Research and Program Evaluation – COUC 515

Course Description

Rationale

Empirical methods are increasingly being used to justify or criticize the usage of particular counseling approaches in therapy. Government, private foundations, and corporations are asking for program evaluations to determine the merits of each program’s continued funding. Spiritual interventions are being explored for their utility in therapy. In short, the scientific method, counseling, and Christian intervention strategies are intersecting. Counselors with thorough knowledge of research strategies will shape both what psychotherapy looks like and how effective those interventions are in the counseling setting.

Method of Instruction: This 8-week course is delivered in a digital asynchronous format, with Canvas® as the primary instructional delivery method. Students complete one module per week over the duration of the course. 

Course Assignment

Textbook readings and lecture presentations

(CLO: A, B, C, D, E, F, G)

Course Requirements Checklist

After reading the Course Syllabus and Student Expectations, the student will complete the related checklist found in the Course Overview.

Discussion: Narrated PowerPoint - Present Your Research

Discussions are collaborative learning experiences. Therefore, the student will complete a narrated PowerPoint to present their Benchmark Research Proposal Assignment. For the narrated PowerPoint, the student will create and upload a 5 - 10-minute video. A part of conducting research is to present the student's findings at professional conferences/workshops and the student will practice presenting his or her proposals. Each presentation must demonstrate course-related knowledge and assertions, and must be supported by at least two outside scholarly sources. The student will post two replies, each reply a 2–3-minute video, to his or her peers discussing the implications to the counseling field and highlight Christian integration with the topic. Replies must be supported by at least one scholarly source. (CLO: A, B, C, E, F, G)

Topic Selection: Find a Gap Assignment:

The student will select 3 topics related to the counseling profession. The topics and summaries of 3 peer-reviewed articles published within the last 5 years (one article per topic) will be submitted to the instructor for approval and feedback. The instructor will give the student feedback on his/her topic selections regarding which may be the most “researchable and ethical topic” based on assignment requirements, and may recommend the student focus on one for subsequent assignments. The proposal will not be completed as an experimental study, but rather as a proposal of a study that could be conducted in the future. (CLO: A, E, F)

Topic Selection: Final Topic Selection Assignment:

After receiving feedback from the Topic Selection: Find a Gap Assignment, the student will then choose one topic selection based upon the professor's feedback, highlighting measurable variables (quantitative) or research strategy (qualitative) for the Benchmark Research Proposal Assignment. (CLO: A, B, C, E, F) 

Stimulus Questions: Chapter Two Research Training - Joys and Challenges Assignment

The student will write answers to the stimulus questions for the Stimulus Questions: Chapter Two Research Training - Joys and Challenges Assignment is located at the end of the chapter in Heppner et al. (2016). Answers to the Stimulus Questions will assist the student in the development of the Benchmark Research Proposal Assignment. (CLO: A, F, G).

Benchmark Quantitative or Qualitative Research Reporting Assignment

The student will analyze data from a chosen case scenario (not related to his or her proposal) for either a quantitative or qualitative study, and will write up a results and discussion section corresponding to that data/case scenario. The student will interpret the study’s design, discuss hypotheses (for the quantitative case scenario), data collection, method of analysis, results, and implications for the counseling field. This paper should be no more than 1-2 pages. (CLO: A, B, C, E, F)

Using the feedback received from the Topic Selection: Final Topic Selection Assignment, the student will use a decision-making template to build a quantitative or qualitative research design outline. This assignment is to be one page or less. (CLO: A, B, C, E, F, G)

Benchmark Research Proposal Assignment

For this assignment, the student will identify a research topic relevant to counseling and develop a research proposal. The student will conduct a literature review to develop appropriate research hypotheses/questions and discuss the design chosen. The student will then conclude the proposal with the implications that the study could have upon the counseling field and integrate a biblical perspective in light of these implications. This will be 3-4 pages in length and contain at least 5 citations. (CLO: A, B, C, E, F, G)

This quiz will be open-book/open-notes, contain a combination of 24 multiple-choice, true/false, and short-answer questions, and have a time limit of 1 hour and 15 minutes. (CLO: A, B, C, D, E, F)

This quiz will be open-book/open-notes and will contain a combination of 25 multiple-choice or true/false questions, and have a time limit of 1 hour and 15 minutes. (CLO: A, B, C, D, E, F)

This quiz will be open-book/open-notes and will contain a combination of 25 multiple-choice or true/false questions, and have a time limit of 1 hour and 15 minutes. (CLO: A, B, C, D, E, F)

Quiz: Dispositions Reflection

This Dispositions Reflection quiz will ask the student to rate himself/herself on the nine dispositions required for this program by our accrediting bodies using the following scale:

• Exceeds expectations – I believe I do this exceptionally well.
• Clearly meets expectations – I believe I am able to do this in an appropriate way as expected for graduate students at my current position in the program.
• Adequately meets expectations – I believe I do this but could use improvement and growth in this dispositional area.
• Does not meet expectations – I believe I do not do this well and could use improvement.

This quiz will cover the Learn material for the assigned module. This quiz will contain 10 multiple-choice and essay questions, and have a 1-hour time limit. (CLO: F, G)