Field Education experiences at UTC provide opportunities where students begin to apply knowledge and skills. These field experiences begin in the first SOCW course, Introduction to the Social Work Experience, where students complete a 30 hour volunteer experience in an agency as part of the course requirements. In the SOCW 4080 (Social Work Ability II Seminar) junior BSW students complete a 40 hour pre-field observation experience in an agency/organization where they are considering for the senior year field education experience.
These field experiences are built into the curriculum so students have the opportunity to experience various types of social service agency settings, interact with a variety of client populations, and try out new skills PRIOR to the capstone Field Education I and II in the senior year.
The Council on Social Work Education Educational Policy and Accreditation Standards (2001) defines Field Education as:
" Field education is an integral component of social work education anchored in the mission, goals, and educational level of the program. It occurs in settings that reinforce students’ identification with the purposes, values, and ethics of the profession; fosters the integration of empirical and practice-based knowledge; and promotes the development of professional competence. Field education is systematically designed, supervised, coordinated, and evaluated on the basis of criteria by which students demonstrate the achievement of program objectives."
| Approved Field Education Agencies for 2010-2011 (these agencies have senior social work students during both semesters) |
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