Purpose of Practicum/Internship. The purpose of the College s criminal justice practicum is to provide community and

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1 Purpose of Practicum/Internship The purpose of the College s criminal justice practicum is to provide community and professional based learning opportunities for criminal justice students through exposure to new and challenging field experiences within a criminal justice setting. The practicum is designed to offer opportunities to interface with criminal justice practitioners, clients, and other professionals, in order to observe the application of theoretical concepts and the functionality of criminal justice organizations in the community and governmental environments, as learned in the undergraduate curriculum. The practicum is also an academic learning experience in which students are expected to participate in a seminar and successfully complete written assignments which will provide students the opportunity to apply knowledge acquired in the classroom with practical experience from their practicum placement. The practicum student will complete 210 hours of work experience at the placement site of his/her choosing provided the practicum site also agrees to accept the student. It is the responsibility of the student to choose the site, contact the site supervisor, and schedule an interview for the placement position. (Refer to Practicum Set Up Site Document). General Practicum Requirements All students will need to contact Anne Strouth one semester before the student plans to take course CRMJ2190 (Practicum/Seminar Course) in order to enroll in the practicum course. The practicum course contains a seminar portion which is accessible through North Central State College s Canvas website. Accessibility to a computer is needed to familiarize the 1

2 student with Canvas. Tutorial sessions are available to aid students with understanding the functions of Canvas. Reliable transportation to and from the practicum site is a requirement for students participating in the practicum. Some practicum sites may require the student to travel to various other sites to enhance the learning experience, so, again, it is the student s responsibility to ensure they have access to reliable transportation. Additional Practicum Eligibility & Placement Requirements Undergraduate students applying for the CRMJ 2190 (Practicum/Seminar Course) must be prepared, academically and otherwise, for the practicum experience. Practicum students represent the Criminal Justice Program at North Central State College and therefore must have a strong personal character consisting of maturity, integrity, and high ethical standards. A student may be denied enrollment in the practicum course or removed from the course by the College if the College determines the student has violated North Central State College policies, including, but not limited to, the Student Code of Conduct. In addition, unexcused absences and/or tardiness will not be tolerated. It is mandatory that students meet the eligibility criteria specified by their practicum site. Although criteria varies, practicum sites commonly require students to successfully pass local, state, and federal background screenings as well as drug tests, and polygraph screenings. Students who are not able to secure a practicum placement due to a criminal history or the use of illicit substances will not be able to complete the Criminal Justice practicum course, which will prevent students from graduating. Individuals with a felony and/or domestic violence conviction 2

3 will experience extreme difficulty finding a practicum site. Students with misdemeanor convictions should seek advice from an advisor in the Criminal Justice program. While criminal justice work can involve heightened risks to your safety and welfare, you must not allow yourself to be placed in any dangerous activity (i.e. carrying a gun, making arrests or participating in any other activity or behavior that is dangerous to yourself or others). If a practicum site supervisor orders you to participate in a dangerous situation, respectfully, but firmly, decline to participate and immediately contact the Criminal Justice faculty. Practicum Expectations Practicum students will be required to do all of the following: Work at a practicum site for a total of 210 hours over the length of the practicum course, approximately weeks; Work one-on-one with the student s placement site to establish the student s work schedule; Read and voluntarily sign the College s release and waiver of liability form; Provide the student s practicum site supervisor with a midterm and a final appraisal evaluation form to be completed by the practicum site supervisor; Be fingerprinted and provide the results from BCI&I and FBI to the student s practicum site supervisor. Fingerprinting and background checks are conducted in coordination with the College s Human Resource Office. It is the student s responsibility to be fingerprinted PRIOR to starting at their practicum site; Dress professionally at the practicum site and during the practicum course at all times; Maintain weekly timesheets that must be verified by the student s practicum site supervisor s signature. These are to be turned in weekly to Anne Strouth who also must sign/verify the timesheet; Successfully complete the weekly assignments in the online seminar portion of the practicum course and complete a final eight page project paper related to their practicum placement site; 3

4 Complete two self-evaluations; one at the midterm of the practicum course and a second at the final of the practicum course; Be proactive in seeking out new learning opportunities and experiences; Adhere to the practicum site s policies and procedures; Adhere to the College s rules, regulations and policies, including those contained in the Code of Student Conduct. This can be found under My NC ; Understand and follow practicum site security precautions and safety protocol; Understand and complete assigned duties and tasks, meet deadlines, and seek direction when needed; Meet regularly, or as often as needed, with the student s practicum site supervisor; Participate actively in the practicum seminar, and timely complete all required assignments; Understand and protect the confidentiality and privacy rights of practicum site clients and employees; Maintain appropriate professional boundaries with practicum site clients and employees; Report supervision issues, ethical violations, and critical incidents (e.g., threats, injuries, accidents) immediately to the practicum site supervisor and the Criminal Justice Program Coordinator; Seek feedback regarding performance, and accept constructive criticism; and Timely complete and submit all practicum monitoring and evaluation forms, including time logs. More Practicum Expectations - Practicum Conduct During the course of their practicum, the student is representing North Central State College and the Department of Criminal Justice. Therefore, during the performance of their practicum duties the student shall adhere to the following conduct guidelines: 4

5 1. Reporting to the Practicum Placement Agency/Facility Students should report to their practicum site on the date determined by the Criminal Justice Coordinator, the student, and the practicum site. Typically, this date shall be during the first week of the semester in which the student is enrolled in CRMJ2190. Students may not report to their placement agency prior to the first day of the semester or prior to submitting all required documentation. 2. Attendance If you become ill and cannot attend your practicum site, you must contact your practicum site supervisor and inform him/her that you will be absent and also the practicum coordinator of the Criminal Justice Department. When you are absent, you must consult your practicum site supervisor and obtain permission to make up the work hours missed. Also, tardiness and leaving early are not appropriate professional conduct. Students who engage in such conduct may be terminated from the practicum placement and appropriate action will be taken by the College. 3. Dress & Personal Attire Students should dress in professional attire at all times unless otherwise informed by their practicum site supervisor. If a practicum student has any questions about the appropriateness of certain clothing the student should discuss them with their site supervisor before wearing the item(s) in question. Reporting to the practicum site wearing inappropriate attire will warrant an invitation to leave your practicum and the time will not be counted toward the 210 hours of your practicum. You may be permanently removed from your site if you report to your practicum site a second time wearing inappropriate attire. Students should be aware of personal hygiene, and 5

6 be clean and well groomed. Men should keep facial hair trimmed and/or shaved. Women should keep hair back in a ponytail, and/or pinned aware from their face for safety purposes. Both male and female students should be aware of not wearing clothing, makeup, or any items that could be viewed as provocative, or draw attention to the student in a way that distracts from the professionalism of the practicum site. All students must adhere to practicum site policy regarding facial piercings and/or tattoos. 4. Integrity, Ethics & Professional Conduct Disclosing privileged information relating to any case or other matter handled by the sponsoring practicum site, about any client, person involved, or staff person for that site, to any unauthorized person either verbally or in writing constitutes a violation of ethics and confidentiality statutes. Therefore, the student cannot discuss specific case information, client/person involved identification data, or anything else that would compromise the practicum site s professional reputation or credibility in any way. It is the responsibility of practicum students to become familiar with and adhere to all of the confidentiality policies and procedures of the site in which they complete their practicum. If the student has any questions about how to conduct themselves in situations involving confidentiality or anything else, the student should ask their practicum site supervisor about how to respond appropriately. Failure to abide by the policies and procedure of the practicum site could subject the student to criminal charges and prosecution. 5. Time Logs As per the Ohio Board of Regents, the practicum course requires a minimum of 210 hours of placement in a criminal justice agency workplace. The hours may be scheduled in a 6

7 manner that best suits your academic schedule, work schedule, and other aspects of your personal life. You are to meet with the supervisor of your practicum site and arrange the schedule. This schedule must be provided to Anne Strouth prior to starting at the practicum site. All students will be responsible for maintaining a weekly report. This report will indicate the date and times of your placement, and must be signed by your workplace supervisor. The report shall also indicate various work assignments, cases, incidents or projects you were involved in. Significant events shall also be recorded and you will be responsible for typing a detailed summary of how these events in the practicum site are tied to the academic background you have received as part of the practicum curriculum. These sheets are to be turned in weekly to Anne Strouth s office. You must type your summary as a Microsoft Word document and attach it to your time log. DO NOT USE THE SPACE THAT IS LOCATED ON THE FORM. You must describe your events, ideas, and experiences in as much detail as possible. 6. Safety Issues During the practicum, students may be exposed to some risks associated with working in the field of criminal justice. Examples of such risks include making home visits, and working with individuals who may behave in an unpredictable manner or have a communicable disease (e.g., HIV, AIDS, Hepatitis). To minimize risk, students are encouraged to familiarize themselves with their practicum site s security precautions and safety protocol and to discuss any safety concerns with their practicum site supervisor and the criminal justice program coordinator. 7

8 Seminar Requirement In addition to working at your practicum site, you will also have a seminar. Because this is an online course students will not meet as a class on campus. Therefore, the seminar replaces traditional lecture. The seminar will be conducted online using Canvas. You will be assigned weekly assignments via Canvas. All assignments will have a due date and late work will not be accepted. Check your assignment board and discussion boards weekly for these assignments. You will be asked to research and discuss events, incidents and issues that have taken place in your criminal justice practicum placements. You may also be asked other questions as they pertain to your knowledge, views, and participation in the criminal justice placement. In addition, you may be asked questions that you will need to take back with you to your placement site to be answered. These answers must be typed in summary format. These will count as your participation. The assignments must be a minimum of 300 words. Any assignment under 300 words will not be graded and the student will receive a 0 for that assignment. Each student is required to post 1 (one) response to another classmate s posting per assignment as stated. This response must be a minimum of 150 words. Any postings under 150 words will not be graded and the student will receive a 0 for that assignment. Each assignment is weighted at 10 points and each response is weighted at 10 points. 8

9 **REMEMBER** the class sessions simulate meetings and discussion among co-workers in the practicum setting. To respect the rights of all, please: Show respect to your classmates by using positive feedback within the discussion rooms and . Negative feedback will not be tolerated. You will receive a warning for the first time. Further use of negative feedback will result in a 0 grade for that assignment. If negative feedback is used on a third occasion, you may be removed from the class. You will also be required to complete a project paper which will be due the 15 th or 16 th week of the semester. This project paper could be in the form of a written policy, subject, program, or project which you would like to implement at your placement site. Prior to the conclusion of this course there will be an assignment that will be a minimum of 8 pages. More information about this project will be provided as the student participates further in this course. The assignment should cover the following: (1) The name of the project or program; (2) The purpose; (3) Goals and objectives; (4) Implementation procedures; and (5) Desired outcomes. 1. Evaluations Practicum students are required to submit a Mid-Term Evaluation and a Final Evaluation completed and signed by their practicum site supervisor. These evaluations are intended to provide feedback to the student and the Criminal Justice Program Coordinator regarding the student s performance and achievement. Students must also submit a Mid-Term and Final Self Evaluation. 9

10 2. Grading Below is the practicum course grading scale: A C A C B D B D B D C+ 64-Below F *This class is graded as pass/fail. (Students must receive a 74% or higher in order to receive a pass (P) as a grade for this course). * Other specific grading details are located in the student syllabus for course CRMJ

11 Acknowledgement of Receipt and Understanding After reviewing the North Central State College Criminal Justice Practicum Handbook, please sign the acknowledgement below and return this page to Anne Strouth. Please maintain your copy of the handbook for your records. I,, have read and I have received a copy of the Criminal Justice Program Practicum Handbook. I understand that I have been given an ample opportunity to review this Handbook and seek clarification and/or answers to questions I have regarding the policies and procedures discussed in this Handbook. I further understand and agree that I am required to adhere to the policies and procedures detailed in this Handbook. Signature & Date 11