The following is a response to the recommendations made in the PRC’s consultant report for the B.S. in Vocational Rehabilitation program.
Recommendations for the Program Director
- Continue the current efforts to
eliminate unnecessary course overlap
and to help students understand the
reasons for necessary course overlap,
especially with courses like Psychometric
Testing and Evaluation, as well as
Caseload Management and Introduction
to Vocational Rehabilitation.
Response
The dean and associate dean will meet with the program director on a periodic basis to ensure faculty in the Department of Rehabilitation and Counseling are working to eliminate course overlap. This will be reviewed with special attention given to orient new positions who teach courses where the overlap perception exists. - Assist the special
education concentration
students and faculty
in making the transition
to the new DPI standards.
Response
The Dean of the School of Education and special education program director will be contacted to determine whether the DPI standards are being effectively communicated to students taking the Special Education concentration in the Vocational Rehabilitation program.
- Continue to support
new faculty to understand
the program and advisement
process.
Response
The dean’s office will continue to support the program director to ensure that faculty are continually updated about the program and to ensure that university-wide policy changes are communicated to students so they will receive the best possible advisement.
- Since it is unlikely
that any additional new
courses will be added
to the Criminal Justice
concentration, it is
recommended that continued
emphasis be placed on
advising students about
the rehabilitation rather
than enforcement emphasis
in this concentration.
Response
The dean will meet with the program director to evaluate progress in orienting Criminal Justice students to the overall purpose and outcomes of the vocational rehabilitation program. Although no new courses are to be developed, students who select the Criminal Justice concentration must be well versed and effective in providing a strong rehabilitation orientation to their future career roles. This is necessary because there seems to be less emphasis on the rehabilitation side of this process and more attention to understanding laws and enforcing punitive interventions with this population.
- Identify and modify
areas in the curriculum
where racial equity can
be emphasized.
Response
The dean’s office will monitor course revisions to ensure diversity issues and multi-cultural orientations to content are included and emphasized.
Recommendation for the Chair of the Vocational Rehabilitation Department
- Assist the program
director as needed to
provide resources that
will permit the program
to be registered with
the Undergraduate Rehabilitation
Registry.
Response
The chair and program director were notified that the college will provide funds to enable the undergraduate program to be listed in the CORE Registry beginning next academic year 2005-06.
Recommendations for the Dean, College of Human Development
- Identify and secure funding-based
opportunities that can assist the
B.S. Vocational Rehabilitation program
with the updating of its lab-based
facilities as well as staffing of
such areas. Also support the updating
and presentation of materials on
the program webpage.
Response
Alan Block and I work closely together to plan the offerings and staffing. With very few exceptions regular SOE faculty/staff now teach all of the required courses.
- Work
to identify and support
faculty who can provide
guidance and expertise
for the research, grant
proposal, and program
revision specialization
options.
Response
Funds to update laboratories predominantly used by the undergraduate program were provided in Spring 2005. These were in addition to laboratory modernization dollars provided by the university.
The college will review the webpage to ensure that it is current and that support is provided to keep it updated for all students and interested prospects.
Recommendations for the Dean of the School of Education
- Work with the program director
of the B.S. in Vocational Rehabilitation
program to assist the special education
students and faculty in making the
transition to the new DPI standards.
Response
Dr. Amy Gillett is the program director for the new Special Education: Cross Categorical certification program. She also works with the students who have the Special Education concentration in the B.S. in Vocational Rehabilitation program. She and the School of Education Coordinating Chair will work with the B.S. in Vocational Rehabilitation program director, students and faculty in transitioning to the PI34 Department of Public Instruction standards. These standards became effective August 31, 2004 and are currently being implemented.