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Helpful Tips for Learning Contract

Field Education

Practice Behavior

Practice behaviors are specific behaviors that demonstrate broader core competencies required of a BSW-level practitioner.

Student Learning Activity

Student learning activities are the specific, most often observable, tasks and activities you will complete in the agency setting. These are specific and not restatements of the practice behavior; the are the specific opportunities in the context of your placement in which you will demonstrate the practice behavior.

To determine these, ask yourself:

  • What activities am I doing on a day to day basis?
  • What activities will I do in the future?
  • What activities can I dream up and advocate to complete that would reflect these practice behaviors?

Evaluation of Practice Outcome/Skill

Evaluation of Practice Outcome/Skill refers to the specific criteria that needs to be met to show you have demonstrated the practice behavior by completing the learning activity.

To determine these, ask yourself:

  • How will you know if you have demonstrated the practice behavior?
  • What results are you looking for from FI, clients, etc.?
  • What outcome / evidence is necessary to show you demonstrated the practice behavior?

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The examples below illustrate the importance of including activities that are focused on the demonstration of practice behaviors; that is, activities you will be doing (more objective, less subjective). These activities will steer you away from activities that start with “identify, analyze, apply” – and move you into activities that suggest specific action in the field. The activities are the nuts and bolts of your internship. This is the place where you are required to really think about HOW these objectives “come to life.”
Tip 1: Be Sure Learning Activities are Primarily Behavioral
Practice Behavior Sample Learning Activities (Steps to gain knowledge / skills)  Evaluation of Practice Outcome/Skill
  • Apply strategies of ethical reasoning to arrive at principled decisions to address ethical dilemmas
  • Identify ethical dilemmas as they arise during internship (this is a good activity, but you need to include other activities to get at practice behaviors)
  • Discuss with FI
 ← Needs improvement
  • Identify ethical dilemmas as they arise during internship
  • Seek supervision to consider options for handling the situation ethically
  • Employ the best option identified
  • Student will be observed by FI
  • Reevaluate the outcome of the situation with FI
  • Student will receive positive feedback from supervisor regarding the application of strategies of ethical decision making.
 ← Strong

The examples below illustrate the importance of being specific in developing learning activities, rather than restating the practice behavior.

Tip 2: Be Specific with Learning Activities: Avoid Restating the Practice Behavior
Practice Behavior Sample Learning Activities (Steps to gain knowledge/skills) Evaluation of Practice Outcome/Skill
  • Ability to apply theories that are useful for the placement setting
  • Identify and apply theories of human development as applicable to client population
  • Observed by field instructor
 ← Needs improvement
  • With the knowledge of systems theory, student will engage the family in services when appropriate.
  • With knowledge of social cognitive theory, student will recognize the reciprocal influence of the student’s behavior, the environment, and cognition by connecting student to resources (in the environment) to achieve a change in behavior.
  • Student will receive positive feedback from supervisor regarding the application of theories in practice.
 ←Strong

The examples below illustrate the importance of matching the sample learning activity with the practice behavior. If a practice behavior focuses on application, a learning activity that only calls on a student to go beyond identifying, for example.

Tip 3: Match the Learning Activity with the Practice Behavior
Practice Behavior Sample Learning Activities (Steps to gain knowledge/skills) Evaluation of Practice Outcome/Skill
  • Apply strategies of ethical reasoning to arrive at principled decisions to address ethical dilemmas
  • Identify ethical dilemmas as they arise during internship (this is a good activity, but you need to include other activities to get at practice behaviors)
  • Discuss with FI
 ← Needs improvement
  • Identify ethical dilemmas as they
    arise during internship
  • Seek supervision to consider options for handling the situation ethically
  • Employ the best option identified
  • Student will be observed by FI
  • Reevaluate the outcome of the situation with FI
  • Student will receive positive feedback from supervisor regarding the application of strategies of ethical decision making.
 ← Strong

The examples below illustrate an evaluation criteria that is not well-developed and fails to be specific about the actual criteria that needs to be met to suggest the practice behavior was demonstrated.

Jacquelyn Lee, PhD, LCSW 5 Tip 4: Be Clear in Evaluation Methods
Practice Behavior Sample Learning Activities (Steps to gain knowledge/skills) Evaluation of Practice Outcome/Skill
  • Demonstrate practice skills that advocate for social and economic justice in the larger community.
  • Through emails, phone conversations, personal correspondence with governmental agencies
  • Demonstrated through the ability to effectively communicate to achieve desired outcome
 ← Needs improvement
  • Student will receive positive feedback from FI after observation of student’s ability to effectively communicate to achieve desired outcome with client.
 ← Strong

The example below illustrates the need for specificity in terms of your evaluation. For example: “Discuss with FI” is not specific enough regarding the outcome that the evaluation is seeking; the act of discussing an issue does not demonstrate the objective was met. Ask yourself what the result of the supervision will be or what will come from the supervision to make it be indicative of successfully demonstrating the practice behavior.

Tip 5: Be Specific in your Evaluation (Table 1)
Practice Behavior Sample Learning Activities (Steps to gain knowledge/skills) Evaluation of Practice Outcome/Skill
  • Develop a professional relationship with FI to facilitate successful use of supervision
  • Establish a weekly supervision schedule
  • Develop an agenda for supervision
  • Identify and address issues impacting the effectiveness of supervision
  • Discuss with FI
 ← Needs improvement
  • After each supervisory meeting, scale effectiveness from 1 (not at all  effective) to 7 (very effective)
  • Solicit positive feedback from FI regarding intern’s skills in developing a professional relationship
 ← Strong

 

Tip 5: Be Specific in your Evaluation (Table 2)
Practice Behavior Sample Learning Activities (Steps to gain knowledge/skills) Evaluation of Practice

  • Identify social work roles and boundaries as practiced within the agency
  • Shadow different personnel to gain insight into different roles
  • Discuss the role of the social worker in the agency in supervision
  • Read job description of social worker
  • Review policy manual to ascertain boundaries regarding client contact, confidentiality, transportation, etc.
  • Discuss with FI
 ← Needs improving
  • Student will receive confirmation from FI that the intern understands his/her/their role
  • Student will receive positive feedback from the FI regarding the student’s understanding of appropriate boundaries.
 ← Strong

The examples below illustrate the importance of making learning activities actual tasks/ activities. The first example provides information related to the practice behavior, instead of providing learning activities that reflect the practice behavior. While this information demonstrates a good start to thinking about the practice behavior, you will need to indicate learning activities and then identify appropriate evaluation criteria for demonstration of the practice behavior.

Tip 6: Be Sure Learning Activities are, In Fact, Activities
Practice Behavior Sample Learning Activities (Steps to gain knowledge/skills Evaluation of Practice Skill
Identify a minimum of one social problem that impacts community
perception of the client
population served by the agency.		 Labeling of the clients within the language of the agency is problematic Discuss with FI ← Need improvement
  • Student will critically consider various social problems related to the population served by the agency through research of scholarly
    material and discussions with FI.
  • Student will critically examine the agency (i.e., polices and procedures) for any contributions to
    community’s perception of clients.
  • Student will received positive feedback from FI regarding capacity to identify relevant social problems.
  • Student will receive positive feedback from FI from the inclusion of this information in the agency profile paper.
 ← Strong

Field Education Contacts

Angie Vandenberg, MSW, LCSW, VSP: Field Education Coordinator

Phone: (910) 962-2585

vandenberga@uncw.edu

Lori Dugan, MSW, LCSW
MSW Assistant Field Education Coordinator

Phone: (910) 962-7416

duganl@uncw.edu

Carolyn Craddock, MSW, LCSW
BSW Assistant Field Education Coordinator

Phone: (910) 962-3872

craddockc@uncw.edu

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