Social work educators have long struggled with the challenge of finding appropriate strategies for fostering cultural awareness among their students. The purpose of this study is to illustrate how a computer-based simulation, SimChild, can be used in teaching about child protection to enhance cultural awareness among students and expand their insight into how personal biases can affect professional practice. In SimChild, individual students can assume the role of social worker and then collectively discuss the patterns emerging after their individual assessments have been aggregated. This study, based primarily on focus group data, reflects testing conducted at three Swedish universities.

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Simulation-based learning is important in social work education. Most common is human-based simulations. In recent years, computer-based simulations have emerged as alternative. A question is if computer-based simulations differ from human-based, are similar abilities, that is, competence, trained when the simulation is computer-based? Purpose: Survey the international experiences of using computer-based simulations in social work education. Method: A five step scoping review. Databases focused on educational issues and social work was searched (Eric, Sociological Abstracts, Web of Science, Scopus). Sixteen publications were included. Results: Five different didactic categories of computer-based simulations were identified. The most common use of computer-based simulations is to practice student's procedural competence, and in lesser extent to enhance students’ meta-competence. Feedback and reflection are central for computer-based simulation, as for human-based simulations. Conclusion: The study shows a didactic field under development and that computer-based simulations provide opportunities to train self-reflection and critical thinking in social work education.

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