This study describes research conducted with Master of Social Work (MSW) students and alumni who completed all or part of their graduate practicum during the height of the COVID-19 pandemic. It arises from observations by the first three authors, who are all faculty in a post-secondary social work program in northern British Columbia. These…

Critical thinking and reflection are core components of all Australian university social work programs and are key skills for both students and graduates in conceptualising practice/field knowledge. This paper aims to explore the challenges international students face with critical thinking and reflection, and how the use of creative strategies…

Field education is the most challenging aspect of social work education and there are unprecedented challenges currently measuring good practice with quality outcomes. Thus, it's important to have competency-based key performance indicators (KPIs) to assess social work professional practice. This study is a national, mixed-methods Delphi research…

This case study presents a students-as-partners (SaP) approach to field education in social work. In particular, it describes the co-creation of a simulation-based learning experience co created and delivered by faculty, staff and two students--a student who experiences disability-related barriers and a theatre student. It explores the principles…

Field education provides students with the opportunity to supplement classroom learning with the hands-on practice needed to be successful after graduation. However, in recent years, field education has encountered several challenges including a changing societal environment, placement scarcity in the face of increased enrollment, and strict…

Given the increasing value placed on research among social work practitioners, and that field education is primarily responsible for the integration of social work values, knowledge, and practice, it is essential that research skills be incorporated into BSW and MSW field practica. In 2020, a team of faculty co-investigators and students explored…

Social work education in the Global North is rooted in an underlying discourse of power that defines the 'knower' parameters and, therefore, legitimises who can 'teach'. For this paper, the spatial orientation of whiteness in the classroom in a time of coloniality and intersectionality is the unit of analysis. This whiteness is made visible by not…

During COVID-19, sudden field placement cancellations impelled schools of social work to find immediate means to support students in the completion of practicums remotely, whilst accreditation standards had yet to be re-articulated and permitted adaptations were unclear. Early "panic-gogy" moved to strategic development of new field…

Field placement has traditionally been an important component of professional and vocational education programmes, and there is a growing interest in workplace experience in higher education programmes in general. In this article, we examine the direct and the indirect links between classroom preparation for placement, placement quality and…

This article documents an examination of the role and alignment of social work field education within workintegrated learning (WIL) pedagogy. Both social work education and work-integrated learning share a long history of helping students connect with authentic work-related learning opportunities in the context of engagement and partnership with…

In this article, we argue for a model to develop a framework that includes international social work (ISW) as a specialization within the generalist social work curricula at the undergraduate level. The paradigm we call the researcher/educator/practitioner triad was used in the development of a framework for ISW training and field placements at…

This study examines social workers perceptions of their profession and of supervision of social work students. We gathered from 403 social workers metaphors related to the profession and supervision. We found that most of the metaphors concerning the profession revealed a positive view of it, though criticism was also expressed. The metaphors…

Increasing demand for social work placements in a climate of decreasing availability has intensified the search for capacity-building models of field education. Rotation placements may be part of the solution, yet little is currently known about how rotations affect the experience of field education in the context of block placements. A study of…

It has been postulated that field education is the signature pedagogy of social work education. Practicums are paramount in assisting social work students to develop the unique skills and competencies required for professional practice. Traditionally, field education in social work has occurred within the context of social service agencies…

This article examines the challenges faced by social work field instructors in two Canadian provinces. The results are based on the responses from 239 field instructors to a questionnaire survey. Findings highlight student difficulties, administrative issues with the social work schools, and practicum setting challenges. These demands hinder the…