CSULB Volunteering in The Mentorship Program at The YMCA Essay

1. Background and Assessment of the Experience (Paper: 2-3 paragraphs; PowerPoint: at least one slide; Video: at least a minute or two)

A) Provide a brief overview of your typical activities at your field site.

B) What activities were most beneficial for your education and/or career goals?

C) What would have helped to make the experience more beneficial to your learning?

2. Student Learning Outcome (SLO) 1: Knowledge Base in Psychology (Paper: 2-3 paragraphs; PowerPoint: at least two slides; Video: 3-6 minutes)

A) Describe how one concept you have learned about in your psychology courses was evident in your applied experience.

B) Describe how one theory you have learned about in your psychology courses was evident in your applied experience.

3. SLO 3: Ethical and Social Responsibility in a Diverse World (Paper: 2 paragraphs; PowerPoint: a slide or two; Video: 2-5 minutes)

Since
you had encounters with the public, coworkers, and supervisors, you
have had the opportunity to experience real-world situations that could
have involved excellent opportunities to view model ethics in action, or
the potential for ethical dilemmas or even ethical violations. Address
any ethical issues your experienced in a meaningful way using APA
guidelines. (Note: You may wish to review APA’s code of ethics. To do so, go to www.apa.org (Links to an external site.),
and click on “Ethics” in the menu on the left side of the screen. There
you can read about the newly revised code of ethics.) Choose one of the following as you approach this section of the final project:

A)
If you faced and/or observed an ethical dilemma or concern, how did you
handle or deal with it? What were the ethical principles involved?
How was the situation resolved? What did you learn from the experience
that you will take with you as you embark on your career? OR

B)
If you witnessed and/or observed examples of ethics being applied
appropriately, describe what was done well (either by you, your
supervisor, or your colleagues). What ethical principles were
involved? How were they applied (give an example of what happened).
What did you learn from this first-hand experience of ethics in action?

4. SLO 4: Communication (Paper: at least one paragraph; PowerPoint: one slide minimum; Video: 1-3 minutes)

Interacting Effectively with Others

A) How would you describe your interactions with others at your site? (Even if you worked virtually, you had to interact with your supervisor, at the very least. Describe those interactions.)

• • • • Did you receive enough guidance (to know what to do in your position) from your supervisor?
      • What
        communication skills (think back to PSYC 2030) did you use to
        communicate with coworkers, managers, vendors, and/or others who worked
        alongside you? (Do your best to respond, even if you worked virtually)

B) How would you describe your interactions with your clients/customers/people you served in your position?

• • • • • Again,
          thinking back to PSYC 2030, what communication skills did you further
          develop in your applied experience as you interacted with your
          clients/customers/others you served?

C) How would you describe your interactions with your classmates on the Discussion Board on Canvas? Did
you feel connected to your peers? If not, what would you suggest as a
way to feel more connected to the class and glean from everyone’s
experience in the field? (Would love to hear your feedback!)

5. SLO 5: Professional Development (Paper: 3-4 paragraphs; PowerPoint: 2-4 slides; Video: 3-7 minutes)

How would you evaluate yourself in the following areas? I encourage you to reflect honestly; this is a great way to consider ways to improve and grow. (Last
semester, several students spontaneously decided to “rate” themselves
on a scale of 1-10, with 10 being “the best.” It was interesting that
so many did since I did not ask them to! But, if you would like to rate
yourself in the same way, feel free):

A) Teamwork skills (e.g., flexibility, collaboration, willingness to work and collaborate with others, being flexible and committed, etc.)

B) Self-efficacy (i.e., belief in your ability to succeed and contribute something of value)

C) Self-regulation (ability to work toward and achieve learning goals) at your applied experience site?

D) Life After Graduation/Career Goals – How
did your applied experience confirm or rule out your interest in the
line of work offered by your site? In other words, did the experience
help guide you as you consider your professional direction after
graduation? Explain.