APSY796 - Crisis Management and Violence Prevention

APSY 796 Crisis Management and Violence Prevention
Edinboro University of Pennsylvania - College of Education
Department of Special Education & School Psychology
Online 2010

Course Description: This course develops an understanding of techniques and issues related to preventing and managing crises situations in schools. It trains students in non-violent interventions for handling aggressive and disruptive school-age individuals. This course is the third and final course in the sequence of courses for the Behavior Management Specialist Certificate.

Text
        Brock, S. E., Nickerson, A.B., Reeves, M.A., Jimerson, S.R., Lieberman, R.A., Feinberg, T. A. (2009). School Crisis Prevention and Intervention: The PREPaRE Model. Bethesda, MD: NASP.

Course Objectives

• Students will demonstrate understanding of foundational knowledge related to crisis management prevention and intervention in schools.
• Students will develop an understanding of how to apply concepts related to crisis management.
• Students will integrate crisis management concepts with their professional experiences and current events.
• Students will develop a value and interest in applying crisis management related concepts to their professional experiences.

Course Topics:
Crisis     Suicide     Violence     Proximity     Body Language     Bullying     Prevention     Intervention     Triage     PTSD     Traumatic Stress     Incident Command System     Functional Behavior Assessment    Violence     Natural Disasters     Debriefing

Evaluation and Grade Assignment:
     Discussion Board Participation (20 Points): I will post questions for each of the online units. Please follow the directions in each discussion.

     Reading Assessments (110 Points): Short assessments on the content of required readings will be completed in class across the course. There will be 11 assessments of assigned reading chapters. There is one assessment for each chapter. The format is true-false and multiple-choice and multiple answers type questions. The assessments will directly assess concepts from readings.

     Final Exam (100 Points):  A test consisting of true-false, multiple-choice, multiple answer, short essay questions will be completed. The test will be based on assigned readings and is aimed at assessing student knowledge of major constructs presented in class and contained in readings.

     Safe Crisis Intervention (SCI) Exam (25 Points): A test consisting of short answer and essay questions will be completed. The test will be based on major concepts presented, discussed and applied for safe crisis intervention and will be aimed at assessing student knowledge and application of major SCI concepts. This exam is taken at the completion of the on campus residency program. Students with recent experience in residential treatment programs and who have been trained in safety restraint techniques may request to take this test prior to the residency component. Students who successfully pass this exam may be excused from the residency requirement.

            Applied Activities (40 Points): Activities requiring the application of crisis management concepts will be provided. Individuals are required to develop answers to presented questions or problems and submit them in the drop box.

            Culminating Project (55 Points): Students will create a PowerPoint presentation on a topic related to crisis management and violence intervention in schools (e.g., bullying prevention program). Projects will be submitted and posted for review and feedback by other students and the instructor. Projects should be completed in small groups (2-4 students) so find one or two or three people with whom you can collaborate with to complete this project (no more than 4 students to a group please).
      Option 1 - Projects are to address crisis management program for schools (e.g., suicide prevention, anti-bullying). The target audiences for the project are your classmates and other education professionals. The projects should provide background information on the crisis topic and explain a rationale for why a school district should implement a program. Projects should clearly explain the program to the audience.  Projects should provide suggestions for an applied activity the audience can complete to better understand the program. Students may work together on this project, but groups may not exceed four students to a group.
     Option 2 - Students may interview a school district employee currently serving on a crisis team. Interviews are aimed at understanding the district procedures for managing a crisis and understanding the individual’s perspective on participating in crisis management. Students should also gather recommendations from the individual regarding prevention and management of crisis situations. Information should be provided in a paper or a PowerPoint presentation. The project should provide an applied activity to facilitate audience participation. Students may partner with other students on this project, but groups may not exceed four students to a group.
      Option 3- Research and describe a major school crisis (e.g., school shooting other than Columbine). Provide details describing the incident. Also, evaluate how well the school was prepared and responded to the incident. Make a decision about whether the crisis could have been prevented. Students may partner with other students on this project, but groups may not exceed four students to a group.
     Option 4 – Student are free to create a unique presentation that doesn't quite fit into Option 1 or Option 2 and is based on their personal or professional experiences or needs. Approval from the instructor is required.

GRADING
Discussion Board Participation                         20 Points
Reading Assessments                                       10 Points
Final Exam                                                             100 Points
Safe Crisis Intervention (SCI) Exam                  25 Points
Applied Activities                                                   40 Points
Culminating Project                                             55 Points
TOTAL                                                                    350 Points

GRADING SCALE
Total Points = 350
Grade             Percentage                 Points
A         =          93 – 100%                   325 - 350
B+       =          88 –   91%                   308 - 324
B         =          83 –   89%                   290 - 307
C+       =          79 –   82%                   276 - 289       
C         =          73 –   78%                   255 - 275
F          =          less than 73%            below 255

Course Schedule:

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B. Class Policies
     Any instance of academic dishonesty will result in a failing grade on the assingment in question and possibly the course.
     If the student has a disabiling condition that requires some adaption and/or modification, please contact the instructor as soon as possible.
     If at any time during the semester a student has a concern about any aspect of the course or about his/her progress , please see the instructor as soon as possible to discuss the concern.

Artifacts for Inclusion in Student Porfolio
Culminating Project