School of Behavioral & Social Sciences
Tucson, AZ
Wayland Mission Statement: Wayland Baptist University exists to educate students in an academically
challenging, learning-focused, and distinctively Christian environment for professional success, and
service to God and humankind.
COURSE NUMBER & TITLE:
SEMESTER:
DAY & TIME:
INSTRUCTOR:
Phone: 520-431-7001
OFFICE:
CNSL5305 Psycho-Educational Testing and Appraisal
Summer 2016
Fri 6pm to 10pm; Sat 9am to 4:30pm
Roger Daniels, MA, MDiv, DMin
Email: Daniels.roger1020@yahoo.com
Office hours to be scheduled as needed
Course Description: An advanced study that is “is limited to providing a broad understanding of group
and individual psychometric theories, formal and informal approaches to appraisal, data and information
gathering methods, validity and reliability, factors influencing appraisals, diagnostic procedures, and use
of appraisal results in the helping process.”
Prerequisite: There is no prerequisite for this course.
Required Textbook: Assessment in Counseling by Danica G. Hays (5th Edition)
Course Outcome Competencies: Upon completion of this course, students will be able to:
1. Know, recognize and have a working knowledge of major psychological tests and assessments,
including personality, intelligence, and career testing.
2. Know the various aspects of test development including basic statistical concepts including
reliability and validity.
3. Be familiar with relevant psychological testing issues such as bias, cultural influences, legal and
ethical issues, and the future of testing.
4. Learn basic tips on test administration and interviewing as well as scoring and interpretation.
COURSE EXPECTATIONS
Attendance: Students enrolled at one of the University’s campuses of Wayland Baptist
University are expected to make every effort to attend all class meetings. Any absences must be
explained to the instructor, who will then determine whether the omitted work may be made up.
Additional attendance policies for each course, as defined by the instructor in the course syllabus, are
considered a part of the University’s attendance policy. Excessive late arrivals or early departures are not
in the student’s best interest. Material will be discussed in class and included in the exams that is not in
the book. It is the students’ responsibility to obtain any material missed by not attending class for any
reason, excused or unexcused. Make-up exams must have authorization by the instructor.
Class Participation: Classroom discussion of the course material between the professor and
other students is considered to be a valuable part of the learning process. Students are encouraged and
expected to share their thoughts, feelings, and insights related to course material and its application to
real-life circumstances, as well as participate in any roll-play exercises.
Electronic Devices: Smart phones, tablets or personal computers are to be used strictly for notetaking and research during class periods. Any use of these devices during class time to check email, or
social media accounts is strictly prohibited as it is disruptive to class and an obstacle to learning for all
involved. (Emergencies calls, and messages not withstanding.)
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Readings: Assigned readings and/or chapters are to be completed prior to the class session for
which they are assigned so that students can effectively participate in class discussions as well as ask and
answer questions.
Plagiarism Policy: Intellectual integrity and truthfulness are fundamental to scholarship and
graduate level learning. Scholars, whether they are performing as students or as teachers, are engaged in
a search for truth. Plagiarism is a form of cheating and also a form of theft. Plagiarism occurs when a
student fails to give proper credit when information is either quoted or paraphrased. In essence,
plagiarism takes place when you take credit for someone else’s work. This happens when you copy
someone’s exam or when you fail to explain which parts of a paper reflect your own ideas and which
came from someone else. Looking at or copying someone else’s test, answer sheet, and/or paper is
counted as cheating. Carelessness is no excuse. As such, it is a breach of scholarly responsibility. It is
also unethical, immoral, and in some cases, illegal. Plagiarism may result in an “F” in the course or in
your being expelled from the class.
Course Requirements and Grading Criteria:
Examinations: (60%) Four exams (three unit exams and a final exam – 15% each) will be administered
during the course of the semester. The exams may consist of objective questions such as multiple choice
or “fill-in-the-blank” questions, or may also include “expressive” questions such as short answer or essay
questions. Exams may consist of items from either the textbook or from material discussed in class as
well as from handouts given out in class. (The final exam will be “take home” and due one week after the
last class meeting.)
Assignments: (20%)
1. Survey Questionnaire (5%)
a. Develop a short survey questionnaire (10 to15) items using a Lickert Scale format) based
on a construct of your choice (e.g., depression, anxiety, substance abuse, abortion, etc.).
This needs to be original to the student – do not use the internet or any other resource to
look up similar surveys when developing this survey. More details will be given in class.
2. Case History Interview (5%)
a. Conduct a thorough counseling case history interview with someone of your choice – as
if they were a new client in your counseling practice. Results should be at least four
pages long. More details will be given in class.
3. Journal Articles (5%)
a. Read three journal articles pertaining to three different tests. One test must be an
intelligence test and one must be a personality test. Write a one-page summary for each
of the three articles (single spaced is fine) which describes the topic of each article and
what you learned from reading it.
4. Online tests/in-class tests (5%)
a. The student will be asked to take a number of psychological tests or assessments during
the course of the semester. Active and honest participation is required – most of the
testing instruments employed will report if they are not valid due to random or careless
response sets. The instructor will not be interested in the results of the student’s testing,
as much as the value of the experience. These tests will be used as resources for the
student’s term paper. (See below).
Term Paper: “Personality Self Analysis (20%) (10-12 pages, hard copy, APA Style)
The student will be asked to compose a paper detailing one’s own personality assessment based on the
results of the tests the student has taken for themselves in class. The paper should have a short
introduction, a section for each testing instrument describing test scores and their meaning(s), and a
conclusion wherein the student offers a general overview and reflection upon what these scores indicate
about his or her personality.
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University Grading Scale: The University has a standard grading scale as follows: 90-100 = A
(excellent); 80-89 = B (good); 70-79=C (average); 60-69=D (acceptable but below average); below 60=F
(unacceptable); W=the student withdrew from the course before the deadline; I=incomplete. A grade of
“incomplete” is given only if circumstances beyond the student’s control prevented completion of work
during the semester enrolled and any attendance requirements have been met. A grade of “incomplete” is
changed if the deficiency is made up by midterm of the next regular semester; otherwise, it becomes an
“F”. Consult catalog for more information.
Course Outline (Tentative Schedule)
Fri., June 10
Sat., June 11
Intro/syllabus/Lecture/Class Discussion/Videos
Lecture/Class Discussion/Videos
Fri., June 24
Sat., June 25
Exam #1
Assignment #1 Due
Lecture/Class Discussion/Videos
Fri., July 8
Sat., July 9
Exam #2
Assignment #2 Due
Lecture/Class Discussion/Videos
Fri., Aug 29
Sat., Aug 30
Exam #3
Assignment #3 Due
Lecture/Class Discussion/Videos
Aug 6
Final Exam and Term Paper Due
External Campuses
Students enrolled at one of the university’s external campuses should make every effort to attend all class
meetings. All absences must be explained to the instructor, who will then determine whether the omitted
work may be made up. When a student reaches that number of absences considered by the instructor to be
excessive, the instructor will so advise the student and file an unsatisfactory progress report with the
external campus executive director/dean. Any student who misses 25 percent or more of the regularly
scheduled class meetings may receive a grade of F in the course. Additional attendance policies for each
course, as defined by the instructor in the course syllabus, are considered a part of the university’s
attendance policy. A student may petition the Academic Council for exceptions to the above stated
policies by filing a written request for an appeal to the executive vice president/provost.
Plainview Campus
The university expects students to make class attendance a priority. Faculty members provide students a
copy of attendance requirements. These are provided on the first day of class.
Students in programs for which an outside agency (such as the Veteran’s Administration) has stricter
attendance requirements will be subject to those requirements. In addition, the university registrar will
provide each student affected a list of these regulations.
The dean of the school must approve part-time and adjunct faculty class attendance requirements prior to
syllabi distribution.
Virtual Campus
Students are expected to participate in all required instructional activities in their courses. Online courses
are no different in this regard; however, participation must be defined in a different manner. Student
“attendance” in an online course is defined as active participation in the course as described in the course
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syllabus. Instructors in online courses are responsible for providing students with clear instructions for
how they are required to participate in the course. Additionally, instructors are responsible for
incorporating specific instructional activities within their course and will, at a minimum, have weekly
mechanisms for documenting student participation. These mechanisms may include, but are not limited
to, participating in a weekly discussion board, submitting/completing assignments in Blackboard, or
communicating with the instructor. Students aware of necessary absences must inform the professor with
as much advance notice as possible in order to make appropriate arrangements. Any student absent 25
percent or more of the online course, i.e., non-participatory during 3 or more weeks of an 11 week term,
may receive an F for that course. Instructors may also file a Report of Unsatisfactory Progress for students
with excessive non-participation. Any student who has not actively participated in an online class prior to
the census date for any given term is considered a “no-show” and will be administratively withdrawn
from the class without record. To be counted as actively participating, it is not sufficient to log in and
view the course. The student must be submitting work as described in the course syllabus. Additional
attendance and participation policies for each course, as defined by the instructor in the course syllabus,
are considered a part of the university’s attendance policy.
Disability Statement:
In compliance with the Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990 (ADA), it is the policy of Wayland
Baptist University that no otherwise qualified person with a disability be excluded from participation in,
be denied the benefits of, or be subject to discrimination under any educational program or activity in the
university. The Coordinator of Counseling Services serves as the coordinator of students with a disability
and should be contacted concerning accommodation requests at (806) 291- 3765. Documentation of a
disability must accompany any request for accommodations.
Student grade appeals:
Students shall have protection through orderly procedures against prejudices or capricious academic
evaluation. A student who believes that he or she has not been held to realistic academic standards, just
evaluation procedures, or appropriate grading, may appeal the final grade given in the course by using the
student grade appeal process described in the Academic Catalog. Appeals may not be made for advanced
placement examinations or course bypass examinations. Appeals limited to the final course grade, which
may be upheld, raised, or lowered at any stage of the appeal process. Any recommendation to lower a
course grade must be submitted through the Executive Vice President/Provost to the Faculty Assembly
Grade Appeals Committee for review and approval. The Faculty Assembly Grade Appeals Committee
may instruct that the course grade be upheld, raised, or lowered to a more proper evaluation.
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