Infusing Financial Capability and Asset Building Content Into a Community Organizing Class

ABSTRACT

As social work’s fight for social and economic justice returns to its historical attention to finances, faculty are called to infuse financial capability and asset building (FCAB) content into their classes. Given few published models, this study contributes a redesign that infuses FCAB in a community organization course, with additional attention to Fink’s taxonomy of significant learning experiences. Results of a pre- and posttest survey suggest an overall pattern of students’ increased interest in further learning about FCAB, understanding its importance to social work, confidence about helping clients with FCAB, likelihood of offering to help a client to manage her or his household finances, and changes to students’ own financial practices.

Additional information

Funding

We are grateful to the Cal State LA Center for Effective Teaching and Learning for providing the funding that made this study possible.

Notes on contributors

Joanna K. Doran

Joanna K. Doran, PhD, MSW, is an Assistant Professor and Sofya Bagdasaryan, PhD, MSW, is an Associate Professor at California State University, Los Angeles.