HSE 101: Fi

HSE 101: Final Project Guidelines and Rubric

Overview
Human services professionals work in a variety of settings such as hospitals, mental health centers, addiction treatment programs, child welfare, courts,
probation, schools, and food banks. This course serves as your introduction to the field. In the final assignment, you will apply what you learned about the
history of the human services field and about current trends, theory, ethics, the helping process, roles, and the variety of settings in which human services
professionals are employed.

The project is supported by four formative milestones, which will be submitted at various points throughout the course to scaffold learning and ensure quality
final submissions. These milestones will be submitted in Modules Two, Four, Five, and Six. The final submission will be due in Module Seven.

This assessment addresses the following course outcomes:

 Analyze the history of the field of human services for its relationship to current trends in the field
 Describe theories, values, and ethics for guiding work as a human services professional
 Differentiate between the various roles human services professionals employ facilitating the helping process
 Research human services employment opportunities for informing career paths

Prompt
For the final assessment, you will select an agency in which you would like to be employed. You will research the types of services this agency offers by looking at
its website, visiting the agency (if possible), emailing or interviewing someone who works at the agency. Once you have gathered the information for this
project, you will explain why you selected this particular agency instead of others, write about how history and current trends have influenced this agency, what
theories, values, and ethical standards you would apply if you worked at the agency, and how your personal values might be challenged, what your role in the
helping process might be, and what qualifications you would need to apply for a job at that agency.

Specifically, the following critical elements must be addressed:

I. Human Services Profession
Choose a human services agency in which you would like to be employed.

a) What is the agency you selected, and what was your rationale for choosing this particular agency? What other agencies did you consider, and
why did you not select them? Why would you like to be employed at this agency?

1

II. Agency Description
Research the types of services this agency offers by looking at its website, visiting the agency (if possible), emailing or interviewing someone who works
at the agency.

a) What are the main types of services offered?
b) Describe what main type of professionals work within this agency, and describe their roles.

III. History and Current Trends
a) Give a brief history of the development of the agency. Consider describing who established it, why it was originally established, and how it has

evolved. Include the mission of the agency and any other pertinent information.
b) How is the history of the human services field similar to and different from the history of the agency?
c) Describe current trends that impact the work of the agency. How do these trends relate to the history of the human services field?

IV. Theories, Values, and Ethics
Review the code of ethics for human service professionals and theories learned in this class.

a) What is the importance of having a code of ethics? How would the code of ethics impact your provision of services in this agency?
b) Which standards in the Ethical Standards for Human Service Professionals will be more and which will be less challenging to implement, and

why?
c) What theory might you apply while working with clients in your selected agency? Describe an example of how you might apply this theory in

your work at this agency.

V. Role in the Helping Process
Based on your research, what roles might you utilize at this agency in each stage of the helping process?

VI. Career Opportunities
Research the careers available in the specific agency, and discuss the qualifications.

a) Choose an entry-level position you are interested in pursuing, and discuss the qualifications you would need to apply for the position.
b) Detail the qualifications you possess and which skills you are lacking to qualify for the position.

VII. Summary of Learning
To conclude this paper, summarize what you have learned in this course that you can apply to your everyday life.

Milestones
Milestone One: Human Services Organization Identification
In Module Two, you will select one agency in which you would like to be employed and write a one-page overview describing the agency, your interest in it, and
the different roles and positions the agency maintains. Yo u will focus on this agency throughout the rest of the agency exploration assignment. This milestone is
graded with the Milestone One Rubric.

Milestone Two: Human Services Timeline Discussion
In Module Four, you will reflect on the history of the human services field and the history of your chosen organization through a discussion. You will make a post
that identifies the founding of your selected organization and highlights an important event or news story that has impacted the human services field. This
milestone is graded with the Milestone Two Rubric.

Milestone Three: Helping Process Discussion
In Module Five, you will select one client-facing role that is used by human services professionals within the organization you selected for your final project and
create a post that names the role, explains the different responsibilities of the profession, and provides examples of how this role relates to the steps of the
larger helping process. This milestone is graded with the Milestone Three Rubric.

Milestone Four: Summary of Learning
In Module Six, you will describe, in a 1–2-paragraph written response, what you have learned in this course that you can apply to your everyday life. This
milestone is graded with the Milestone Four Rubric.

Final Submission: Agency Exploration
In Module Seven, you will submit your final agency exploration. The final submission is graded with the Final Project Rubric (see following page).

Deliverables

Milestone Deliverables Module Due Grading

1 Human Services Organization Identification Two Graded separately; Milestone One Rubric

2 Human Services Timeline Discussion Four Graded separately; Milestone Two Rubric

3 Helping Process Discussion Five Graded separately; Milestone Three Rubric

4 Summary of Learning Six Graded separately; Milestone Four Rubric

Final Submission: Agency Exploration Seven Graded separately; Final Project Rubric

Final Project Rubric
Guidelines for Submission: Your agency exploration should be between 4 and 6 pages, double-spaced, use 12-point Times New Roman font, and be written in
APA style.

Critical Elements Exemplary (100%) Proficient (85%) Needs Improvement (55%) Not Evident (0%) Value

Human Services
Profession: Agency

Meets “Proficient” criteria, and
rationale is especially clear and
well supported

Selects an agency and gives
rationale for choosing that
particular profession

Selects an agency, but does not
give rationale for choosing that
particular profession, or rationale
is weak

Does not select an agency 7.6

Agency Description:
Services

Meets “Proficient” criteria, and
description is especially clear and
contextualized

Describes the main types of
services offered

Describes the main types of
services offered, but description
lacks detail or accuracy

Does not describe the types of
services offered

7.6

Agency Description:
Professionals

Meets “Proficient” criteria, and
descriptions are especially clear
and contextualized

Describes the main types of
professionals within the program
or organization and their roles

Describes the main types of
practitioners within the program
or organization and their roles,
but description lacks detail or
accuracy

Does not describe the main types
of practitioners and their roles

7.6

History and Current
Trends: History

Meets “Proficient” criteria and
utilizes sources to strengthen
description

Comprehensively describes the
development of the organization

Describes the development of
the organization, but description
lacks detail or is inaccurate

Does not describe the
development of the organization

7.6

History and Current
Trends: Agency

Meets “Proficient” criteria and
utilizes sources to strengthen
description

Discusses the relationship
between the history of human
services and the history of the
agency

Discusses the relationship
between the history of human
services and the history of the
agency, but information lacks
detail or accuracy

Does not discuss the relationship
between the history of human
services and the history of the
agency

7.6

History and Current
Trends: Trends

Meets “Proficient” criteria and
utilizes sources to strengthen
description

Describes current trends that
impact work in the agency,
relating these to the history of
human services

Describes current trends that
impact work in the agency,
relating these to the history of
human services, but lacks detail
or accuracy

Does not describe current trends
that impact work in the agency,
relating these to the history of
human services

7.8

Theories, Values, and
Ethics: Importance

Meets “Proficient” criteria and
provides concrete examples to
substantiate claims

Describes the importance of the
code of ethics and how it impacts
the provision of services in the
agency

Describes the importance of the
code of ethics and how it impacts
the provision of services in the
agency, but description is lacking
detail or accuracy

Does not describe the
importance of the code of ethics
and how it impacts the provision
of services in the agency

7.6

Theories, Values, and
Ethics: Challenging

Meets “Proficient” criteria and
provides concrete examples to
substantiate claims

Details which standards will be
most and least challenging to
implement, providing
justification

Details which standards will be
most and least challenging to
implement, providing
justification, but justification
lacks detail or accuracy

Does not detail which standards
will be most and least challenging
to implement, and does not
provide justification

7.6

Theories, Values, and
Ethics: Apply

Meets “Proficient” criteria and is
well qualified with concrete
examples

Describes a theory that applies
when working in the agency and
provides an example

Describes a theory that applies
when working in the agency and
provides an example, but lacks
detail or accuracy

Does not describe a theory that
applies when working in the
agency and does not provide an
example

7.8

Role in the Helping
Process

Meets “Proficient” criteria and is
well qualified with concrete
examples

Identifies roles in the agency for
each stage of the helping
process, providing justification

Identifies roles in the agency for
each stage of the helping
process, providing justification,
but lacks detail or accuracy

Does not identify roles in the
agency for each stage of the
helping process, and does not
provide justification

7.8

Career
Opportunities:
Qualifications

Meets “Proficient” criteria, and
description is exceptionally clear

Discusses qualifications of an
entry-level position and
compares to personal experience

Discusses qualifications of an
entry-level position and
compares to personal
experience, but lacks detail and
accuracy

Does not discuss qualifications of
an entry-level position and does
not compare to personal
experience

7.6

Career
Opportunities: Skills

Meets “Proficient” criteria and
justifies assertions

Details the skills and needs to
qualify for the entry-level
position

Details the skills and needs to
qualify for the entry-level
position, but lacks detail and
accuracy

Does not detail the skills and
needs to qualify for the entry-
level position

7.8

Summary of Learning Meets “Proficient” criteria and is
exceptionally clear

Summarizes how coursework can
be applied to real life and how it
relates to career goals

Summarizes how coursework can
be applied to real life and how it
relates to career goals, but lacks
detail

Does not summarize how
coursework can be applied to
real life and how it relates to
career goals

4

Articulation of
Response

Submission is free of errors
related to citations, grammar,
spelling, syntax, and organization
and is presented in a professional
and easy-to-read format

Submission has no major errors
related to citations, grammar,
spelling, syntax, or organization

Submission has major errors
related to citations, grammar,
spelling, syntax, or organization
that negatively impact readability
and articulation of main ideas

Submission has critical errors
related to citations, grammar,
spelling, syntax, or organization
that prevent understanding of
ideas

4

Earned Total 100%