RC 288 PRACTICUM IN RECREATION
Class Meets:W 11:00 – 11:50 in ParkerRm. 201Instructor:Dr. Tom Holman
Office Hours:T/W/R 10:00-11:00 amOffice/phone:211A Parker Hall/ (573)651-2462
Other times by appointmentE-mail:
Class Website:
All questions regarding this class should be addressed to the instructor. If the student has further queries or if their concerns are not addressed to their satisfaction they should contact Dr. Joe Pujol, 651-2197.
Course Description:
This course will provide the student with an opportunity for formal career exploration and skill development through observation and practical experience within recreation and parks organizations. The purpose is to familiarize the student with a variety of organizations, administrative structures, management styles, organizational philosophies, programs, and facilities within the leisure services field. Students will participate in 1 hour seminar and approximately six hours of paraprofessional work each week.
Course Objectives:Through participation in this class, the student will be able to demonstrate the following:
Understanding at the paraprofessional level the development and performance of specific agency programs.
Knowledge of leisure service organizations and programs including specifically:
a) administrative structuresb) programming applicationsc) leader/manager characteristics
Understanding of the practical application of skills in order to discover professional strengths as well as areas needed future development.
Written communication skills related to professional correspondence, resume writing, cover letters.
Oral communication skills related to articulation of professional philosophy and goals in an interview setting.
Concern and need for professional demeanor in paraprofessional activities and future professional activities.
Text: 1. Manual for RC 288 Practicum (available on the course website)
2. Ross, C.; Beggs, B. & Young, S. (2011). Mastering the Job Search Process in Recreation and Leisure
Services (2nd ed.) Sudbury, MA: Jones & Bartlett Publishers. Available for purchase in the Bookstore
*Additional readings in the library or as handouts – may be assigned.
Expectations - Students are expected to contribute to a collaborative learning environment through:
A.Attending all class sessions, completing reading or other assignments in preparation for class discussion, participating in all in-class activities, and strongly contributing through discussion and written work.
B.Assuming active responsibility for their own learning by independent reading, literature search, research, media awareness, etc. All reading materials, class lecture notes, films, and notes from guest speakers are “fair game” for inclusion in pop quizzes and examination testing. If you are absent it is your responsibility to get the information from a classmate.
C.Maintaining a professional standard in carrying out paraprofessional responsibilities.
D.Adhering to protocol of sponsoring agency.
Students With Special Needs:
In order for everyone in this class to be successful, participation is required. Students who require physical or academic accommodations should inform the instructor of needs during the first week of class.
Student Athletes:
If you belong to an athletic team and will miss class due to travel for games, please submit the dates that you will miss to the instructor during the first two weeks of class. You are responsible for turning in any assignments that may be due during your absence before you leave unless you have made other arrangements with the instructor.
Assignment Due Dates:
Late assignments will be deducted 10% for each day received late. Assignments that are turned in after I have already graded the other students’ material and passed it back to the class or posted in GradeA will not be accepted without prior discussion with me.
Course Format
Seminar Component:
- The seminar component will count as 40% of your grade and is designed to enrich areas of interests, assist understanding, and aid in problem-solving alternatives related to the experiential phase of the course.
- Structured experiences during the seminar provide a means of vocational and personal preparedness.
- Students will develop a resume’ and cover letter.
- Students will participate in mock interviews.
- Students will learn about and begin to develop a professional portfolio.
Fieldwork/Experiential Component:
- The fieldwork component will count as 60% of your grade and is designed to provide you with the opportunity to explore the daily activities of professionals in the field, develop an understanding of programmatic, philosophical, and organizational differences, and assist you in your critical understanding of the leisure services field.
- Students will be responsible for setting up and scheduling a paraprofessional experience at two different sites; one during the first seven weeks (01/16-03/08) of the semester and the other during the second seven weeks (03/20-05/03) of the semester.
- Students are expected to complete at least 42 clock hours at each agency.
- Students will be evaluated by the supervising professional as well as conducting self-evaluations that will be turned in with the journals.
Course Requirements
Each of the following activities is designed to assist you in attaining the objectives of the course. Although none of the activities are difficult, their successful completion will require some time, critical thought, and reflection on your part. You will be informed of more detailed instructions for each requirement in class discussion.
Fieldwork Experience: This component is explained previously in this document. In addition to the information provided above about this component, students are expected to provide the appropriate paperwork at the appropriate times to supervising professionals and to the instructor. Students will be evaluated based on their professional attitudes toward these and other fieldwork responsibilities.
Journal/Portfolio: The journal will use a double-entry format. This means that each page is physically divided into an objective side and a subjective side (see example below). After each day or session of experience, you should summarize what you observed or did that day. This does not mean that you have to log every minute or task, but you need to include any tasks of importance. Sometimes I will give you an assignment for certain things that you must investigate and put into your journals. I will be the only one that reads your journal and the information will not be relayed to your supervising professional. You will keep entries on every session that you complete but journal pages will only be submitted every two weeks in the dropbox on the course website. More details on developing a portfolio will be discussed in class.
Possible objective entry:Today I spent 3 hours at the OsageCenter. I spent 30 minutes assisting Penny Williams in going through pictures from last week’s Special Olympics Track Meet. Then I organized membership files. My final 45 minutes was spent developing a bulletin board for the dance that is to be held in 2 weeks. I developed a picture layout for the board and took it to Penny for approval. Then I began to find the pictures I wanted in the Clip Art on the computer. I didn’t finish this, but they said that the next practicum student that comes in tomorrow would pick up where I left off.
Possible subjective entry: The three things that I did today are not really things that one thinks about when one plans to go into the Recreation field. I guess that I always picture myself leading activities and planning big programs. But these three things are all details that must be done to keep a facility organized/publicize a program/do follow-up after a program. Organizing membership files was kind of boring, but I kind of liked it because there were definite answers to where things went and I liked figuring it out. I never really think of myself as a creative person, but I think that my bulletin board will look pretty cool. Penny gave me time to play around with ideas while I was working at the front desk and as some people came into the facility to pay their fee I asked them for some input on it. I kind of would like to finish it myself, but I don’t work again until next week and that would be too late to put it up. Overall, the main thing that I thought of today is that there are lot of little things that go into putting together programs and facilities that I never really thought about before.
Career Preparation Projects & Participation: Several assignments will be given throughout the semester and discussed in class. Each of these will have a point total attached to it that will contribute to your seminar grade. Major Projects will include but are not limited to: resume’ and cover letter development, portfolio development, job description search, career resource search, and mock interview preparation and participation. Demonstration of adequate preparation for class & enthusiastic discussion in class will result in full participation credit.
Requirement Credit:Grading Policy:
Fieldwork Experience #1 30%A = 90 - 100 %
Fieldwork Experience #2 30%B = 80 - 89 %
Journal/ Career Prep Projects 30%C = 70 - 79 %
Seminar Participation 10%D = 60 - 69 %
F = < 60 %
Please note: If a student does not complete a major component of the course, regardless of the point
total for that component, it will result in the assignment of an “incomplete” grade for the course.
RC 288 RECREATION PRACTICUM – Spring 2013
TENTATIVE SEMESTER SCHEDULE -
SUBJECT TO CHANGE DUE TO NEED AND/OR INSTRUCTOR WHIMS…
DATE / TOPIC / DUE01/16 / Course Overview/Professional Approach to Possible Agencies/Possible Experiences/Script/Questions
01/25 / Agency Speakers
Possible Experiences / Write-up of one agency visit/One phone interview
01/30 / Professionalism/Competencies / Fieldwork Experience Plan Forms A & B; Agency Acceptance Sheets
02/06 / Self-Evaluation/Goal Setting
02/13 / Writing a Resume’ / Journal #1
02/20 / Administrative Structures
Leadership Styles / Resume’ Draft 1
02/27 / Articulating a Philosophy/Interviewing Skills / Journal #2
03/06 / Interviewing Skills / Cover Letter Draft 1 & Resume’ Draft 2
03/13 / NO CLASS-SPRING BREAK
03/20 / Group 1 - Mock Interviews / Journal #3
03/27 / Group 2 - Mock Interviews / Cover Letter Draft 2
04/03 / Group 3 - Mock Interviews / Journal #4
04/10 / Group 4 - Mock Interviews
04/17 / Interviewing Follow-Up Discussion/Career Resources / Journal #5
04/24 / Career Resources/Goal Assessment
05/01 / Competency Self-Evaluation / Portfolio / Journal #6 - Due Fri. 5/3
1