Search results for ‘Subject term:"social work education"’ Sort:
Results 1 - 10 of 100
Open and distance learning in qualifying social work education in Britain and the USA: celebrating diversity and difference?
- Author:
- COLLINS Stewart
- Journal article citation:
- Social Work Education (The International Journal), 27(4), June 2008, pp.422-439.
- Publisher:
- Taylor and Francis
- Place of publication:
- Philadelphia, USA
Social work educators seem to have mixed feelings about the development of open and distance learning in Britain and the USA. Open and distance learning has tended to be marginalised. It has been compared unfavourably to campus based programmes, but there has been a lack of research on this topic in the United Kingdom. However, research in the USA indicates that open and distance learning social work students have a high degree of satisfaction with teaching and learning approaches compared with those on campus based programmes, while student outcomes and level of achievement have been at least comparable to those on 'traditional' programmes. Some criticisms of open and distance learning in the UK are examined. These include narrow, mass produced, 'assembly line', mechanistic, isolating, individualistic approaches. Advantages of open and distance learning in the UK are considered, such as well organised teaching packs, flexibility and individual choice in pace, time and place of learning with especially good learning opportunities for mature women with family commitments. Improvements are advocated, centred around developing more opportunities to rehearse and develop practice skills, encouraging more divergent, critical thinkers operating from a more pluralistic knowledge base and the empowerment of students in collectives.
Delivering a social work MSW program through distance education: an Innovative collaboration between two universities, USA
- Authors:
- CROWELL Linda F., MCCARRANGHER Timothy
- Journal article citation:
- Social Work Education (The International Journal), 26(4), June 2007, pp.376-388.
- Publisher:
- Taylor and Francis
- Place of publication:
- Philadelphia, USA
The Joint Master of Social Work Program of Cleveland State University and The University of Akron was the first MSW program taught entirely via distance education that was fully accredited by the Council of Social Work Education. Over the past nine years, the Joint MSW Program has grown from one cohort of 24 full-time students to a program with an enrolment of 186 full-time, part-time and Advanced Standing students. This innovative Joint MSW Program has required an ongoing process of collaboration, refinement, and flexibility. The purpose of this article is to provide a narrative of the experiences of delivering an entire MSW program via distance education, including obstacles that have been overcome as well as recommendations for other programs considering distance education.
An introduction: reimagining social work education for the digital age
- Author:
- LITTLEFIELD Melissa
- Journal article citation:
- Journal of Teaching in Social Work, 39(4-5), 2019, pp.278-285.
- Publisher:
- Taylor and Francis
- Place of publication:
- Philadelphia, USA
Despite the recent publication of a number of articles, along with current presentations at professional conferences, and a scholarly text all on the topic of distance learning and online social work education, many believe that the subject has not received the level of recognition among academics in the profession that it needs and deserves. This Introduction to a special double issue of a prominent peer-reviewed journal serves to welcome the reader to the contents of the seventeen articles that follow, and to provide both an overview and conceptual framework for the special issue as a whole. Underscoring both the opportunities and quandaries, support and resistance, most of the authors would appear to conclude that social work educators must rapidly become more agile in embracing the unique opportunities presented by the technology that they now have at hand. (Edited publisher abstract)
The current status of social work online and distance education
- Author:
- KURZMAN Paul A.
- Journal article citation:
- Journal of Teaching in Social Work, 39(4-5), 2019, pp.286-292.
- Publisher:
- Taylor and Francis
- Place of publication:
- Philadelphia, USA
Over the past three decades, social work education gradually has begun to embrace distance education as a viable alternative (and supplement) to traditional face-to-face education. While some feel that social work’s response has been slow, compared to sister professions, it has been explicit, extensive and sure. This paper looks at the current status of social work’s response to emerging online and digital options, and concludes with a look to the future. (Publisher abstract)
Community of inquiry (CoI): a framework for social work distance educators
- Authors:
- MICSKY Tami, FOELS Leonora
- Journal article citation:
- Journal of Teaching in Social Work, 39(4-5), 2019, pp.293-307.
- Publisher:
- Taylor and Francis
- Place of publication:
- Philadelphia, USA
The Community of Inquiry (CoI) framework, a research-based seminal work, provides a structure for integrating a collaborative constructivist approach in course design, implementation, and evaluation. The CoI framework suggests that by fostering three essential elements – social presence, cognitive presence, and teaching presence – a community of inquiry can be created to promote student engagement and learning. This paper will present the concepts of the CoI framework for social work educators to consider for distance education course design, implementation, and evaluation. (Publisher abstract)
Exploring online and blended course delivery in social group work
- Authors:
- CARTER Irene, et al
- Journal article citation:
- Journal of Teaching in Social Work, 38(5), 2018, pp.486-503.
- Publisher:
- Taylor and Francis
- Place of publication:
- Philadelphia, USA
Agency group work has increased, but opportunities for social work group practice in educational settings have not kept pace. One option in response is technology-based learning, and students appear to have positive perceptions of online group project work. Online courses appear to have outcomes comparable to those that occur with in-person groups but require careful monitoring of group processes and group-based technologies. The authors discuss the factors involved in developing and implementing online and blended course delivery in teaching group work. (Publisher abstract)
Teaching social work in an online environment
- Author:
- ZIDAN Tarek
- Journal article citation:
- Journal of Human Behavior in the Social Environment, 25(3), 2015, pp.228-235.
- Publisher:
- Taylor and Francis
- Place of publication:
- Philadelphia, USA
This article discusses the current debate surrounding online instruction (also known as distance) versus in-class social work instruction and reviews the relevant literature associated with those instructional models. The discussion specifically focuses on key issues, including the definition and growth of online education and the Blackboard revolution, and it addresses concerns about the effectiveness of teaching online compared to in-class social work instruction in areas related to students’ learning outcomes and satisfaction. Literature references also suggest that factors such as demographics may be related to outcome differences between distance and traditional students, while others found no significant differences between both student populations and their learning outcomes in particular courses such as research methods courses. Even today, however, the comparisons between online and traditional courses are unsettled, and many questions remain about the appropriateness or usefulness of these models. Therefore, the debate will continue to lead to even larger disagreements between researchers and educators on both sides. The concern about the effectiveness of teaching in an online environment is still the main concern of educational models in general and of social work education in particular. Even deeper concerns are found among educators and scholars about the ethical issues surrounding the entire online education debate. (Edited publisher abstract)
How much does the distance in distance education matter? Our students
- Authors:
- PARDASANI Manoj, et al
- Journal article citation:
- Social Work Education (The International Journal), 31(4), 2012, pp.406-421.
- Publisher:
- Taylor and Francis
- Place of publication:
- Philadelphia, USA
Distance learning programmes in social work education have been growing throughout the United States. This study interviewed Master of Social Work (MSW) students enrolled in two distance-learning courses, and evaluated their insights about the learning experience. For these two courses, material was presented via video conferencing and supplemented with online media at two campuses at a large school of social work. A total of 25 students in the two classes were invited to participate in the project. In order to ensure confidentiality and self-determination, the investigator introducing the project and scheduling the interviews was not the students’ instructor. The students ranged in ages from 25 to 45, and were 25% male and 75% female. In order to give students a voice about their experiences, data were collected using semi-structured face-to-face interviews. Findings revealed common themes, such as: autonomy; emotional connectedness; technological challenges; and knowledge acquisition. Both the strengths and challenges related to distance learning are discussed.
A comparison of on-campus and off-campus (or distance) social work education
- Authors:
- OLIARO Louise, TROTTER Chris
- Journal article citation:
- Australian Social Work, 63(3), September 2010, pp.329-344.
- Publisher:
- Taylor and Francis
Using a cohort of recent graduates from Monash University (Victoria, Australia) Bachelor of Social Work course, this study explored the differences between on and off campus social work education, focusing on student demographics, academic achievements, and student satisfaction. Information was collected from 68 off-campus graduates and 49 on-campus graduates using a telephone questionnaire and student records. The study found differences in the demographics of on and off campus graduates but minimal differences in terms of general satisfaction and grades. However, while off-campus graduates were generally satisfied with their course they tended to be less satisfied with their off-campus mode of study, and it appeared that they often studied off-campus because it was the only, or the most convenient, choice open to them. The authors note that there was a tendency for off-campus students to have studied part-time and for part-time students to have had lower marks. They conclude that off-campus social work education meets the needs of a particular group of students, and suggest that further investigation of the impact of part-time study on social work students would be valuable.
Reflections on designing and teaching a social work research course for distance and on-campus students
- Authors:
- GIBBS Anita, STIRLING Blair
- Journal article citation:
- Social Work Education (The International Journal), 29(4), June 2010, pp.441-449.
- Publisher:
- Taylor and Francis
- Place of publication:
- Philadelphia, USA
Social work educators are increasingly challenged to train future social workers who can both value research and believe in themselves as capable researchers. One way to achieve this is the teaching of a specific social work research course at a basic qualification level. At Otago University, such a course was introduced in late 2005 and early 2006, for both on-campus and distance (off-campus) students. This Ideas in Action piece reveals the thinking behind and strategies used to help future social workers become more competent in understanding and critiquing social work research and become more aware of the benefits of social work research to their current or future employment. The paper describes the thinking behind the social work research course, course materials and assessment tasks, overcoming reluctance and active engagement strategies, and evaluation and feedback from students. It concludes that the social work research course allowed students to gain research knowledge and skills, overcame their reluctance about social work research and enabled them to take practice-related research skills into their future work.