University of Iowa, School of Social Work
MSW Advanced Placement Guidelines
1. Overview: the Advanced Placement, a critical component of the social work curriculum, provides students the opportunity to integrate academic and experiential learning, and to develop the advanced knowledge and skills necessary for master’s level practice. The placement takes place over the fall and spring semesters.
2. Duration and time log: students must complete 700 agency hours. To track the hours earned, students are advised to utilize a time log that is regularly reviewed and signed by the Field Instructor/Task Supervisor.
3. MSW supervision/placement instruction: the agency is asked to provide the student with one hour per week of supervision by a master’s level social worker with at least two years of post-graduate practice experience. Some centers may require additional qualifications of Field Instructors. Someone outside the agency may serve in this capacity if no one on staff has the requisite credentials.
4. Placement learning opportunities: the agency is asked to afford the student with masters-level, hands-on, and solo learning opportunities. Theses should be mutually defined and tailored to fit the student's needs, the opportunities afforded by the agency, and the Field Instructor's/Task Supervisor’s assessment of the student's experience, knowledge and skills. The School would like each to student to practice advanced social work skills, such as carrying a small caseload and/or have primary responsibility for certain tasks/projects. The agency is asked to ensure an appropriate balance between practice responsibilities, and time for personal reflection, professional reading, observation, training, and supervision.
5. Learning contract: each student is required to prepare a learning contract, with specific learning activities that demonstrate practice skills in each of CSWE’s core competency areas:
· demonstrating ethical and professional behavior
· engaging diversity and difference in practice
· advancing human rights and social and environmental justice
· engaging in practice-informed research and research-informed practice
· engaging in policy practice
· engaging with individuals, families, groups, organizations and communities
· assessing individuals, families, groups, organizations and communities
· intervening with individuals, families, groups, organizations and communities
· evaluating practice with individuals, families, groups, organizations and communities
6. Seminar: concurrent with the placement, students are required to attend a seminar designed to assist in integrating academic and experiential learning. Attention will be focused on providing peer support and feedback, understanding the agency and the community contexts of practice, integrating theory and practice skills, applying professional ethics, and advancing cultural competence.
7. Site visits: a faculty member will visit the placement agency three times during the placement, once in the first 3-4 weeks and again near the end of the fall and spring semesters. The purpose of the visits is to ensure that the placement is taking place as expected and to provide an evaluation check point.
8. Evaluation: the student’s placement will be graded on a pass-fail (S/U) basis. The evaluation will be based on the learning contract, which, through the inclusion of a rating scale, allows it to double as an evaluation instrument. At the end of each semester, the placement instructor will be asked to complete the learning contract evaluation and to provide a narrative assessment of the student's skills and areas of needed improvement. These documents, along with the Field Instructor’s/Task Supervisor’s recommendation regarding the grade, will be used as the basis for determining the semester grade.