As life expectancy in the United States continues to increase, there is a need to enhance interest and competency in working with older adults. There have been efforts to do so in recent years, but research indicates that there are barriers, such as lack of awareness and negative perceptions of aging. This qualitative study examines the experiences of eight students who are pursuing or recently completed an interdisciplinary certificate focused on working with older adults. Personal experience is a strong motivator for professional interest in the older adult population. Students value interdisciplinary education on older adults, citing the opportunity to learn with those in different majors as an asset. Making students aware of course offerings on older adults is cited as a significant need. Suggestions for improving and promoting an interdisciplinary certificate on older adults have implications for strengthening the workforce to care for aging Americans, as well as faculty who want to design and implement certificate programs in higher education generally.
Tag: Social Work
Strengthening Field Education: An Integrated Model for Signature Pedagogy in Social Work
Disciplines that incorporate field education into their curriculum face similar challenges around fidelity and tracking of the integration of course work, field learning, and attainment of educational competencies. In social work curriculum, field education is identified as its signature pedagogy (CSWE, 2015), underscoring the importance of in-vivo learning. In this paper, the author’s explore challenges associated with integration and assessment of competencies reflective of signature pedagogical principles through a social work lens. The authors propose a model for upholding field education as signature pedagogy through a combination of utilizing a faculty field liaison, housing field education within a course, and by instituting a comprehensive field education learning plan. While specific to social work, the model may generalize to other disciplines struggling to uphold quality in clinical and field education experiences.
Volunteering in the Camp Setting as a Learning Tool: Graduate Students Share their Experiences
Experiential learning in the field is central to the training of many helping professionals, and field education is the signature pedagogy for social work. Service-learning offers another opportunity for graduate students in the helping professions to get hands on training. Volunteering would also offer a hands-on learning experience but appears to be less common. This study interviewed 14 master of social work (MSW) students who volunteered at a healing camp for bereaved children and adolescents to explore their lived experiences. The study revealed both professional and personal themes, and these were compared to themes divulged by similar students participating in service-learning courses. Based on this study, the researchers concluded that volunteerism can be a valuable means for graduate students in the helping fields to experience personal and professional growth.