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Social Sciences
Special Issues
Digital Intervention for Advancing Social Work and Welfare Education
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Digital Intervention for Advancing Social Work and Welfare Education

A special issue of Social Sciences (ISSN 2076-0760). This special issue belongs to the section "Social Policy and Welfare".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: closed (30 September 2024) | Viewed by 1202

Special Issue Editors

Dr. Erica Russ

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Faculty of Health, Southern Cross University, Gold Coast, QLD 4225, Australia
Interests: family work; prevention and early prevention (child and family welfare); community development; professional ethics; critical self-reflection; relational practice
Dr. Elizabeth C Reimer

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Faculty of Health, Southern Cross University, Gold Coast, QLD 4225, Australia
Interests: family work; prevention and early prevention (child and family welfare); community development; professional ethics; critical self-reflection; relational practice

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

As a profession focused on practice working with people in social work education, there has historically been a strong focus on developing knowledge and practice skills in classroom settings and an associated tendency or reluctance to engage with technology. More recently, there has been significant growth in online programs, which require the use of technology, creating a shift in approaches to teaching social work. These programs opened the door to many students not previously able to study. Similarly, the use of technology in practice is rapidly increasing with the emergence of telehealth, eHealth, and a move to technology-based services. The rapidly increasing availability and capacity of generative artificial intelligence is similarly creating both challenges and opportunities, particularly in education settings. In these changing educational and practice environments, it is critical for social work educators to consider the role of technology in social work education and preparation for practice. This Special Issue encourages submissions of digital intervention in advancing social work education.

This Special Issue invites papers that examine the application of technology and digital intervention in teaching, the challenges, opportunities, benefits, and ethical considerations for social work education, and issues and implications for preparing graduates for changing social work practice in a digital world.

Please submit your proposals and any questions to special issue guest editors by 30 April 2024. Notification of acceptance will be provided by 13 May 2024. Final papers are due on 30 September 2024 for peer review.

Dr. Erica Russ
Dr. Elizabeth C Reimer
Guest Editors

Manuscript Submission Information

Manuscripts should be submitted online at www.mdpi.com by registering and logging in to this website. Once you are registered, click here to go to the submission form. Manuscripts can be submitted until the deadline. All submissions that pass pre-check are peer-reviewed. Accepted papers will be published continuously in the journal (as soon as accepted) and will be listed together on the special issue website. Research articles, review articles as well as short communications are invited. For planned papers, a title and short abstract (about 100 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for announcement on this website.

Submitted manuscripts should not have been published previously, nor be under consideration for publication elsewhere (except conference proceedings papers). All manuscripts are thoroughly refereed through a double-blind peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. Social Sciences is an international peer-reviewed open access monthly journal published by MDPI.

Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. The Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal is 1800 CHF (Swiss Francs). Submitted papers should be well formatted and use good English. Authors may use MDPI's English editing service prior to publication or during author revisions.

Keywords

  • social work education
  • field education
  • field practicum
  • social work practice
  • social work skills
  • simulation-based learning
  • virtual education
  • online education
  • technology-based social work interventions
  • social work digital intervention

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Published Papers (2 papers)

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Research

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11 pages, 510 KiB  
Article
Utilising H5P Simulations to Enhance Social Work Education
by Gerard Jefferies
Soc. Sci. 2024, 13(11), 598; https://doi.org/10.3390/socsci13110598 - 4 Nov 2024
Viewed by 419
Abstract
Higher education is tasked with the challenge of producing graduate-ready professionals. Thus, alternative learning and assessment activities are needed to provide students with real-life complex experiences, particularly in fields like social work. This quasi-experimental design study explored the effectiveness of H5P virtual simulation [...] Read more.
Higher education is tasked with the challenge of producing graduate-ready professionals. Thus, alternative learning and assessment activities are needed to provide students with real-life complex experiences, particularly in fields like social work. This quasi-experimental design study explored the effectiveness of H5P virtual simulation to teach assessment and direct practice skills to social work students (n = 80). Mixed-methods data based on the pre/post outcomes of skill development were analysed using descriptive and bi-variate analysis as well as thematic analysis for qualitative data. A Wilcoxon signed-rank test reveals significant outcomes in assessment and practice skills between pre- and post-measures. The qualitative findings include three key themes: (1) realism, (2) engagement, and (3) practice skills. This study provides evidence and highlights the importance of using virtual simulation to help students develop skills to manage complex real-world problems. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Digital Intervention for Advancing Social Work and Welfare Education)
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Review

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17 pages, 371 KiB  
Review
Dialogue with Avatars in Simulation-Based Social Work Education: A Scoping Review
by Åsa Vidman and Pia Tham
Soc. Sci. 2024, 13(11), 628; https://doi.org/10.3390/socsci13110628 - 20 Nov 2024
Viewed by 258
Abstract
Virtual reality provides students with the opportunity to have simulated experiences in a safe setting and is mostly used to teach direct practice skills. One of the most advanced ways of using virtual simulation in social work education is to interact with avatars. [...] Read more.
Virtual reality provides students with the opportunity to have simulated experiences in a safe setting and is mostly used to teach direct practice skills. One of the most advanced ways of using virtual simulation in social work education is to interact with avatars. Aim: The overall aim of this scoping review was to find out what is known about the use of dialogue with avatars in virtual reality in simulation-based social work education. Materials: Using Arksey and O’Malley’s scoping review framework, 11 articles were included in this review. Results: The skills taught with the avatars varied, as did the ways of preparing students for the sessions. The training was assessed as meaningful learning in a safe and comfortable environment, offering an opportunity to train in practical skills. According to the pre- and post-tests, in several studies the students’ skills seemed to have improved after the training. The qualitative data also pointed to skill developments. Conclusion: Training with avatars seems to be a useful way of preparing students for their future profession and seems to hold great potential in preparing students for demanding situations that cannot be easily trained for in a classroom. The results also point to technical elements that would benefit from development. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Digital Intervention for Advancing Social Work and Welfare Education)
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