The perceived effectiveness of online social work education: insights from a national survey of social work educators

Social work practice education and training during the pandemic: Disruptions and discoveries

“…As illustrated through two examples, we have been trying to adjust and provide expedited alternatives to the changes evoked by the pandemic, while also seeking to identify best practices in teaching SW practice virtually. We summarize three discoveries about teaching SW practice online: (1) online education can be effective if/when faculty and leadership take into account factors such as time, workload, policies, organization, and curriculum; (2) there has not been enough research on how to effectively teach SW practice online and some studies have raised concerns about its effectiveness ( East et al, 2014 ; Levin et al, 2018 ); and (3) blended learning approaches show promising results for teaching SW practice as students can learn about theoretical frameworks online and apply this knowledge in the classroom.…”

“…As we grapple with these challenges and disruptions to teaching and learning, SW programs and field settings have been helping students build SW practice competencies using virtual platforms. While remote learning has existed in varied formats for many years, there have been questions about how we can effectively teach SW practice online (Knowles, 2007; Levin et al, 2018). SW practice learning requires practice opportunities for students, as these will enable instructors to assess demonstrated competencies in addition to their knowledge acquisition of theoretical frameworks and concepts related to SW practice.…”

“…role-play and simulation), instructors can provide feedback as well as demonstrate and coach practical skills and guide students’ reflections on practice. In a study with SW faculty ( N = 376), Levin et al (2018) found that despite rapid advances in technology, faculty concerns about the effectiveness of online teaching versus traditional teaching have not changed over the years, especially related to practice. Faculty reported that online learning is less effective than in-person learning in preparing students for practice.…”

Transitioning to online teaching: a phenomenological analysis of social work educator perspectives

“…Building on Moore's (2005) seminal work on the perceived effectiveness of online social work education, Levin et al (2018) conducted a study with 376 faculty from US schools of social work comparing levels of perceived effectiveness of online compared to OTG across nine social work competencies. Their findings reveal that despite the growing body of research that reports the effectiveness of online education (Cummings et al, 2015;Forgey & Ortega-Williams, 2016;Phelan, 2015;Wretman & Macy, 2016), faculty continue to perceive online education as being less effective than an OTG modality.…”

World wide closed! Social worker field practice during the ‘lockdown’ period

“…Most faculty staff share the opinions that have been voiced in other countries and believe that face-to-face tuition is preferable (Francsics et al, 2020;Levin et al, 2018). In the course of the practical preparation of social worker students as part of their training at the University of Debrecen-just like at other Hungarian training institutions-the field instructors neither used IT tools, nor did they teach students about forms of work that can be organized on digital platforms.…”