During the term or two preceding the actual practicum or field experience placement, the Coordinator of Educational Placement (Meredith Mason, meredith.mason@osucascades.edu ) will contact you re: the agency or school with whom you can schedule a pre-placement meeting.
4. _____Meet with site supervisor for pre-placement meeting and orientation.
5. _____Notify the Coordinator of Educational Placement (Meredith Mason) of meeting outcomes in order to confirm your placement.
6. _____ The Administrative Coordinator (Donna Harris) will contact you re: completing and submitting your background check paperwork to the agency or school district.
7. _____Perform needed criminal background check at agency or school district as soon as possible and give hardcopy of results to Administrative Coordinator (Donna Harris), Room 213 in Cascades Hall, at least two weeks prior to the beginning of the term in which practicum or field experience is taking place. You will then be cleared for registration.
8. _____Obtain recommended immunizations and tuberculosis screening as needed by agency or school. 
9. _____Begin course, with seminars and meetings with course instructor.
10. _____Be sure to return all evaluations of the field experience/practicum site and your experience to the instructor for their records.

Contact Information

Dianna Raschio,OSU-Cascades Campus Academic Advisor

541-322-3105  dianna.raschio@osucascades.edu

Kara Branyon, OSU-Cascades Campus Academic Advisor

541-322-3148  kara.branyon@osucascades.edu

Dennis Lynn: Program Lead and Lead Instructor for Human Services

541-322-3144  dennis.lynn@osucascades.edu

Candace Brey: Lead Instructor for Early Childhood Development and Education

541-322-3134   candace.brey@osucascades.edu

Meredith Mason: Coordinator of Educational Placement

541-322-3127   meredith.mason@osucascades.edu

Donna Harris: HDFS Administrative Coordinator

541-322-3173  donna.harris@osucascades.edu

Definitions

Program Lead: Faculty member assigned to develop, maintain, and evaluate all courses and faculty within a program in order to assure a quality and approved program of study is implemented.

Lead Instructor: Faculty member primarily responsible for designing course syllabi, monitoring course, and evaluating course for revisions. Each course and/or option in HDFS has an assigned lead instructor.

Coordinator of Educational Placement: Staff member who coordinates the placement of Human Development and Family Sciences, Counseling, and Education students in the community for service-based learning (i.e., practicum and field experience).

HDFS Administrative Coordinator: Staff member who coordinates the receipt of students’ background check results and works with Enrollment Services to lift the hold on students’ registration. 

Field Experience: Guided learning experience in the field, which is graded on a pass/no pass scale.

Practicum: Guided learning experience in primarily educational settings, which is graded on an ‘A-F’ grading scale.

Forecast: The process of planning for future coursework in field experience and practicum courses to fulfill field experience and practicum requirements for a baccalaureate degree in Human Development and Family Sciences at Oregon State University- Cascades Campus.

Academic Plan: A document listing all courses and terms these courses are forecasted to be completed in order to fulfill all requirements for a baccalaureate degree in Human Development and Family Sciences at Oregon State University - Cascades Campus.

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[1] Note. Only Human Services students are required to take lower division practicum or field experience credits.

[2] Students can find the instructor for the field experience/practicum course by visiting the Course Catalog at the Oregon State University- Cascades Campus Web Site at http://www.osucascades.edu/advising/class_schedules.php