Practicum Course vs. Placement

What’s the Difference Between the Practicum Course and the  Practicum Placement Experience?

The practicum course, SPED 554, includes the practicum placement experience, but they each have distinct sets of requirements and forms.

Structure of SPED 554 (Practicum Course)

The practicum course has three basic intentions and components:

1. To support the successful completion of requirements in the practicum placements. To fulfill, record and store practicum placement requirements including observation-coaching sessions, reflections, lesson plans, midterm/final evaluations; and demonstrate clinical competencies. A Practicum Experience Checklist for keeping track of required practicum and optional practicum experiences is provided.

2. To provide instructional content through the completion of a learning module entitled: Maximizing O&M Instruction in Rural and Remote Areas. 

3. As a naturally occurring component of the candidate’s practicum placement, the candidate has opportunities to produce artifacts (or work samples) that should align with and reflect O&M clinical knowledge and skills competencies. Guidance and feedback from University Supervisors in the creation of artifacts is facilitated through the use of a university supported ePortfolio system. Google Sites is the system used to host the ePortfolio workbook. The workbook is available to candidates for ongoing reflection and professional development after program completion.

Timeline

For each quarter, the practicum placement timeline starts in week 1 and ends in week 10, with an 11th week (finals week) for wrap-up and final submission of documents.