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Volume 5, Number 2 Spring 2000 |
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Preparing Social Work Students for Child Welfare Careers: The Use of Title IV- E Training Funds in Social Work Education Child welfare agencies are seeking ways to improve the competency of their staff. As a result of partnership efforts between social work education programs and public child welfare agencies, an increasing number of BSW and MSW programs have accessed Title IV-E training funds to support the social work education of current and potential child welfare workers. This article reports on a survey of the use of this funding stream in social work education. It identifies (1) trends in its use, (2) characteristics of programs that do and do not receive funding, and (3) the impact of this funding source on social work education. The findings also reflect on the impact of use of Title IV-E funds on child welfare training in the United States. Infusing Feminist Empowerment Content into Undergraduate Social Work Courses Using the feminist framework, six instructional modules were developed to teach empowerment practice to undergraduate social work students. The instructional modules, designed for 50 or 90 minute class sessions, used feminist strategies and materials on gender, race, oppression, and privilege to infuse content about women in poverty and women of color in six core social work courses. The modules built onto what was already being taught in each course and made no major changes to the undergraduate curriculum. A follow-up study examined whether feminist and nonfeminist faculty used the modules and if standardized modules were effective in infusing empowerment content. Survey findings from sixteen faculty and 481 students showed the modules were used by faculty regardless of their experience with feminism. Students reported improved understanding of empowerment and demonstrated the ability to define empowerment and name disempowered groups. Implications for social work education are discussed. BSW Faculty Workload and Scholarship Expectations for Tenure This study describes the range of performance expectations for tenure and promotion for baccalaureate social work (BSW) faculty by the institution's mission. BSW program directors reported that faculty workloads are heaviest in institutions with a research mission. The weights assigned to each of the three traditional areas for rank and tenure were reported to be clear for the majority, with the most weight assigned to good teaching, then research and scholarship, followed by service. Of values assigned to various recognized forms of scholarship, publication in refereed journals was the most valued, even if not required for tenure. Although service was valued by many programs, it was not by their institutions. Faculty workloads and tenure criteria significantly varied by the university's mission. The study showed a discrepancy between the reported expectation to publish in refereed journals and what previously published research indicates as the norm in faculty performance. This raises a question about the incidence of BSW faculty not gaining tenure. Advocacy and faculty support measures are discussed. Gatekeeping for Cultural Competence: Ready or Not? Some Post and Modernist Doubts Cultural competence, an axiomatic idea full of promise, struggles to meet its mission due to four handicapping conditions: the overambitiousness of the tenn's definition; the underrepresentation of the humanities in HBSE content; the oversimplification of the term culture; and the underpreparedness of professors and programs for delivery of diversity content. "Mastery" of minority content may not be possible, and those who believe they have such mastery face the danger of understanding clients too soon, too superficially. Ironically, the postmodern stance of "not knowing" leads to greater levels of empathy toward members of all populations. Gatekeeping for Small Baccalaureate Social Work Programs This article provides an overview of the gatekeeping process, including Council on Social Work Education (CWSE) requirements for gatekeeping, with an emphasis on small baccalaureate social work programs. Gatekeeping criteria, including admission to the social work major, admission to field instruction, and approval for graduation are reviewed. Also, criteria for the development and monitoring of termination policies are highlighted as well as legal considerations relative to due process, program liability, and serving students with disabilities. A sample gatekeeping policy used in one small baccalaureate social work program is provided. Teaching BSW Students Community Practice U sing an Interdisciplinary Neighborhood Needs Assessment Project The project described in this article incorporates interdisciplinary collaboration at the undergraduate level between nursing students in a community health course and social work students in a macro practice class. The project was completed over a semester's time and included group work done in teams composed of students from each profession. The primary goal was to complete a comprehensive community-wide assessment in a local neighborhood. The description of the project includes rational for the project; details of the planning and implementation, including barriers and hurdles encountered by faculty and students; summary of the findings of the evaluations completed by faculty and students; student perceptions of the project; and recommendations for future use of the project in this and other practice classes. Critical Content on Group Work for the Undergraduate Social Work Practice Curriculum Group work remains an important aspect of social work practice, epitomizing the profession's most important principles and ethics. However, there has been a notable decline in coverage of content related to group work practice in graduate and undergraduate social work education. In this article, the author identifies basic concepts that are critical for effective and knowledgeable practice with groups, as well as appropriate teaching strategies. This information should serve as a guide to educators and assist them with deciding what and how to present material related to social work practice with groups. Portfolio Assessment: Meeting the Challenge of a Self-Study Portfolio assessment is offered and analyzed as an outcomes-measure to meet the challenge of a self-study. This article discusses and evaluates the potential of this diagnostic tool to assist a program in determining what it offers, what students learn, how well it is meeting its educational objectives, and its strengths and limitations. Carefully designed assessment procedures are identified as being essential to continually address these questions. The advantages and restrictions of using this assessment measure are examined. An undergraduate social work program's involvement with portfolios is provided as a model. The results of a 3-year evaluation study of the program's portfolio process reinforce educators' positive testimonials of this assessment instrument. BPD Matures: A History of the Association of Baccalaureate Social Work Program Directors, Part II The financial crisis experienced by the Council on Social Work Education (CSWE) in the mid-1980s was of critical importance to the future of the Association of Baccalaureate Social Work Program Directors (BPD).I Organized at the 1975 Annual Program Meeting (APM) of CSWE, BPD, as the organization was known, functioned as a constituent group of CSWE, meeting and developing sessions to be presented at the APM and carrying on a limited program during the rest of the year. The financial crisis, precipitated by investment losses following CSWE's decision to move its headquarters from New York City to Washington, D.C., began with the council's two constituency groups, undergraduate (BSW) and graduate (MSW) programs, mutually suspicious of one another. Each group believed the other controlled the council. Each had called for an examination of the organization's governing structure. When Bradford Sheaf and Truehart Titzel, both of whom had long been identified with undergraduate social work education, were elected president and vice-president of CSWE in 1983, many graduate deans feared the council would neglect the concerns of MSW programs. When substantial investment losses were made public late in 1984, the graduate deans' organization, the National Conference of Deans and Directors (NCDD), attempted to influence the direction of the council by urging Computer- Mediated Interaction: A Tool for Facilitating the Educational Helping Relationship Recent literature highlights the importance of the educational helping relationship in adult learning. This study investigated computer-mediated interaction as a means of facilitating that relationship. A voluntary e-mail communication project along with a survey concerning students' perceptions of that project were conducted at a midsize public university. Students enrolled in an introductory social work class reported positive effects on learning, on peer relationships, and on their relationships with their instructor. In addition, there was no significant difference between the rate of e-mail postings submitted by men and those submitted by women, which suggests that this mode of class participation may provide a level playing field for male and female students. Addressing Student Writing Problems: Applying Composition Theory to Social Work Education Contemporary social workers are called upon to write for multiple purposes and audiences, and the quality of their writing impacts the effectiveness of their efforts on behalf of clients. Social work educators have the responsibility to prepare BSW students to meet the literacy requirements of the profession. Drawing upon contemporary composition theory, the author explains current knowledge about the process of writing development and presents strategies for teaching basic writing skills as well as the specialized forms of writing that the profession requires. Linking Social Work and Service-Learning When provided the opportunity, many students emphasize the desire to obtain a degree, but not in a vacuum isolated from social concerns. In some way, societal concerns touch their lives on a daily basis. Students' acceptance of civic responsibility is highlighted through active engagement in activities that provide wider learning experiences while further understanding and carrying out civic responsibility. Colleges and universities have civic missions that must be emphasized, and service-learning experiences support these missions. Social work departments are natural units that can help institutions of higher education connect to the community and address societal issues and concerns. This article describes a service-learning course that was structured with major components emphasizing basic foundations and values of social work. It also summarizes the reflective and learning experiences of the students who completed placements for the course in a literacy program. Linkages between social work and its core values and service learning are discussed.
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