What are the emerging topics and issues in your field of study? Identify at least two professional associations to which practitioners in your field might belong, and review the association websites. For example, depending on your degree program and specialization, you might review the website of one or more of the professional associations on the following list: Sample Professional Organizations. Don’t limit yourself to the organizations on this list. Find two professional associations that pertain specifically to your field of study—on the list or of your own discovery—and write your assignment based on information from those two associations. Search these websites for information about the work of professionals in your field and for current topics or emerging issues confronting practitioners. For example, you might:
Look for topics that are addressed in conferences and workshops offered by the associations.
Search for white papers or position statements published by the associations.
Evaluate topics and themes you find in print and Internet publications or discussions sponsored by the associations.
Then, in your initial discussion post,
Identify which professional associations you selected, including a link to their Internet sites.
Explain briefly the importance of each organization to practitioners in your field.
Discuss the topics or emerging issues you discovered through these associations or through the associations’ publications that seem to be most important to practitioners in your field of study.
Explain why the topics or themes are important.
Explain which of the topics or emerging issues you found most compelling to you personally and professionally.
Below are some professional organizations that may or may not be related to your field of study. Visit
at least a few of these organizations to see the web presence of highly regarded organizations.
Consider the breadth of information, the polish of presentation, interaction opportunities, and other
features to help evaluate the web sites more directly related to your own field.
American Council on Education (ACE): http://www.acenet.edu
American Criminal Justice Association (ACJA): http://www.acjalae.org/
American Psychological Association (APA): http://www.apa.org/
American Public Human Services Association (APHSA): http://www.aphsa.org
Association for Applied Sport Psychology (AASP): http://www.appliedsportpsych.org/
Association for Conflict Resolution (ACR): https://www.acrnet.org
International Society for Performance Improvement (ISPI): https://www.ispi.org/
Society for Human Resource Management (SHRM): https://www.shrm.org/
Society for Industrial and Organizational Psychology (SIOP): https://www.siop.org/
Sample Solution
