LEARNING CONTRACT

Learning Contract

Office of Graduate Management Studies

Self-Directed Managerial Applications Component

Proposal/Learning Contract

Student: Instructor:

Course: Proposed title of project:

Issue/Problem/Task to be Addressed

My objective is to understand what a college counselor does. Specifically, I want to learn what is involved in the three domains: academic, career, and personal/social counseling. I'm also interested in how many hours the counselor works and how difficult it is to counsel students who have serious personal problems.

Topic(s) from Functional Knowledge Area Related to the Issue/Problem/Task

Internships and Co-ops are “Experiential Learning" opportunities - learning that is directly related to my field of study or professional goals. To get the most from these opportunities it is important that I establish objectives which specify the significant and appropriate learning that is expected to result from the work experience. The effort I put into these objectives will increase the satisfaction and skills that I will receive from my position. Setting goals keeps me focused, which in turn makes learning more intentional.

Anticipated Managerial Abilities to be Developed

In the on-campus phase of the program I focused my curriculum largely on enrolling in training courses. I wanted to have a practicum that directly correlated with my field of study and conduct research for the same organization. I wanted to work for an organization in which the training and facilitation skills acquired at SIT would be a benefit to any organization that hired me. I wanted to also work for an organization that would challenge me both intellectually and creatively.

Proposed Project Design/Plan

Please Note: Instructors must approve all surveys, questionnaires, and/or interview questions before distribution or interview.

I plan to assist the counselor two afternoons each week for two hours. I want to assist in creating materials and observe academic conferences. I hope to assist with college and career information that is provided to the juniors during the semester. This includes preparing materials, participating in the lesson, and recapping the results. In terms of social/personal counseling, due to confidentiality, I know that I cannot observe a counseling session. But I hope to interview the counselor and learn how she manages social/personal counseling. Finally, I will assist her in any other additional duties that are ask of me.

I will accomplish these objectives throughout the semester. Ideally, I would like to focus on one objective each four weeks. This will allow time for any other questions/interests that I may have, and perhaps there will be time to ...