SOWK 685 Advanced Field Experience and Seminar A (Clinical Focus)

Field education is a principal component of the instruction and training students receive to prepare them for a professional career in social work. While receiving supervised practice experience in an agency setting, the student will attend a seminar class that offers the opportunity to process his/her field experiences and engage in further learning. The integration of classroom and field activities provides students with a unique and comprehensive learning experience to support their development as professional social workers.

Assigned readings and lecture presentations

(CLO: A-I; Competencies: 1-9: Dimensions: Knowledge, Values, Cognitive & Affective Processes)

Course Requirements Checklist

After reading the Course Syllabus and Student Expectations, the student will complete the related checklist found in the Course Overview. 

(CLO: A; Competencies: 1 Dimensions: Knowledge)

Hours Tracking Assignments (16)

The student will document the hours completed during the field experience by completing the Field Experience Tracking each week within his/her CORE account. The student must document all activities, including the required one hour of supervision each week. The Hours Tracking will document all activities that the student completes in the field each module. For each day, the student will describe the activities accomplished, place each activity in the category it best fits within, and include the hour(s) for that specific category. The Agency Task Supervisor will be prompted to approve the hours in CORE each week as they are submitted. For further instructions regarding submitting hours within CORE, the student should visit the SOWK Field Community and locate the MSW CORE Resources module.

(CLO: A, B, C, D, E, F, G, H, I, J; Competencies 1-9 Dimensions: Knowledge, Values, Skills, Cognitive & Affective Processes)

Supervisory Agenda Assignments (16)

The supervisory agenda form is meant to serve as a guide for the weekly hour-long supervision time between the student and the Field Instructor. The student will prepare a minimum of three agenda items prior to the supervisory meeting. Agenda items could include ethical decision-making, problem-solving, interactions with clients, learning objectives from previous supervision, specific questions/topics for discussion about policy or practice, specific questions/topics about the field experience that require additional discussion, etc. A template has been prepared to be used for documentation purposes. At the end of the meeting, the student will document the agenda items and discussion notes within his/her CORE account. Points will be rewarded once the form is submitted within CORE.

(CLO: A, B, C, D, E, F, G, H, I, J; Competencies: 1-9 Dimensions: Knowledge, Values, Skills, Cognitive & Affective Processes)

Learning Contract Assignment

The student will complete the Learning Contract Assignment in an effort to detail key learning goals and objectives to achieve during his/her field experience. The student will log into his/her CORE account and complete the Learning Contract. This Learning Contract should be completed with the support of your Field Instructor and, if applicable, your Agency Task Supervisor. A Learning Contract meeting should be scheduled that includes discussing a completed Learning Contract with the student’s Field Faculty Liaison, Field Instructor, and Agency Task Supervisor (if applicable) to review the document and planned tasks for the student’s Field Experience. The Learning Contract will serve as a guide for what the student should accomplish during his/her field experience. Instructions are placed and indicated within CORE for the Learning Contract and address all nine competencies per the Council on Social Work Education (CSWE).

(CLO: A, B, C, D, E, F, G, H, I, J; Competencies: 1-9 Dimensions: Knowledge, Values, Skills, Cognitive & Affective Processes)

Agency Orientation Checklist Assignment

Journal Assignments (3)

The purpose of the Journal Assignments is to reflect on the field activities the student participated in and how he/she observed and applied the core competencies. The student will engage in self-assessment and self-correction. The student will complete four Journal Assignments while completing his/her field internship hours. Each provided Journal: Module # Template question must be answered in 2-3 paragraphs reflecting on several areas (what the student learned in his/her field experience, the feelings he/she experienced, something he/she would do differently, the application of core competencies and social work practice behaviors, etc.). The student will consult and cite from previous textbooks and/or scholarly articles to support his/her efforts to integrate theory into practice. All sources used must be documented and properly cited in current APA format.

(CLO: A, B, C, D, E, F, G, H, I, J; Competencies: 1-9 Dimensions: Knowledge, Values, Skills, Cognitive & Affective Processes)

Process Recording Assignment

The student will complete a process recording, review the assignment with his/her Field Instructor in supervision, and then present it to his/her peers in seminar. Process recording provides the student with the opportunity to examine his/her work on multiple levels and gives field instructors a means with which to actively guide the student and assess his/her work. It is a detailed account and analysis of a social work contact, allowing access to an exchange between the student and the client or client system. Process recording also provides an excellent opportunity to examine a student’s skills and technique, capacity for self-awareness, and ability to put the theories being learned in the classroom into practice. The student will complete a process recording using the Process Recording Template provided in Canvas.

(CLO: A, B, C, D, E, F, G, H, I, J; Competencies: 1-9 Dimensions: Knowledge, Values, Skills, Cognitive & Affective Processes)

Case Presentation Assignment

The purpose of this assignment is to provide the student an opportunity to integrate theory into practice, develop a case presentation specific to a client and/or client system that he/she is working in, and facilitate a discussion to identify strengths, areas of growth, interventions, and discussion questions to elicit feedback from classmates. Using the Case Presentation Template document provided  as a guide, the student will develop a PowerPoint Presentation to provide all of the following information: an identification of the agency he/she is working in; the reason for referral, a genogram/ecomap; an assessment of strengths; an assessment of needs; an assessment of the specific instruments/processes used; interventions; discussion questions; a current APA formatted reference page. The initial case overview presentation should take approximately 10-15 minutes and the discussion questions should take about 15-20 minutes. The total length of the presentation should be 25-35 minutes in length.

(CLO: A, B, C, D, E, F, G, H, I, J; Competencies: 1-9 Dimensions: Knowledge, Values, Skills, Cognitive & Affective Processes)

Mid-Placement Evaluation Assignment

The Mid-Placement Evaluation Assignment will assess student performance, learning experiences, and the role of supervision and instruction during placement. This meeting will allow for an in-depth discussion on areas of strength and growth.

First, the student will take the lead in contacting his/her Faculty Field Liaison, Field Instructor, and, if applicable, Agency Field Coordinator to schedule the meeting at a time that is agreeable to all parties. For agencies in the Central Virginia area, the meeting will take place on-site. For agencies outside of Central Virginia, the meeting will take place by phone or MS Teams. The student will be responsible for running the meeting. The student will create the meeting agenda, provide all parties with a copy of the Learning Contract from the Learning Contract Assignment, and elicit feedback from all parties at the meeting. The Field Instructor and Agency Task Supervisor (if applicable) will complete the Mid-Semester Evaluation Template in CORE with student input from the meeting. The student is responsible completing assignment in CORE and having the ATS/FI sign off on it.

(CLO: A, B, C, D, E, F, G, H, I, J; Competencies: 1-9 Dimensions: Knowledge, Values, Skills, Cognitive & Affective Processes)

Quizzes: Seminar Participation (14)

The student will meet weekly (online or in person) with his or her instructor (Faculty Field Liaison) and peers (please note the attendance policy, as penalties for missing this class may apply). The student will share his or her field experiences during the seminar and discuss how these experiences relate to the theories and practices learned in social work courses. The student is expected to be on time, attend the entire session, and actively participate in order to earn full points. An active participant is one who attends the synchronous seminar sessions, actively listens, reacts to information shared, asks pertinent questions, shows signs of understanding, shares relevant insights, and contributes to the general learning of the class. The student should come to class prepared to share his/her field experience and how he/she is applying what he/she learned in the classroom in the field placement. To help facilitate the discussion, the student should have the NASW Code of Ethics document and the LU Social Work Competencies and Practice Behaviors Document available during the seminar. Culturally diverse perspectives are welcome.

These quizzes will contain 3 true/false and essay questions. The student will have unlimited time and unlimited attempts (highest attempt counting towards the grade) to complete the quizzes.

(CLO: A, B, C, D, E, F, G, H, I, J Competencies 1-9 Dimensions: Knowledge, Values, Skills, Cognitive & Affective Processes)

Quiz: Field Orientation Training

Quiz: Learning Contract

Quiz: Student Evaluation of Agency and Seminar

The student must complete the provided Student Evaluation of Agency and Seminar form before starting the quiz. The quiz will confirm if the student has completed the form. The quiz contains 1 true/false question, has no time limit, and allows for unlimited attempts with the highest counting towards the grade.