Engaging technology to support, facilitate and develop Social Work students' interpersonal skills
Year: 2017
Type: conference-paper
Abstract: Interpersonal skills are one of eight components of practice identified by the Australian Association of Social Workers as necessary to achieve competency. Although face-to-face has been the preferred method for teaching these skills, the shift to online and blended learning models in the higher education sector has 'encouraged' social work educators to teach interpersonal skills in the online space. Such moves have resulted in rigorous debate within the discipline. In addition to pressure from the university sector, there are a range of reasons to move teaching of these skills into this space including access, inclusivity and development of authentic skills and assessment. Within this changing context, the authors were awarded a small grant which enabled them to redevelop the interpersonal skills subjects, within the BSW and MSW courses at JCU, to facilitate the development of students' interpersonal skills in an online space. The subjects were delivered in a limited mode with a compulsory on-campus workshop. Additionally, there were a number of fully online activities including skills practice, peer review, online recording of interviews and online submission of assessment tasks. The redevelopments were evaluated and the findings relating to the experience and effectiveness are presented in this paper.
Authors: Ann Carrington, Jo Mensinga
Language: English
Subfield: Public Administration
Field: Social Sciences
Domain: Social Sciences
SDG: Quality education
Open Access status: green
OpenAlex ID: W2890806311