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SWK 370: Social Work Practicum Experience 1

Course Description

This is the first of four 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 this practicum experience students will participate in one social work placement fall semester. Students will complete a total of 104 hours over the first course, at minimum of 8 hours per week. Students will engage, assess, intervene, and evaluate individuals, families, groups, organizations, and communities. In integrative practicum, 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 110: History of Social Welfare
  • SWK 225: Human Behavior in the Social Environment 1
  • SWK 226: Human Behavior in the Social Environment 2
  • SWK 305: Direct Practice with Individuals / Couples
  • SWK 371: Social Work Seminar 1*

* May be taken concurrently.

Student Learning Outcomes (SLOs)

Students who successfully complete this course will be able to:

  1. Identify and demonstrate an understanding of the psychosocial developmental tasks and life events that require adaptive responses across the life course.
  2. Demonstrate an understanding of the biological, psychological, social, cultural, economic, and political factors that impact human behavior development across the life course.
  3. 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.
  4. 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.
  5. 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.
  6. Demonstrate the ability to apply knowledge across the lifespan to assess person and environment for social work practice.

Program Learning Outcomes (PLOs) / Competencies

  1. Demonstrate Ethical and Professional Behavior
  2. Engage Diversity and Difference in Practice
  3. Advance Human Rights and Social, Economic, and Environmental Justice
  4. Engage in Practice-informed Research and Research-informed Practice
  5. Engage in Policy Practice
  6. Engage with Individuals, Families, Groups, Organizations, and Communities
  7. Assess Individuals, Families, Groups, Organizations, and Communities
  8. Intervene with Individuals, Families, Groups, Organizations, and Communities
  9. Evaluate Practice with Individuals, Families, Groups, Organizations, and Communities

Course Activities and Grading

 

AssignmentsWeight

Practicum Paperwork (Weeks 1 & 4)

10%

Learning Agreement (Week 3)

20%

Timesheets & Supervision Notes (Weeks 3-15)

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.