Distance education (DE) is one of the most important ways in which future social workers can complete their MSW degree. With a reach to multiple populations, DE is especially suited to the field of social work, allowing rural, working, and financially-strained individuals to complete degrees and provide important services to underserved communities. In this comprehensive and well-organized guide to understanding and implementing distance education components into social work, pioneering professors explain how to administer DE components, discuss the adjustments and rewards of the DE teaching experience, evaluate the benefits for both students and teachers, and address evolving issues in the field. In addition, readers will be introduced to the latest audio-visual, computer -mediated, and computer-assisted modalities now in use as applied to distance education. From audio and visual teleconferencing to e-mail, networks, and web based courses, we are exposed to the current and future trends and possibilities in DE programs.

Online education, both by for-profit institutions and within traditional universities, has seen recent tremendous growth and appeal - but online education has many aspects that are not well understood. The SAGE Encyclopedia of Online Education provides a thorough and engaging reference on all aspects of this field, from the theoretical dimensions of teaching online to the technological aspects of implementing online courses—with a central focus on the effective education of students. Key topics explored through over 350 entries include: · Technology used in the online classroom · Institutions that have contributed to the growth of online education · Pedagogical basis and strategies of online education · Effectiveness and assessment · Different types of online education and best practices · The changing role of online education in the global education system

Gain practical knowledge of the latest technological innovations in social work! This comprehensive book examines the role of technology in four areas: information management, distance education evaluation, video- and web-based learning and training, and working with vulnerable populations. New Advances in Technology for Social Work Education and Practice discusses constructive, proven applications of technology in settings from modern universities to rural India. The empirical research and case studies presented here offer practical suggestions for implementing effective technological solutions tailored to the needs of social workers and their clients.New Advances in Technology for Social Work Education and Practice includes useful strategies for creating user-friendly systems, including: involving practitioners in systems design and evaluation dealing with political issues choosing effective instructors for distance education developing multimedia testing for supervisor training designing Web pages for users with disabilities

Globalization challenges social work with constant social change, making a social worker's job and the task of social work education more complex and uncertain. Post-modern thinking suggests that social workers must learn to cope with complexity in ways that are in tension with the increasingly managerialist organization of the social services. The authors explore and question the concepts of 'postmodern', 'international' and 'global' in light of growing interest in international social work in the early 21st century. Emphasizing the importance of critical reflection, they argue that educational colonization can be challenged and effective anti-discriminatory and pro-equality practice and education promoted. Each chapter provides direct examples of how students and academics can apply these ideas in practice and in their learning, and how they can respond to and influence the challenges and changes that are taking place. The authors also examine educational and practice issues arising from attempts to incorporate international understanding into national practice and education systems. The book is designed to be stimulating to academics interested in international social work while remaining accessible to practitioners and students without international experience.

This handbook addresses the issues and challenges of the delivery of social work education in the contemporary world. It provides an authoritative overview of the key debates, switching the lens away from a Western-centric focus to engage with a much broader audience in countries that are in the process of modernization and professionalization, alongside those where social work education is more developed. Chapters tackle major challenges with respect to curriculum, teaching, practice, and training in light of globalization, providing a thorough examination of the practice of social work in diverse contexts. This handbook presents a contribution to the process of knowledge exchange which is essential to global social work education. It brings together professional knowledge and lived experience, both universal and local, and aims to be an essential reference for social work educators, researchers, and students.

Online and Distance Social Work Education: Current Practice and Future Trends provides a comprehensive presentation on the evolution, current status and future direction of distance learning and online education in the social work profession. Documenting the current state-of-the-art, this book demonstrates the power of distance learning and online technology and addresses future trends in web-based social work education. Written by widely recognized experts, the chapters represent an authoritative statement of the present state-of-the-art in the application of technology to contemporary social work education. The insights of these experts will be of great interest to students and faculty in the 798 accredited social work programs in the United States. They are creating a revolution in the profession which will forever change the nature of education for professional practice. Authored by widely recognized educators on the cutting edge of technological innovation, this text will be relevant to social work students and educators in baccalaureate, masters and doctoral programs in the USA and internationally. The chapters in this book were originally published in the Journal of Teaching in Social Work.