DIRECTED WORK EXPERIENCE

Summer Session
Instructor: Sharon Davis (srdavis@odu.edu), Education Bldg, Room 4101, 757.683.4305 (main office) or Room 4122

SYLLABUS

Purpose:  The major purpose of Old Dominion University’s education program is to prepare individuals who have knowledge of their discipline, who can plan and present state-of-the-art instruction to students of various cultural and socioeconomic backgrounds and attitudes, and who reflect commitment to teaching and learning as well as lifelong professional growth and development. The Conceptual Framework, Educator As Professional, reflects the development of professional educators who can use their pedagogical and academic abilities to educate all students.  This course is designed so that students enrolled in the marketing education, fashion merchandising, or training specialist majors will learn from practical application of learned competencies through occupational experience.  It is also designed to assist students enrolled in the marketing education teacher certification option to become professional educators for the marketing education specialty area and to enable them to meet their state licensure (occupational experience) requirement. 

Prerequisites:  Must be at least a junior in the STEM Education and Professional Studies Department. 

Course Competencies:  As a result of this course and its activities, the learner should be able to:

A.  Explain in detail the operational functions of the business where employed.  Areas of inquiry are history, organization, functions, duties, skills and knowledge required, and work ethic.
B.  Follow the rules, regulations, and policies for employees in the place of employment.
C.  Meet acceptable standards of employment in a business related to the major. 
D.  Demonstrate strategies for enabling students to learn all aspects of particular industries-planning, management, finances, technical and production skills, labor and community issues, health and safety, environmental issues, and the technology associated with the specific industry.

 Course Requirements:

A.  Secure a field experiencde in an approved business. The instructor must approve the place of employment.  Marketing education majors must work in a marketing-related occupation (product or service business).   Fashion majors must work in a retail or wholesale merchandise operation.  Training Specialists must work in an organization that provides participation in and/or direct access to a training department. Other major-related areas will be considered, but if there is any question, discuss it with your instructor of record.
B.  Complete a 500-hour practicum in an approved business.  (Instructor approved, prior occupational experience related to the student’s program emphasis might be considered for a portion of these hours on a case-by-case basis. Structured field experiences or other exceptions may be considered on a case-by-case basis).
C.  Maintain a weekly journal of experiences.
D.  Turn in monthly “Production Reports” that list hours worked. The reports must be signed by the immediate supervisor and submitted by the assigned date.
E.  Turn in a Supervisor’s Performance Appraisal form.
F.  Attend all scheduled meetings and seminars.
G. Complete a reflective summary of the field experience.

Grading:
The instructor will evaluate the practicum portion of the course using the Performance Appraisal form prepared by the student’s supervisor.   An “Outstanding” rating on the Performance Appraisal form will equate to an A, an “Above Average” rating will equate to a B, an “Average” rating will equate to a C, a “Below Average” rating will equate to a D, and a rating of “Unacceptable” will equate to an F on the practicum part of the grade.   Job termination for cause will result in course failure. Students are responsible for getting their assignments to the instructor on time. 

The evaluations will be weighted as follows: 

Attendance:
Because the class does not physically meet, it is incumbent upon students registered for SEPS 405 to read through all materials on this site and to adhere to all due dates noted on the schedule page.  The learner must take responsibility for inquiries regarding due dates, policy, and procedures. During the field experience students are expected to follow all their employer’s rules and policies.  A job termination for cause will result in course failure. 

All assignments are to be submitted no later than 12:00 noon on the scheduled due date.  Late assignments will not be accepted.  Because faculty may not be in the office with regularity during the summer, you should email all assignments.

ALL ASSIGNMENTS ARE DUE BY 12:00 noon of the date noted on the schedule page.  Verify the receipt of all materials.

Please submit all materials to directly to Mrs. Davis.

All assignments should be submitted via e-mail. While you may or may not include the course number, make note that you should include your CRN in the subject line of every submission.

Production reports and performance appraisals must be signed. As a result, be sure to have them signed first before scanning and e-mailing them. UNSIGNED documents that require a signature will not be accepted.

If you don't have easy access to a scanner, you should download a free software/app that will convert your documents to a .pdf. Free downloads such as Tiny Scanner, Tiny Scan, or Office Lens are available. Simply download them from Google Play or iTunes onto your mobile device. All iPhones have a scanner in "Notes."

Special Needs:  Students with documented special needs are accommodated within university policy and college guidelines.  Please notify the instructor of any special situation so the proper accommodations can be made. 

Honor Pledge: “I pledge to support the honor system of Old Dominion University.   I will refrain from any form of academic dishonesty or deception, such as cheating or plagiarism.  I am aware that as a member of the academic community, it is my responsibility to turn in all suspected violators of the honor system.  I will report to Honor Council hearings if summoned.”  By attending Old Dominion University you have accepted the responsibility to abide by this code.  This is an institutional policy, approved by the Board of Visitors. 

Office Hours:
You may reach the instructors by calling 757-683-4305. This is the number for the STEMPS office and it may be answered by the administrative assistant.  If there is no answer, leave a message for her or on the answering machine (don't forget to leave your name and number). 

Use of Technology: E-mail will be the primary means of communication. Telephone calls are a secondary means of communications. Students are required to have ODU email accounts and regularly check their accounts. Free e-mail accounts are available for all ODU students. The professor will use these addresses to send important messages to all students. Students must have access to the Internet and will be expected to use it to access class assignments and acquire study material. A course web site has been established at   http://www.lions.odu.edu/org/deca/ots405/.   This site will have important information about the course including a copy of the syllabus, the course schedule, forms, and assignments.

Because e-mail will be used throughout this course, it is imperative that you check your ODU student address on a regular basis.  If you prefer to use and check another e-mail account, have your ODU e-mail forwarded to your preferred account. You will be held accountable for what is included in these instructor initiated messages. "I didn't check my messages in that (or any other) e-mail account" is not an acceptable response.

Textbook:
A copy of the course guide and all forms will be posted on the course website at:http://www.lions.odu.edu/org/deca/ots405/

Teacher Candidate Dispositions at Old Dominion University: Teachers and other school professional candidates at ODU are expected to demonstrate behaviors that are indicative of the following dispositions characteristic of effective educators throughout their program.  Candidates understand that they must adequately and consistently demonstrate these dispositions in order to maintain good standing in their Teacher Education program at Old Dominion University. The candidate shows a disposition toward commitment to each of the following:

• Attends functions when required (punctual)
• Maintains a professional appearance
• Solicits feedback from others
• Adjusts behavior based on professional feedback
• Communicates effectively orally (articulate, animated, few grammatical errors)
• Communicates effectively in writing (clear organization of ideas, few misspelling and grammatical errors)
• Demonstrates sensitivity to others’ feelings and opinions (e.g., diplomatic)
• Participates with others in a collaborative manner
• Treats others with respect
• Provides information to all constituents in a professional and timely manner
• Demonstrates a commitment to remain current in knowledge of subject area content
• Demonstrates knowledge about my teaching subject area
• Participates in professional development activities that represent subject area currently or in the near future
• Enjoys working with diverse (i.e., special education, gifted, at-risk, minority, etc.) PreK-12 learners.
• Demonstrates effective decision-making and problem-solving skills
• Displays excitement about teaching subject area.

Students with Special Needs

Old Dominion University is committed to ensuring equal access to all qualified students with disabilities in accordance with the Americans with Disabilities Act. The Office of Educational Accessibility (OEA) is the campus office that works with students who have disabilities to provide and/or arrange reasonable accommodations.

• If you experience a disability which will impact your ability to access any aspect of my class, please present me with an accommodation letter from OEA so that we can work together to ensure that appropriate accommodations are available to you.
• If you feel that you will experience barriers to your ability to learn and/or testing in my class but do not have an accommodation letter, please consider scheduling an appointment with OEA to determine if academic accommodations are necessary.

The Office of Educational Accessibility is located at 1021 Student Success Center and their phone number is (757) 683-4655. Additional information is available at the OEA website: http://www.odu.edu/educationalaccessibility/

More information about the Policies and Procedures for Assessing Teacher Candidate Dispositions at Old Dominion University can be found at http://education.odu.edu/tes/pages/forms1.shtml.