The experience of teaching a Bachelor's level social work practice course for the first time in the context of Covid-19
Keywords:
social work education, first-time teaching experience, bachelor's-level social work course, reflectionsAbstract
The scholarship on social work education currently lacks accounts of first-time experiences teaching a Bachelor’s-level social work course, which is distinct in a number of respects from Master’s-level education. This teaching note shared the experience of the authors teaching a Bachelor’s-level social work practice course for the first time, in person, during the Covid-19 pandemic. The authors identified 10 key themes drawn from their experience, including: acknowledging that instructors and students can all contribute to and co-create a collaborative learning community; responding to anxieties, challenges, and mistakes; setting priorities; seeking feedback; using teaching support and resources; encouraging student engagement; acknowledging diversity; facilitating students to think critically; reflecting on the purpose of assignments and grading; and ongoing reflection on the teaching goal. It is the authors’ hope that their reflections can support other social work educators teaching a Bachelor’s level course for the first time.
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