Abstract
As social work considers teaching practice in a fully online environment, more consideration may need to be given to blended or hybrid learning formats for practice course delivery. There is a dearth of literature on the use of skills labs for teaching social work practice courses, particularly using a blended or hybrid model approach. Using Carman’s five key constructs of blended learning (live events, online content, collaboration, assessment, and reference materials), the purpose of this paper is to examine the use of a blended skills lab model for teaching social work practice skills to online MSW students. As the number of online programs continues to expand in social work education, the blended skills lab model will be used as a case study, offering implications for others to consider as they formulate similar models for online MSW students.
Highlights
As social work considers teaching practice in a fully online environment, more consideration should be given to blended or hybrid learning formats for practice course delivery
COVID-19 has further contributed to the growth in online education as many programs had to make a sudden shift to using digital platforms as campuses shut down around the world
According to the Council on Social Work Education (CSWE) Annual Survey of Social Work Programs (Hitchcock et al, 2019), 22.9% of respondents indicated that their entire MSW program was available online, 42% responded that part of the MSW program was available online, and 13.9% stated that they were either developing online courses or would
Summary
Courses and programs that combine internet-based and traditional face-to-face education components are often referred to as hybrid, web-enhanced, mixed mode, or blended (Miller & King, 2003). Reference materials or performance support materials allow students to access reference materials that enhance learning retention and transfer. This includes online videos and optional content that is not covered in a traditional class due to time constraints, such as PDA downloads and PDFs. Carman’s (2005) five key ingredients should be considered by social work programs in the development of blended learning courses. These ingredients may be especially helpful when developing blended skills labs to teach practice content to online MSW students. The program offers two concentrations: Children, Adolescents, & Families (CAF) and Adults & Families (AF)
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