Field Education

The mission of the University of Tennessee at Chattanooga Social Work Program is to prepare students for competent generalist social work practice with individuals, families, groups, communities, and organizations. The objective of the field education is to prepare students for social work practice focusing on a social systems perspective. By the conclusion of the field education experience students will demonstrate an ability to use a broad range of skills transferable across practice settings, diverse client populations, and human needs at all level of practice including individuals, families, groups, organizations, communities, and society.

What is field education?

Field education is considered the signature pedagogy of social work education.

Signature pedagogies are elements of instruction and of socialization that teach future practitioners the fundamental dimensions of professional work in their discipline -- to think, to perform, and to act ethically and with integrity. Field education is the signature pedagogy for social work. The intent of field education is to integrate the theoretical and conceptual contribution of the classroom with the practical world of the practice setting. It is a basic precept of social work education that the two interrelated components of the curriculum – classroom and field – are of equal importance, and each contributes to the development of the requisite competencies for professional practice. Field education is systematically designed, supervised, coordinated, and evaluated based on criteria by which students demonstrate the Social Work Competencies. (EPAS, 2022, p. 11)

The vision of the Field Education Program at UTC is to be recognized as an innovative partner in southeast Tennessee and northern Georgia that educates and trains students for the complex world of social work practice. The Field Education Program at UTC utilizes a competency-based learning model that provides learning opportunity using “real life” experiences. Field education in the classroom, and community, will focus on providing students with a wealth of learning exposures that may include guest speakers, volunteer experiences, interviews, and field trips. Additionally, assessment is an integral part of the field learning experience and will include self-assessment, peer assessment, and instructor assessment at various points in the learning process.

Learning is not a spectator sport. Students do not learn much by just sitting in class listening to teachers, memorizing pre-packaged assignments, and spitting out answers. They must talk about what they are learning, write about it, relate it to past experiences, apply it to their daily lives. They must make what they learn part of themselves.
“–Chickering and Gamson, 1987, p. 3”

Students in field education programs work collaboratively with either the BSW Field Coordinator or the Field Director to identify, locate, and interview potential placement sites based on students' interests and agency fit. Field placement is a joint process between field faculty and students and occurs once the student is admitted into the program and has applied and been approved for field education.