UW Home > Discover UW > Strategies and Initiatives

Partnership for Integrated, Community-Based Learning

School of Social Work

This project uses Tools for Transformation resources to develop a model of collaborative, community-based education for master's degree students in social work. The model reverses the traditional social work curriculum, which treats the university-based classroom as the principle vehicle for learning complex practice and research skills, and the field-based practicum as an auxiliary setting in which these skills may (or may not) apply. The Partnership model takes an enriched practicum experience as the core site of learning, and "wraps" academic coursework around those experiences. It takes faculty and students out of the classroom and into the field for an extended (year-long) learning experience. For agencies, the Partnership models expand access to faculty expertise in practice, supervision and applied research and evaluation.

Contact:	Edwina Uehara Associate Professor of Social Work and Associate Dean for Educational Initiatives eddi@u.washington.edu Sue Sohng Associate Professor of Social Work suesohng@u.washington.edu
Allocation:	$167,135
Date Funded:	March 1999

Progress Report: October, 1999

Summary of Project
Summary of Project Progress: April-October, 1999
Next Steps

Summary of Project:

The Partnership for Integrated, Community-Based Learning (PICL) is a major component of the School's 1999-04 Curriculum Transformation Initiative. One of the key objectives of this initiative, as stated in the School's Strategic Plan, is experimentation with "new educational models that situate teaching and learning in the field and revitalize faculty-field collaboration around teaching, research and public service" (SSW Strategic Plan, October, 1999, p. 4).

The PICL project uses Tools for Transformation resources to develop a model of collaborative, community-based education for master's degree students in social work. The model reverses the traditional social work curriculum, which treats the University-based classroom as the principle vehicle for learning complex practice and applied research skills and principles and the field-based practicum as an auxiliary setting in which these skills/principles may (or may not) apply. The PICL model views an enriched and revamped practicum experience as the core site of learning, and wraps academic coursework and research training around those experiences. For agencies, our concept greatly expands access to faculty expertise in research, practice, and supervision; opportunities for pro bono in-service training; and substantial faculty/student assistance in research and evaluation.

The PICL model is being developed and pilot tested in academic years 1999-2001 in partnership with health and human agencies in Seattle's International District. TfT funds are being used to create and pilot test the following core components of the model:

Creation of experiential-based learning: Field-based student practica become the central component of education, with responsibility for design of practicum learning goals and experiences and supervision/training shared by agency-based professionals/practicum instructors and faculty.
"Wrapping" of academic coursework and research around field experience: Faculty design on-site structured and impromptu learning experiences which teach fundamental practice and research content to capitalize upon experiences in practicum.
Extension of community access to training: Practicum instructors and agency staff have access to structured and impromptu skills training offered by onsite faculty and for other opportunities to access University skills and resources.
Development of collective (faculty/student) community research initiatives: Integration of field-based learning takes place via a collective research/service initiative, designed by onsite faculty and students with the participation of agency staff. This "collective capstone" experience is designed to directly address at least one major research/evaluation need of the target community and provide community access to faculty research expertise, while increasing student access to applied research training and hands-on research experience.
Creation of cross-level student training: Students have the opportunity to design and carry out intensive, cross-level skills training in which students serve as teachers, consultants and/or peer tutors. Cross-level research training will occur primarily around the collective capstone project, and will be led by Ph.D. students.

The School of Social Work TfT proposal for PICL proposed a fifteen-month timeline. Major milestones include the following:

Development of an enriched practicum, new "wrap around" course curriculum, and format for the collective capstone research project-end of Summer Quarter, 1999
Initiation of the pilot test of the new model-Fall Quarter, 1999
Completion of pilot of curriculum-end of Spring Quarter, 00
Completion of intensive review and refinement of new curriculum-end of Summer Quarter, 00
Implementation of final curriculum-Fall Quarter, 00

Summary of Project Progress: April-October, 1999

The PICL project team, led by Professors Sue Sohng and Tony Ishisaka, was formed in spring quarter, 1999. At an early meeting, the team made a critical decision: instead of piloting the PICL model with a small group of students and faculty, it would instead engage an entire cohort of advanced MSW students in the Multicultural Ethnic (MEP) Concentration.

In spring and summer quarters, 1999, the PICL team, in collaboration with human service professionals from a range of agencies within the International District, substantially restructured the MEP curriculum. In place of the standard second year MSW curriculum structure (two three-credit courses per quarter, plus a three-quarter practicum), the new MEP curriculum structure comprises:

An introductory course that meets for 6 hours/per week for 5 weeks,allowing time in the remaining part of the quarter for modular "courses" in key areas of practice;
A series of six five-week, intensive modular courses that focus on honing advanced practice skills; and
A 25 weeklong combined social policy and participatory action research sequence that is closely integrated with students' practica. The course sequence culminates in collective capstone projects that apply policy and action research skills to practical research needs of community agencies. A five-week "capstone seminar" allows integration of all Multiethnic Practice Concentration content and a "conference" format opportunity for students, faculty and agency staff to share their projects.

Agreements were made that will permit agency staff to attend the MEP modular courses as "inservice training"-a prospect that faculty hypothesize will also enhance the quality and intensity of student learning.

In preparation for this year's collective capstone project, MEP faculty and teaching assistants conducted a series of focus groups with I District agencies. The focus group sessions revealed a common issue across many small, grass-roots agencies serving refugee populations: the need for ongoing staff development and access to professional human services training and degree programs. Lack of staff training was seen as an impediment both to enhancing care to vulnerable populations and to providing effective supervision to MSW practicum students. The collective capstone project for MEP students in the I District will be a detailed assessment of human service agency staff development and training needs in the I District, and will culminate in a joint presentation to the School of Social Work faculty in spring quarter.

Three, three-week modular courses were developed and piloted with 1998-99 MEP during spring quarter, 1999. Student evaluations of these courses provide strong support for the modular structure, with 11 of 13 students "strongly agreeing" or "agreeing" about the usefulness of the modular course format. The remaining two students, who were "neutral" on this topic, suggested that the three week format was too brief. Similarly, the great majority of MEP students "strongly agreed" on the usefulness of the content presented in each module. The results of this "pre-pilot" were used to finalize modular course content, format and length (five as opposed to three weeks).

The team began full-scale implementation of the new curriculum in September, 1999. The pilot of the new, five-week intensive introductory course was completed in October, and the 25-week, integrated Participatory Action Research and Policy Analysis course will be launched in November.

Next Steps:

Major next steps in the implementation of the PICL project include:

Transition to community agency-based instruction: Upon completion of a new facility, PICL/MEP faculty and students will move instruction to the Atlantic Street Center in the International District (January, 2000)
Initiation of the "collective capstone project": The formal survey of I District agency educational/professional development needs (February, 2000)
Development of collaborative human service training and practicum units in I District: PICL/MEP faculty will collaborate with Atlantic Street Center staff and the staff of one other centrally located I District agency to establish "training units" where both MEP students and community-based professionals can attend courses and training sessions. It is anticipated that these two units will provide placements for the majority of MEP students in AY 2000-2001 (June, 2000)
Collaboration with CIDR: PICL/MEP faculty will collaborate with CIDR staff in evaluating the first year pilot and in developing strategies for I District agency training (June, 2000).

Tools for Transformation

Funded Proposals