Enhancing student engagement through practice experience in social work education: the Social Work Studio

Abstract

It can sometimes be difficult to engage students in ‘real life experiences’ within the classroom. In one Bachelor of Social Work program, the development of a Social Work Studio (the Studio) has provided students with opportunities to engage in simulated social work practice in a safe and supportive environment. This article reports on a small exploratory study of students' responses to a survey that sought their views and reactions to the development of this Studio initiative. Findings were analysed from a sociocultural perspective. They indicate that students' responses to the development of the Studio reflect their emerging constructions of the cultural world of social work.

Keywords:

• simulation
• skills development
• social work practice
• sociocultural perspectives of learning
• student engagement

Acknowledgements

This study was conducted as part of the overall STEP 2010 project.

Notes

The STEP 2010 project was designed to implement the University of South Australia's Teaching and Learning Framework. The Framework encapsulates the core concept of experiential learning and seeks to improve the quality and quantity of student engagement through three components of experiential learning: (1) the teaching-research nexus, (2) practice-based learning and (3) service learning. The University invested $5.7million to implement the Framework through funding Schools to develop programs and renew curricula.