Community Practice Course Research Articles

From Class Assignment to Organizing Your Neighborhood: One MSW Student’s Journey

ABSTRACT This article documents how an MSW student in an introductory community practice course took her class assignment and over the course of two years revitalized, democratized, and transformed a sclerotic, corporate-run Home Owners Association (HOA). While the community analysis assignment required the student to interview six of her neighbors, the resulting increase in social capital in the neighborhood led, over the next two years, to the student being elected President of the HOA and organizing the community to win streetlights, clean up a polluted retention pond, create positive relations with city officials, and increase the social capital and collective efficacy of the neighborhood.

Social-work students’ perspectives on their learning process following the implementation of community based participatory research in a community practice course

ABSTRACT This paper presents the phenomenological perspective of social work students on their learning process following the implementation of community based participatory research (CBPR) in the context of a social work community practice course. CBPR was implemented in the framework of a partnership between the communities of the Gaza Envelope Region in southern Israel, and the school of social work at the college in the region. Throughout the academic year students engaged in data collection and participated in steering committees that focused on building a regional vision for the communities. At the end of the year stduents were asked to write reflexive essays about their learning experience. Study findings, grounded in a narrative content analysis of 83 reflexive student essays, point to four narratives that characterized their learning: 1) being part of a real-life community intervention process; 2) students-inspired by community residents: the power of hope; 3) the meaning of community; and 4) future professional identity: the desire to engage in community practice. Findings are discussed in light of theories of experiential and transformative learning, community narratives, and professional identity, with reference to the fields of social work community practice education.

Banking on community: The use of time banking as an innovative community practice teaching strategy

ABSTRACT This article explores the use of a classroom-based, experiential time banking project as an innovative community practice teaching strategy. It presents a preliminary, qualitative evaluation of a seven-week, time banking project among 40 students enrolled in a Master of Social Work community practice course, spanning two academic years. Findings highlight challenges (e.g., lack of time) and benefits (e.g., building a sense of community) associated with the model specifically, as well as the ways in which participation expanded understandings of and appreciation for the power and potential of community practice more generally. Recommendations for future teaching and research applications are offered.

Optimization and innovation of practice teaching and evaluation model of contact lens course

At present, the contents and class hours of contact lens course cannot meet the teaching and clinical requirements. Therefore, the curriculum of contact lens on practical operation was optimized, the number of practice hours was increased, and various models for practice course were applied, including problem-based learning, community practice course, and practice enhancement course, to improve students' learning interest and initiative. A variety of evaluation models were used to help teachers understand the performances of their students and make adjustments in the process of teaching and evaluation, so as to improve students' score of practical test, help them better master the practical skills and enter clinical practice without difficulties. The feedback scores of teachers in clinical practice have also been improved compared with the former ones. Key words: Contact lens course; Practice teaching; Education reform

Connecting Classroom to Community Through Photovoice: Pedagogical Implications

This paper explores the pedagogical implications of using arts-based research in an advanced community practice course in a Master of Social Work program. Per the course design, graduate students implemented a photovoice project with undergraduate students focusing on transforming campus rape culture. At the end of the project, graduate students wrote reflection papers that constitute the data for this paper. The data analysis resulted in three categories: enhancing the learning of content, understanding the role of a social worker in macro-level practice, and engaging with the community.

Using Participatory Action Research to Teach Community Practice in a Post-Truth Era

[full article, abstract in English; abstract in Lithuanian]
 This project focuses on the learning experiences of master of social work students in an advanced community practice course. The primary pedagogical method for the class was participatory action research, specifically the photovoice method. The MSW students completed a photovoice project focused on campus sexual violence in which they recruited students, outside the class, as participants. As coursework, students generated reflection papers, responses to readings, and focus group notes. These artifacts constituted the data for this project. The data analysis included grounded theory methods and a focus on post-truth politics, from which three categories emerged: (a) supporting cultural competence, (b) facilitating self-awareness (c) and viewing truth as multifaceted.

Action!: Student-Generated Videos in Social Work Education

Experiential learning is a vital aspect of social work education, particularly for teaching community practice. The literature, however, provides few examples of technology-based experiential assignments that educators can implement in their classrooms. This exploratory study examined an innovative student-generated video assignment developed for a social work community practice course. Thirty-seven former students spanning three distinct semesters completed an online survey of closed- and open-ended questions. Findings indicate the video assignment enhanced understanding of community practice and provided a unique diffusion factor. Participants appreciated how the video assignment differed from traditional assignments by offering opportunity for praxis, creativity, and acquisition of technological skills. Educators should note the challenges of student-generated videos to maximize their educational benefit and sustain student receptivity to such assignments. Teaching video-making skills has implications for post-graduation employment in the human service sector.

The impact of the type of projects on preservice teachers' conceptualization of service learning

This paper discusses the effects of the type of project undertaken for a community practice course on preservice teachers' conceptualization of service learning. The goal of the projects is to enable participants to engage with service practice in a reflective manner. Through the examination of the reflective logs kept by students using Butin's framework and by comparing the themes that emerged, it was found that differences in the experiences of students, which reflected the project content and the characteristics of the children being served, created different learning outcomes for each group of students.

Teaching students web page development

An innovative web-based approach to teaching computer-based technological skills to MSW students is described. Students enrolled in an advanced generalist community practice course were taught how to create useful, informative, and empowering web sites for at-risk communities. Student feedback suggested that web development skills were viewed as relevant and useful to community-based practice, and students felt empowered through the acquisition of technological skills. The basic pedagogical features of the assignment are described and recommendations for mounting a web design course are offered.

Teaching civic engagement: Evaluating an integrative service-learning program

The demands on successfully teaching intervention skills in macro (community) environments are numerous and extend beyond the confines of any one academic discipline. In particular, when considering community, the compounding of the multiple factors of social economics, diversity, social policy, history and political agendas requires an integrative approach. This mixed-methods retrospective article analyses the use of service-learning in an advanced Master of Social Work community practice course. Special attention is given to the construction of academic and community experience that facilitates learning integration and understanding of the ways in which factors compound on community wellbeing. Specifically this project involved students in efforts constructed to address violence directed by and against inner-city youth in a mid-sized northeastern city in the United States that is beset with gang violence and has led its state in per capita murders for four of the past five years. Recommendations and lessons learned presented in this article are directed at exploring a construction of service-learning that could address integrative learning in community intervention courses.
 
 Keywords: Service-learning, teaching, macro practice, violence

Implementing Service Learning into a Graduate Social Work Course: A Step-by-Step Guide

Service learning is a powerful pedagogical tool linking community service to academic learning. Several steps are necessary to implement service learning effectively into the curriculum. This study uses a case example as an exploratory study to pilot-test data on how service learning impacts student outcomes. The paper will (1) provide an overview of the literature on service learning, (2) explain a model for incorporating service learning into graduate social work courses, (3) identify specific student issues in implementation, and (4) demonstrate how service learning can enhance the outcomes for educational policy and accreditation standards competencies in an advanced organization and community practice course.

The New Color is Green: Social Work Practice and Service-Learning

Attention to saving the environment is gaining momentum daily. Citizens have a fundamental right to protect the environment from harm due to human activities. The profession of social work has a role to play in greening and sustaining the environment. The inclusion of this content in social work courses is a natural fit given the profession’s person-in-environment perspective which emphasizes the relationship between individuals, their behavior and the environment and advocacy for preservation of human welfare and human rights. Participatory environmentalism considers the role of community members in demonstrating their civic responsibility toward preservation of the natural environment and resources. Social work students must be encouraged to accept vital leadership roles that address environmental concerns in addition to serving client populations. A community practice course which includes a service-learning requirement chose “greening” as a theme. Students worked with communities to identify and implement semester-long “green” projects.

Teaching students web page development

Summary: An innovative web-based approach to teaching computer-based technological skills to MSW students is described. Students enrolled in an advanced generalist community practice course were taught how to create useful, informative, and empowering web sites for at-risk communities. Student feedback suggested that web development skills were viewed as relevant and useful to community-based practice, and students felt empowered through the acquisition of technological skills. The basic pedagogical features of the assignment are described and recommendations for mounting a web design course are offered.

Cross Cultural Field Assignments in an Undergraduate Community Practice Course

ABSTRACT An undergraduate social work course was developed around intensive field studies in culturally diverse neighborhoods. The article describes the development of the course, format and methods. Cross-cultural fieldwork assignments are presented with details of each learning task. These tasks include photo documentation and the development of community proposals. The authors provide both quantitative and qualitative data on students' assessment of the course and learning assignments. Implications for integrating the reported field study assignments into course curriculum are presented. Cross-cultural assignments using photo documentation can be a catalyst for developing cultural sensitivity, in-depth knowledge of neighborhood diversity and resources.

An occupational therapy course on community practice.

This article outlines a course on occupational therapy community practice offered at the University of Ottawa and discusses its assets and limitations in terms of preparing students for the shift to community-based health services. The shift to community services in the health care systems of Ontario and Québec is described. Then the curricular components needed to prepare students for community practice are summarized. Finally, the community practice course at the University of Ottawa including its goal, objectives, class topics and evaluations is outlined. The strength of the community practice course described is that it includes many of the curricular components needed for community practice. On the other hand, limitations include the lack of skill training in some areas, its place in the last year of the programme, and its optional nature. Changes planned for the course and other recommendations for curricula are also discussed.