An emerging future for work and education: implications for integrative learning in social work

ABSTRACT

Social work practice education should be designed for sustainability and relevance in emerging and future work contexts. Changes influencing the emerging world of work including transformations in services, communication technologies, distributed working patterns, and new priorities and identities should inform the design of the integrated learning components of the curriculum. Changes influencing the future delivery of education include increased demand for flexible, collaborative, networked and digital learning; pre-existing but rapidly accelerated because of COVID-19. Together, these drivers compel us to innovate to ensure graduates are practice ready and resilient in these evolving contexts. In this analysis of social work, nursing, and allied health literature diverse approaches to integrative learning are examined, generating an evidence base for informing decision making when innovating in the design of integrative learning. This article advocates an orientation towards the future world of work and education, as a lens for reimagining integrative learning in social work.

KEYWORDS:

• Field education
• practice education
• integrative learning
• future work environments

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the author(s).

Additional information

Notes on contributors

Jeanette Neden

Dr Jeanette Neden is Senior Lecturer (Curriculum and Learning Design) in the Office of the Provost, Learning and Teaching Unit. She is interested in the use of digital educational technologies to support sustainable, inclusive and authentic learning in Higher Education courses and programs.

Jennifer Boddy

Jennifer Boddy is Associate Professor in Deputy Head of School (Learning and Teaching) in the School of Health Sciences and Social Work. She is keen to advance innovations in social work field education.

Sylvia Ramsay

Dr Sylvia Ramsay obtained her PhD in Social Work from Griffith University. She is interested in interventions that help increase people’s capacity to contribute to a sustainable ecosystem and a healthy life.