the impact on student growth and development.
Although there were no egregious ethical violations, there was a series of minor concerns that could morph into a more complex concern regarding Mary’s growth and progress through the program. None of the participants in this case study were put in harm’s way, and no one experienced significant trauma as a result of the class assignment. Yet the Preamble to the ACA Code of Ethics (American Counseling Association [ACA], 2014) specifically identifies one of the guiding principles of professional ethical behavior as fidelity, or “honoring commitments and keeping promises, including fulfilling one’s responsibilities of trust in professional relationships” (p. 3). Mary’s behavior during the group assignment did not fulfill her commitments to her peers. Although many graduate students are willing to help their peers, it seems as if Mary took advantage of the situation. She made unilateral decisions that impacted her peers without consulting them.
As an emerging counselor who will be expected to follow the ACA Code of Ethics (ACA, 2014), it is imperative that Mary also understand that “counselors aspire to open, honest, and accurate communication in dealing with the public and other professionals” (p. 8, Section C). During the assignment, Mary stopped actively and accurately communicating with her peers. As she continues to develop as a counselor, she will need to cultivate and demonstrate that critical area of ethical comportment.
The role of the instructor is another important consideration. Specifically, Professor Madden could have put measures in place to better support and protect the interest of all students. This includes recognizing dynamics of group projects in which the distribution of work is ultimately inequitable. As in other areas of professional life, an equitable distribution of work may not be realistic, yet it is important to consider. Professor Madden might have provided information to enhance the learning environment and better support students by clearly stating expectations and providing “ongoing feedback regarding their performance throughout the training program” (ACA, 2014, Standard F.9.a.) Similarly, CACREP Standards emphasize the critical role of assessing student learning and dispositions throughout the program (CACREP, 2016, Section 4, Standards F and G). Professor Madden could have integrated specific assessment protocols and feedback processes to mitigate some of the challenges of inequitable work distribution.
Professor Madden comes across as having developed an assignment, assigned students to work groups, and provided direction and expectations with attention to a final due date. What is missing are the steps he could have taken to ensure that all students had a fair opportunity for success as group members and as individuals. There could have been one or two benchmark opportunities for group members to receive instructor support for their work. In addition, groups could have clearly delineated individual tasks or responsibilities in writing with Professor Madden.
The group counseling course and the corresponding project are ideal for the development and implementation of a rubric or set of rubrics that clearly articulate goals and expectations of the project. Assessment rubrics should also clearly articulate how each student will be evaluated. Learning outcomes are important to graduate education and counselor training, as the role of a professional counselor is action oriented. With this being said, it is important to have a defined set of outcome measures within each course. Students need to know whether they are being assessed on the group process or the group product. The rubric in Table 2.1 provides an example of how to assess group performance.
The students could have been better supported in their experience if Professor Madden had developed a few benchmarks for the assignment. For example, the students could have turned in work plans that outlined the type of project they intended to complete, the timeline for completion, and the distribution of tasks among group members. This could have supported the students’ efforts and also allowed Professor Madden an opportunity to lend support and have a working knowledge of what each group intended to accomplish. Professor Madden could have developed a rubric to outline what aspects of the final assignment needed to be present in the benchmark. The rubric also could have delineated whether any assessments were individual rather than group based. This would have assisted each student in a self-assessment of their work and helped them begin to answer the overall question of whether they had done their part.
Impact on Student Growth and Development
Another perspective to be addressed is how this case impacts student growth and development. Both the CACREP Standards (CACREP, 2016) and the ACA Code of Ethics (ACA, 2014) clearly discuss the evaluation of students and the importance of experiences for self-growth. This includes an assessment of academic, clinical, and dispositional growth throughout the program. Course assignments that require a high level of self-awareness and collaboration provide an opportunity for students to be assessed on their professional dispositions. The first step in this is the identification of such dispositions. Spurgeon, Gibbons, and Cochran (2012) operationalized five dispositions: commitment, openness, respect, integrity, and self-awareness.
TABLE 2.1 Sample Rubric for Group Process Contribution
| Skill Level Rating Scale | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 4 (Always) | 3 (Almost Always) | 2 (Sometimes) | 1 (Rarely) | |
| Task completion | Always brought needed materialsAlways ready to work materialsConsistently stayed focused on the task and what needed to be doneCould be counted on by other group members all the time | Almost always brought neededAlmost always ready to workFocused on the task and what needed to be done most of the timeCould be counted on by others most of the time | Sometimes brought needed materialsSometimes ready to workFocused on the task and what needed to be done some of the timeCould be counted on by others some of the time | Rarely brought needed materialsRarely ready to workRarely focused on the task and what needed to be doneLet others do the work most of the time |
| Contribution | Completed an equal share of the workStrived to maintain equity of work throughout the project | Contributed significantly but other group members clearly contributed more | Contributed some toward the project | Contributions were insignificant or nonexistent |
| Communication | Consistently responsive to requests for input and feedbackInitiated communication among the groupShared work for feedback | Usually responsive to requests for feedback and inputSometimes initiated communicationUsually showed work for feedback | Sometimes responsive to requests for feedback and inputOccasionally initiated communicationSometimes showed work for feedback | Rarely responsive to requests for feedback and inputRarely initiated communicationRarely shared work for feedback |
| Preparation | Often cited from readingsUsed readings and experiences to support point of view | Occasionally cited from readingsSometimes used readings and experiences to support point of view | Rarely able to cite from readingsRarely used readings and experiences to support point of view | Unable to cite from readingsCould not use readings and experiences to support point of view |
| Demonstration of professional attitude and demeanor | Always demonstrated commitment through participationAlways arrived on timeOften solicited others’ perspectivesAlways had a positive attitude toward the project and the group |
Rarely unpreparedRarely arrived lateOccasionally solicited others’
|