SWK 370: Social Work Practicum Experience 1

Course Description

This is the first of two practicum experiences. Practicum education is community-based, experiential, transformational learning for practice as a social worker. It allows students to participate in four semesters of direct social work practice with diverse client populations in various social work settings. Through these practicum experiences students will participate in one social work placement over two courses in their junior year. Students will complete a total of 200 hours, over the two courses, at minimum of 10 hours per week. Students will continue with practicum for the total 15 weeks in the spring semester and 8 weeks in the summer semester. Students will engage, assess, intervene, and evaluate individuals, families, groups, organizations, and communities. In seminar, students will transition into leaders and change agents through conceptualizing and evaluating their social work practice through the CSWE competencies. Additionally, the National Association of Social Workers (NASW) Code of Ethics will be integrated into student social work practice. (2 credits)

Prerequisites

ENG 101: English Composition 1
ENG 102: English Composition 2
SWK 101: Introduction to Social Work
SWK 225: Human Behavior in the Social Environment 1
SWK 226: Human Behavior in the Social Environment 2
SWK 371: Social Work Seminar 1*

* May be taken concurrently.

Student Learning Outcomes (SLOs)

Students who successfully complete this course will be able to:

Identify and demonstrate an understanding of the psychosocial developmental tasks and life events that require adaptive responses across the life course.
Demonstrate an understanding of the biological, psychological, social, cultural, economic, and political factors that impact human behavior development across the life course.
Demonstrate an understanding of biopsychosocial functioning, and the ways in which healthy development, health, adaptive coping, and well-being are supported and constrained by relationships with others including institutional, organizational, and other environmental structures and practice.
Demonstrate an understanding of the uses and limitations of the concepts of normal developmental milestones, abnormal development, and critical, alternative views of development challenging these concepts.
Demonstrate an understanding about the relationship between the life course perspective and individual unique life stories as a configuration of specific life-events and person-environment transactions over time.
Demonstrate the ability to apply knowledge across the lifespan to assess person and environment for social work practice.

Program Learning Outcomes (PLOs) / Competencies

Demonstrate Ethical and Professional Behavior
Engage Diversity and Difference in Practice
Advance Human Rights and Social, Economic, and Environmental Justice
Engage in Practice-informed Research and Research-informed Practice
Engage in Policy Practice
Engage with Individuals, Families, Groups, Organizations, and Communities
Assess Individuals, Families, Groups, Organizations, and Communities
Intervene with Individuals, Families, Groups, Organizations, and Communities
Evaluate Practice with Individuals, Families, Groups, Organizations, and Communities

Course Activities and Grading

Assignments	Weight
Practicum Paperwork (Weeks 1 & 4)	10%
Learning Agreement (Weeks 1 & 3)	20%
Timesheets & Supervision Notes (Weeks 2-15)	30%
Mid-term Evaluation Documents (Week 7)	20%
Final Evaluation Documents (Week 15)	20%
Total	100%

Required Textbook

None

Additional Resources

Additional reading materials, assignments or activities can be determined by the Practicum Agency. For example, Agency training about documentation and client files.

Course Schedule

Week	PLOs	SLOs	Readings and Exercises	Assignments
1	1	1,2	Topic: Welcome to Social Work Practicum Experience 1 Introductions Practicum agencies Your role in the agency Client population Safety planning	Review course syllabus Participate in the Student Introductions (Not Graded) discussion. Review and Sign the Practicum Manual 2023-2024 signature page. Submit the Week 1 - Draft Job Description and Safety Plan.
2	1,3	2,5,6	Topic: Practice Experience 1 Direct Practicum Engagement at Agency	Complete and submit your timesheet for Week 1. Complete and submit the Week 2 Supervision Note.
3	1,3	2,5,6	Topic: Practice Experience 2 Direct Practicum Engagement at Agency	Complete and submit your timesheet for Week 2. Complete and submit the Week 3 Supervision Note. Complete and submit the Week 3 - Draft Learning Agreement.
4	1	1,2,3,4	Topic: Practice Experience 3 Direct Practicum Engagement at Agency	Complete and submit your timesheet for Week 3. Complete and submit the Week 4 Supervision Note. Complete and submit the Week 4 - Final Job Description and Safety Plan.
5	1	1,2,3,4	Topic: Practice Experience 4 Direct Practicum Engagement at Agency	Complete and submit your timesheet for Week 4. Complete and submit the Week 5 Supervision Note. Complete and submit the Week 5 - Final Learning Agreement.
6	1,3	2,3,6	Topic: Practice Experience 5 Direct Practicum Engagement at Agency Mid-term Practicum Agency Visits	Review the MId-term Evaluation document. Complete and submit your timesheet for Week 5. Complete and submit the Week 6 Supervision Note. Mid-Term Practicum Agency Visits begin.
7	1,3	2,3,6	Topic: Practice Experience 6 Direct Practicum Engagement at Agency Mid-term Practicum Agency Visits	Complete and submit your timesheet for Week 6. Complete and submit the Week 7 Supervision Note. Complete and submit the Week 7 - Mid-term Evaluation. Mid-Term Practicum Agency Visits end.
8	1,3	2,3,5,6	Topic: Practice Experience 7 Direct Practicum Engagement at Agency	Complete and submit your timesheet for Week 7. Complete and submit the Week 8 Supervision Note.
9	1,3	1,2,6	Topic: Practice Experience 8 Direct Practicum Engagement at Agency	Complete and submit your timesheet for Week 8. Complete and submit the Week 9 Supervision Note.
10	1,3	1,5,6	Topic: Practice Experience 9 Direct Practicum Engagement at Agency	Complete and submit your timesheet for Week 9. Complete and submit the Week 10 Supervision Note.
11	3	5,6	Topic: Practice Experience 10 Direct Practicum Engagement at Agency	Complete and submit your timesheet for Week 10. Complete and submit the Week 11 Supervision Note.
12	3	5,6	Topic: Practice Experience 11 Direct Practicum Engagement at Agency	Complete and submit your timesheet for Week 11. Complete and submit the Week 12 Supervision Note.
13	3	5,6	Topic: Practice Experience 12 Direct Practicum Engagement at Agency	Complete and submit your timesheet for Week 12. Complete and submit the Week 13 Supervision Note.
14	1,3	1,4,5,6	Topic: Practice Experience 13 Direct Practicum Engagement at Agency Final Practicum Agency Visits	Review the Final Evaluation document. Complete and submit your timesheet for Week 13. Complete and submit the Week 14 Supervision Note. Final Practicum Agency Visits begin.
15	1,3	1-6	Topic: Practice Experience 14 Final Practicum Agency Visits	Complete and submit your timesheet for Week 14. Complete and submit the Week 15 Supervision Note. Complete and submit the Week 15 - Final Evaluation. Final Practicum Agency Visits end. Complete Course Evaluation

COSC Accessibility Statement

Charter Oak State College encourages students with disabilities, including non-visible disabilities such as chronic diseases, learning disabilities, head injury, attention deficit/hyperactive disorder, or psychiatric disabilities, to discuss appropriate accommodations with the Office of Accessibility Services at OAS@charteroak.edu.

COSC Policies, Course Policies, Academic Support Services and Resources

Students are responsible for knowing all Charter Oak State College (COSC) institutional policies, course-specific policies, procedures, and available academic support services and resources. Please see COSC Policies for COSC institutional policies, and see also specific policies related to this course. See COSC Resources for information regarding available academic support services and resources.