Revisiting Field Education Standards

Trends in higher education in Canada and implications for social work education

“…Many programmes exceed this minimum based on the belief of both the schools and the field that additional field experience enhances readiness to practice. Yet, as indicated by Raskin et al (2008), these requirements are not founded on evidence. Given the increased demands for limited field practice placements, creative approaches to designing social work practica are urgently required.…”

“…The pilot project met with such success that it is being expanded to other undergraduate colleges in the university. Raskin, Wayne, and Bogo (2008) suggest a more radical approach. Tracing the history of accreditation standards that specify required hours of practicum at both the undergraduate and graduate levels in US schools, these authors question the empirical basis for current requirements.…”

“…They note 'In the absence of empirical evidence to identify optimum numbers of field hours, the COA [Commission on Accreditation] correctly recognized that the required hours for BSW and MSW levels were purely arbitrary' (p. 177). Raskin et al (2008) recommend that in the absence of an evidentiary basis, schools of social work should be 'free to design, propose and evaluate other options' (p. 182). Accreditation standards in Canada require a minimum of 700 hours of practicum for BSW programmes, 450 hours in a one-year MSW programme (for students with a BSW) and 450 additional hours in a two-year MSW programme (for students without a BSW) (CASWE, 2012a).…”

The Inside Story: A Survey of Social Work Students' Supervision and Learning Opportunities on Placement

“…However, practice teachers do not necessarily have a shared view of how to best develop a learning plan and impart their knowledge and there is considerable variance in their use of written materials, supervisory formats and balancing theoretical and practical emphases (Wayne et al, 2006). And although the content of most social work programs are governed by formal requirements outlined by the professional bodies, they are limited to accreditation standards, such as required hours and qualifications of supervisors, rather than learning and teaching processes (Raskin et al, 2008;AASW, 2012). Smith, Cleak & Vreugdenhil, (2014) developed a learning and assessment tool for common use by seven schools of social work in Australia, and identified seven learning activities that students needed to complete on placement.…”

Creating a Standardised Teaching and Learning Framework for Social Work Field Placements

“…Secondly, there is extensive literature that covers the nature of the learning process, such as supervision, learning styles, and the elements that promote student learning (Cleak & Wilson, 2013). In their review of field education accreditation standards, Raskin, Wayne, and Bogo (2008) found a lack of empirical evidence to support the contribution of these standards to student outcomes. In addition, they found "both specification of learning objectives and evaluation tools to be variable and inexact" (p. 174).…”