Beyond COVID-19: what's next for skill assessment practices in social work education?

• Published in: Social work education Vol. 42; no. 8; pp. 1215 - 1226
• Main Authors: Keeney, A. J., Byrnes, E. I., Young, J. A., Beecher, B.
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Abingdon Routledge 17.11.2023; Taylor & Francis Ltd; Taylor & Francis LLC
• Subjects: Classrooms; COVID-19; Curricula; Educational programs; Evaluation; field education; Higher education; Learning; MSW; Pandemics; Practice placements; Professional training; Program assessment; Research subjects; skills assessment; Social programs; Social work education; Teaching; Work skills
• ISSN: 0261-5479; 1470-1227
• DOI: 10.1080/02615479.2021.2003321

Due to COVID-19, many higher education institutions abruptly transitioned to virtual instruction. For social work programs in the United States, this included supervised field education learning experiences. This shift allowed little time to adapt assessment outcome procedures. Considered the signature pedagogy in social work education, field enables students to integrate knowledge and practice skills in real practice situations. Multi-dimensional methods are used to assess this integration of classroom and field curricula. Program assessment methods can differ across social work education programs. Educational disruptions due to COVID-19 suggest a need to reimagine skill assessment in social work education. Due to the pandemic's impact on skill assessment practices, this article discusses the ethical and implementation issues that should be considered in relation to field and classroom education. Adaptations to assessment practices to ensure evidence of student learning outcomes are explored.