U N I V E R S I T Y  O F  P I T T S B U R G H

March, 2002 

School of Social Work

Integration of classroom learning and fieldwork is an essential part of the curriculum at the School of Social Work (SSW), according to Tracy Soska, who teaches in SSW and co-directs the University’s Community Outreach Partnership Center. Efforts to involve students in real-life practical applications of learning begin early in social work. Students in both the bachelor’s and master’s programs, for example, are required to take field education credits — 12 credits or 600 hours for undergraduates and 18 credits or 1,296 hours for graduate students, according to Patricia Kolar, director of field education. While the primary objective of the field placement for social work students is to provide supervised experiences so that students can integrate classroom learning, agencies can often benefit from actual service provided by students.

Students encounter numerous other opportunities to engage in service-learning experiences as they progress through the two programs. For example, one of the objectives of Soska’s recent Advanced Community Organizing course was to learn how to plan with, not for, a community. To make this learning objective “real,” students this past fall reviewed 27 plans from 23 community organizations in Oakland related to education, health care, transportation, social service, cultural activities, parks and recreation, and housing. They then compiled the results and presented a report to the Oakland Planning and Development Corp. By working with the Oakland Planning group, Soska believed students learned how to better coordinate activities with community organizations.

Often these classroom assignments result in students’ completion of projects that organizations otherwise may not have had resources to accomplish. For instance, two years ago a student wrote a grant as part of a class assignment and the agency was funded over $150,000 to develop a prevention program in child protection for the elementary schools in her area. Another student obtained funding for furniture and miscellaneous items for residents in a residential care center.

This term, Kolar, Kathryn Collins, assistant professor, and Ruthanne Hackman, GSA in the School of Social Work, are piloting a technology-based practicum support system under the Provost’s Innovation in Technology grants. In this project, students in health-oriented field placements have the opportunity to engage in discussion with faculty during their field placement.

Social Work students also are encouraged to participate in formal service-learning programs on campus such as Bridging the Gaps, an interdisciplinary program sponsored by the University of Pittsburgh Medical School.

Photo: Djenan Demetrius, right, graduate student in the school of Social Work, explains her role in the University-Community Career Development Partnership at last year's Celebration of Service event sponsored by the University Senate.

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