As the coronavirus gained a foothold in the Northwest, the School of Social Work, along with the University, moved all its classes and field instruction online on March 9, with two weeks left in the winter quarter. When online learning was extended until June 12, a total of 60 classes taught by 48 faculty and instructors were moved online during spring quarter.
Dean Eddie Uehara quickly convened a leadership team to coordinate the School’s response to the pandemic and to disseminate reliable and timely information through the School’s website and communication channels. “Although this has been a difficult time for all of us, I am truly amazed and humbled by the extraordinary efforts of our faculty and staff during the last few months,” said Uehara.
When the School transitioned to remote learning, its virtual offerings leaped from one online course to 60. ”Initially, the School and the University had limited information on online teaching methods and remote support options,” said Tessa Evans-Campbell, associate dean for academic affairs. “But everyone at the School stepped up; it was incredibly inspiring. We have since built up training supports, hired remote teaching consultants and hosted instructor check-ins. I’m very proud of how our School community has leaned into this.”
To gauge response to remote learning, a short survey in mid-May was distributed to all 48 faculty and doctoral student instructors; 30 responded. Roughly 83 percent, or 25 of the respondents, said they were “satisfied” or “very satisfied” with how engaged students were, using remote learning tools. Twenty respondents (or about two-thirds) said they believed students were “satisfied” or “very satisfied” with remote learning.
Survey responses contained positive feedback and constructive comments. One respondent noted: “I am surprised with how adaptable the students have been and with how well I have been able to still do role plays with small groups on Zoom.” Another wrote: “I’ve been surprised at how intimate and personal the virtual classroom can feel and how connected I’ve become with a group of students whom I’ve never met in person.”
Other faculty pointed out their learning curve with tech issues, stress of learning new skills, lack of face time, and adjusting to an online format. “I feel like I have taken advantage of what online teaching offers that in-person teaching does not, like polls,” said one respondent. “I have also generated new learning material, such as filming unscripted role plays to demonstrate concepts, which I can use again.”
Field Education experienced its own challenges when approximately 500 students, 400 agencies, and 450 field instructors were asked to stop meeting in person and transition to remote practice. Larger agencies with existing telecare technology and experience were able to more easily offer online learning activities; for small organizations, remote options to provide educationally sound learning experiences had to be identified.
“Students have been able to choose from social work trainings, readings, learning activities and Project Connect,” said Rachel Wrenn, assistant dean for field instruction. Project Connect, a new School initiative begun in response to the pandemic, provides a wide range of real-world learning opportunities for students to work with agencies, learn remotely and serve the community.
According to Wrenn, at first the partner agencies were disappointed that students could not continue their practicum in person, but within two weeks, their own social workers and staff were asked to work remotely, as well. “Our partner agencies responded with integrity and clearly based every decision on social work ethics and the welfare of our students and their clients,” said Wrenn.
The technical challenges involved with moving to online learning fell squarely on the shoulders of the School’s IT Department, led by Jon Hauser. The department devoted its team of 10 employees to ensuring the successful transition to remote learning. It continues to provide ongoing support and training for faculty and staff and troubleshoot issues as they arise.
“As essential workers, we changed how we operated, seemingly overnight,” said Hauser. “Certain team members maintained onsite shifts while others remained remote. Our AV workload skyrocketed to support faculty and staff not only in teaching but now to accommodate the virtual graduation.”
Despite the increase to workload, Hauser noted there has been incredible support from faculty, staff and School leadership. “Their ability to adapt, collaborate and innovate, en masse and under duress, is a reflection of the outstanding culture and values at the School,” he said.
This level of creativity and flexibility were key factors in the successful transition to online learning, said Evans-Campbell, and will play an important role moving forward. “Our faculty were quick to learn about different platforms and methods,” she said. “They shared information with each other in great ways. We’re now planning for several different teaching scenarios next year. If we have in-person classes, we’ll also need to have online options and possibly a hybrid approach. I also expect that students will have higher expectations come fall, so we’re all keen to further develop our skills. “