scholarly journals When You Come to a Fork in the Road, Take It: Teaching Social Work Practice Using Blended Learning

2011 ◽  
Vol 37 (3) ◽  
Author(s):  
Catherine De Boer ◽  
Sandra Loucks Campbell ◽  
Angela Hovey
Keyword(s):  
Social Work ◽  
Blended Learning ◽  
Teaching Practice ◽  
Work Practice ◽  
Social Work Practice ◽  
Degree Program ◽  
Web Based ◽  
The Road ◽  
Learning Platform ◽  
Part Time

The debates surrounding the effectiveness of teaching social work online highlight the challenges of adequately preparing students for face-to-face practice by way of web-based technologies. The purpose of this paper is twofold. Firstly, to briefly describe how a particular School of Social Work when designing its part-time undergraduate degree program (BSW), arrived at a fork in the road and instead of choosing between the paths of in-class or online course delivery, the School decided to offer the entire degree using a blended learning platform. Secondly, to compare the development and implementation of three specific practice courses within the part-time degree program (interviewing and assessment, social work theory, and a practicum integration seminar) each of which was offered using blended learning. This paper contributes to the debate about the value of using web-based components when teaching social work practice and will be helpful to educators from within many disciplines, who are wishing to critique their own development processes when designing and teaching practice courses using blended learning.

Development and Evaluation of an Innovative Web-based Training, Learning, and Sharing (i-TLS) Platform for Social Workers: Hong Kong Jockey Club SMART Family-Link Project (Preprint)

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Michelle Man Tung Suen ◽  
Agnes Yuen Kwan Lai ◽  
Man Ping Wang ◽  
Sai Yin Ho ◽  
Tai Hing Lam
Keyword(s):  
Hong Kong ◽  
Social Work ◽  
Social Workers ◽  
Work Practice ◽  
Social Work Practice ◽  
Family Services ◽  
Web Based ◽  
Ict Use ◽  
Learning Platform ◽  
Jockey Club

BACKGROUND Information and communication technology (ICT) use may enhance social work practice and continuous professional development. Under the Hong Kong Jockey Club SMART Family-Link project, we developed an innovative web-based training, learning, and sharing (i-TLS) platform to support ICT and other learning needs of Hong Kong social workers in family services. OBJECTIVE We developed i-TLS with 3 major components (i-Training, i-Learning, and i-Sharing) and assessed the acceptability and impact on facilitating ICT use in family services. METHODS We described i-TLS development based on a 4-phase model from platform design, development, implementation to maintenance. We evaluated i-TLS via platform database, Google Analytics, a self-administered survey, and individual phone interviews 1 year after launching. RESULTS i-TLS was launched to 26 Integrated Family Service Centers (IFSCs) and Integrated Services Centers (ISCs) operated by 12 non-governmental organizations (NGOs) on 1 July 2019. The outbreak of COVID-19 started in December 2019 limited face-to-face services, which catalyzed the urgent needs of digital transformation in social work practice. By 31 July 2020, 313 social workers (23 supervisors, 290 frontline workers) had registered with i-TLS. The platform database showed 79.6% (249/313) users accessed i-TLS at least once in the last 28 days, with on average 3.2 platform visits per day viewing 4.8 pages per visit. i-Training provided 41 training mini-modules in applying ICT to family services from counseling, program design, implementation to evaluation. Of 730 enrolments in total, 70.0% (511/730) completed the mini-modules and were awarded digital mini-certificates. i-Learning provided 112 items of learning resources centered around ICT use and family services and had nearly 4000 page views recorded from Google Analytics. i-Sharing had a total of 25 discussion threads with 59 posts. 53.7% (168/313) users completed the 1-year evaluation survey, including 12 who participated in the phone interviews. The mean i-TLS satisfaction score (out of 10) increased from light (4.99) to occasional (6.15) and frequent (6.31) users. Frequent users showed higher scores (out of 10) than light users for an increase in knowledge (5.84 versus 4.09; P<.001), self-efficacy (5.23 versus 3.96; P=.02), and knowledge application (6.46 versus 1.91; P<.001). From the phone interviews, users reported increased ICT use in family services, despite some practical barriers. i-TLS was perceived as an acceptable and supportive tool for learning and practice in family services, especially during the COVID-19 pandemic. CONCLUSIONS We have first reported the development and evaluation of a newly developed web-based learning platform (i-TLS) for social workers in family services. The results provided preliminary evidence of using i-TLS to support social workers’ continuous learning and ICT-enhanced services. Accessibility to self-directed and collaborative learning is essential for optimizing social workers’ learning. Further research on enhancing web-based platforms is needed to expand participation and capacity building of social workers and other related professionals. CLINICALTRIAL ClinicalTrials.gov NCT04034420; https://www.clinicaltrials.gov/ct2/show/NCT04034420

scholarly journals Using Technology to Evaluate a Web-Based Clinical Social Work Research Course

10.18060/56 ◽  
2004 ◽  
Vol 5 (1) ◽  
pp. 77-90
Author(s):  
Zvi Gellis
Keyword(s):  
Social Work ◽  
Design Research ◽  
Clinical Social Work ◽  
Qualitative Interviews ◽  
Work Practice ◽  
Social Work Practice ◽  
Single Subject ◽  
Web Based ◽  
Learning And Teaching ◽  
Clinical Social Work Practice

This article reports on a clinical research methods course taught online to a total of 90 off-campus MSW students in the fall of 1999, 2000, and 2001. The course was taught in a mid-size public university in a CSWE-accredited School of Social Work. The purpose of the course was to teach single subject design research skills for the evaluation of clinical social work practice. The student experience of the online course was assessed using qualitative interviews that add a deeper, textured understanding of the various facets of online instruction from the learner's perspective. Important dimensions for social work instruction in online courseware were delineated. A collaborative learning and teaching framework is presented for those social work educators interested in implementing web-based courses.

scholarly journals Teaching Practice Skills to Online MSW Students

2020 ◽  
Vol 20 (1) ◽  
pp. 172-183
Author(s):  
M. Sebrena Jackson ◽  
Alex D. Colvin ◽  
Angela N. Bullock ◽  
Qingyi Li
Keyword(s):  
Social Work ◽  
Teaching Practice ◽  
Work Practice ◽  
Social Work Practice ◽  
Course Delivery ◽  
Online Programs ◽  
Skills Lab ◽  
Msw Students ◽  
Work Education ◽  
Practice Skills

As social work considers teaching practice in a fully online environment, more consideration may need to be given to blended or hybrid learning formats for practice course delivery. There is a dearth of literature on the use of skills labs for teaching social work practice courses, particularly using a blended or hybrid model approach. Using Carman’s five key constructs of blended learning (live events, online content, collaboration, assessment, and reference materials), the purpose of this paper is to examine the use of a blended skills lab model for teaching social work practice skills to online MSW students. As the number of online programs continues to expand in social work education, the blended skills lab model will be used as a case study, offering implications for others to consider as they formulate similar models for online MSW students.

The road behind and the journey ahead: Travels in epistemology

2016 ◽  
Vol 15 (5-6) ◽  
pp. 736-747 ◽  
Author(s):  
Lesley Chenoweth
Keyword(s):  
Social Work ◽  
Work Practice ◽  
Social Work Practice ◽  
Field Trip ◽  
Current Situation ◽  
Research Field ◽  
Early Years ◽  
Research And Practice ◽  
The Road ◽  
Disability Research

This paper offers an account of my own epistemological journey over four decades of social work practice and research. It traces the journey from my early years as a practitioner working from an approach largely grounded in what we called practice wisdom, to my current situation as a professor of social work, undertaking research and guiding students on their own research and practice journeys. The paper begins with a vignette from a research field trip in the early 2000s – mid point in my journey and then takes a more chronological turn exploring disability research and the theme of voice and activism in research. Finally, I offer some reflections on the journey itself, what has influenced and guided my own learning, the challenges and the insights.

scholarly journals The Acquisition of Social Work Interviewing Skills in a Web-based and Classroom Instructional Environment: Preliminary Findings

10.18060/58 ◽  
2004 ◽  
Vol 5 (1) ◽  
pp. 91-104 ◽  
Author(s):  
Phillip Ouellette ◽  
Valerie Chang
Keyword(s):  
Social Work ◽  
Skill Acquisition ◽  
Learning Experience ◽  
Work Practice ◽  
Social Work Practice ◽  
Online Environment ◽  
Background Characteristics ◽  
Instructional Environment ◽  
Web Based ◽  
Interviewing Skills

Little is known regarding the learning of social work practice skills in a Web-based online environment, most especially, social work interviewing skills. This article presents a review of the research methodology used to initiate a study to explore the similarities and differences of two groups of students who were taught interviewing skills in a classroom-based teaching environment with those taught in a Web-based instructional environment during the same 15-week period. Students’ background characteristics and their perceptions of their learning experience and skill acquisition are reported as preliminary findings.

scholarly journals Toward Building a Culture of Strengths in U.S. MSW Programs

10.18060/230 ◽  
2009 ◽  
Vol 10 (2) ◽  
pp. 211-229
Author(s):  
Linda Plitt Donaldson ◽  
Barbara P. Early ◽  
Min-Ling Wang
Keyword(s):  
Social Work ◽  
Exploratory Study ◽  
Medical Model ◽  
Work Practice ◽  
Social Work Practice ◽  
Curriculum Content ◽  
Web Based ◽  
Macro Practice ◽  
Qualitative Responses ◽  
Dominant Paradigm

Social work has embraced the strengths perspective as a vital part of micro, mezzo, and macro practice. Yet the authors’ experience suggests that the medical model of deficits, disease, and disorder remains the dominant paradigm. This exploratory study sought to determine how and to what extent strengths-based practice is integrated into the MSW practice curriculum. Forty-four (44) of 181 programs responded to a 12-item web-based survey. Quantitative and qualitative responses indicate an almost universal awareness of and attention to integrating strengths-based content. However, a smaller number of programs appear to be looking beyond curriculum content towards the creation of a broader culture of strengths. Even so, challenges remain toward overcoming a pathological orientation in social work practice curricula.

Student perceptions of social work practice skills: A comparison of blended and traditional learning

2017 ◽  
Vol 14 (3) ◽  
pp. 27-45
Author(s):  
Trevor G Gates ◽  
Jason A Dauenhauer
Keyword(s):  
Social Work ◽  
Blended Learning ◽  
Student Perceptions ◽  
Social Work Education ◽  
Work Practice ◽  
Social Work Practice ◽  
Online Programs ◽  
Traditional Course ◽  
Work Education ◽  
Practice Skills

Blended learning is a growing trend in social work education. Students are increasingly enrolling in blended or online classes as a part of traditional undergraduate degree programs, and several programs are developing programs that rely heavily on online delivery. However, there are questions about whether students are adequately receiving the training needed, particularly in practice courses, to effectively intervene with individuals, families, and communities. The purpose of the present descriptive study was to compare students’ (N = 45) perceptions of social work practice skills gained in two different blended and traditional face-to-face courses. Results of the study were that students’ perceptions did not significantly differ between the blended and traditional course. We also explore future directions for social work education using blended and online delivery.Keywords: Blended learning; hybrid courses; online programs; practice behaviors; social work education

scholarly journals Online Social Work Practice: Issues and Guidelines for the Profession

10.18060/34 ◽  
2002 ◽  
Vol 3 (2) ◽  
pp. 104-116 ◽  
Author(s):  
Goutham M. Menon ◽  
Julie Miller-Cribbs
Keyword(s):  
Social Work ◽  
Work Practice ◽  
Social Work Practice ◽  
Community Practice ◽  
Web Based ◽  
Therapeutic Practice ◽  
Information And Communication ◽  
Ict Tools ◽  
New Form ◽  
Online Web

There has been growth in the utilization of information and communication (ICT) tools in the field of social work in recent years.While most of the work has revolved around community practice, some social workers have moved into the realm of online, web-based therapeutic practice. This paper discusses important issues emerging from this new form of social work practice and concludes with suggested guidelines for the use of ICTs in social work practice.

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