University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill
School of Social Work
Syllabus
Course: SOWO 524: Foundation Field Seminar; 1 Credit
Field Seminar: 12:15 pm – 2:15 pm on designated Fridays, room 114 (NOTE room change)
Field Advisor: Jean Livermore, MSW, LCSW
Office Hours:
Email Address
Tuesdays 12:15 – 1:45, or by appointment jlivermo@email.unc.edu
Course Description:
Foundation Field Seminar is designed to assist students in integrating and applying classroom learning with the direct experience of the foundation field practicum. Opportunities are provided for inquiry based learning, discussion and peer support.
Expanded Course Description:
This course is intended to help students apply foundation knowledge of social work skills, values, and ethics to practice and to assist students in integrating classroom learning with the direct experience of the practicum.
The Foundation Field Seminar will provide the student with learning opportunities that complement foundation academic courses, and provide a basis for generalist practice. In this context, students will be expected to develop and discuss knowledge, understanding and skills concerning relationships with clients, supervisors, coworkers and external organizations. In addition, students will be expected to develop a foundation understanding of the context of social work practice as it relates to diversity, multiculturalism, social change and social justice. In the Foundation Field Seminar, students will share learning experiences across a variety of field sites. Students will be active learners in group process and group leadership skills. Lastly, students will discuss and understand the professional use of self in the social work role.
Course Objectives:
At the completion of this practicum, students will be able to:
1. Identify and demonstrate the application of knowledge from theories and research to the client system, reinforcing the link between theory, research and practice;
2. Identify in their agencies, the practice models and skills common to interventions with individuals, families, groups, organizations and community systems including assessment, planning, intervention and evaluation;
3. Describe their personal beliefs and values as a social worker and recognize the importance and impact of professional values through working with diverse client populations;
4.
5.
Recognize and discuss ethical implications in relation to professional practice;
Demonstrate an understanding of gender, age, culture, religion/spirituality, lifestyle, disability and sexual orientation differences, and how these factors influence the client system;
6. Identify and continually assess appropriate learning goals for the field placement that reflect an assessment of personal strengths, current level of skill and knowledge in the profession, and intended professional growth;

7.
Foundation Field Seminar Syllabus - Spring, 2008 2
Give and receive feedback constructively while developing insight into one’s own professional behavior;
8. Use supervision appropriately to meet agency performance and productivity requirements;
Required Text:
UNC-CH School of Social Work, Field Education Program Manual
Seminar Expectations for Students:
The small group field seminar is held twice a month on rotating Fridays. A primary objective of the small group meetings is to provide students with the opportunity to participate in twice monthly group experiences with their seminar leader, and to learn about group process and their personal group interactions. The success of the small group depends on the development of a supportive learning environment, reflecting the values of the social work profession. A supportive learning environment is fostered by listening to the ideas and views of others, being able to understand and appreciate a point of view which is different from your own, clearly articulating your point of view, and linking field experience to class work.
Seminar On-line Discussion (Google) Groups have been created to provide students with an opportunity to become effective online group participants, learn how virtual groups develop, foster cohesiveness among the members and strengthen collaborative work ethics. Students will post substantive answers/findings to their selected question(s) on-line during the 1 st
week after seminar class, and one substantive response to a classmate’s substantive answers/findings during the 2 nd week.
In addition, students will be expected to attend two professional development workshops of their choice during the semester. Disseminating knowledge about contemporary issues in social work is an objective of the professional development workshops. These workshops are designed to introduce students to community practitioners who represent specific fields of social work practice, to familiarize students with research projects conducted by social work faculty, and to learn clinical practice skills.
Attendance:
Attendance is crucial to both your learning experience and the learning of your peers. Students are expected to attend all seminars, to be on time, and to stay for the duration of the class. Students with more than one absence will not earn an H. Students with more than two absences will not earn a P. It is your responsibility to notify the instructor in advance if you will miss a class.
Participation:
Participation by each student is essential. The responsibility for class discussion is shared by the instructor and the students. Class participation includes being prepared to discuss readings, findings and assignments, sharing ideas, information and insights from the field education experience and providing follow-up discussion on points raised by other class members. Class participation accounts for 30% of the grade. Attendance and class participation will be scored by using the attached class participation matrix.
Group Participation:
The seminars are structured to provide a safe atmosphere for open discussion of professional, academic, and personal issues as they relate to field placement. The intent of the discussions is to lead to the development of a unique practice style based on the effective use of self. Safety does not necessarily mean comfort. Perhaps the most important element in creating a safe learning atmosphere is open and direct communication. This is accomplished by listening with an open mind to what others share in the group, responding to their comments respectfully and by being conscious of not monopolizing discussion and interrupting others.
Confidentiality is a hallmark of our profession. Students agree not to repeat elsewhere what has been said in the seminar. Online discussions cannot identify an agency name, staff names or clients. Standard accepted practices (e.g., mandatory reporting or threat of harm) are assumed to be ethical imperatives and thus not subject to absolute confidentiality. In the case of possible failure to meet the seminar requirements, information from the seminar will be shared with the Director of Field Education or other faculty as deemed necessary.
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Foundation Field Seminar Syllabus - Spring, 2008 3
Class Participation Evaluation
(30 points)
Criteria
Attendance
Promptness
Submission of on-line
Assignments
Level of
Engagement in
Class
Listening Skills Student always listens when others talk and contributes to the ideas of others.
Behavior
Preparation
5 points
Student is always prompt and submits on-line assignments on time and attends all 6 classes &
Interdisciplinary Case
Conference.
Student contributes to class by frequently offering ideas and asking questions.
Student always displays respectful behavior.
Student is always prepared for class with assignments and required class materials
3 points
Student is usually prompt and usually submits on-line assignments on time and attends 5 classes.
Student contributes to class by occasionally offering ideas and asking questions
Student sometimes listens when others talk & contributes to the ideas of others.
Student sometimes displays respectful behavior.
Student is sometimes prepared for class with assignments and required class materials.
0 points
Student is rarely prompt and/or rarely submits online assignments on time and attends
<4 classes.
Student contributes to class by rarely offering ideas and asking questions.
Student rarely listens when others talk & rarely contributes to the ideas of others.
Student rarely displays respectful behavior.
Student is rarely prepared for class with assignments and required class materials.
Course Evaluation:
A grade of H (honors), P (pass), L (low pass) and of F (fail), or IN (incomplete) is assigned at the end of each semester for field seminar. P indicates satisfactory and F unsatisfactory performance. IN means that the student withdrew during the semester or in some other way did not complete all the requirements during the semester. A grade of Incomplete will be given only in extenuating circumstances and in accordance with the
School of Social Work and University policy. Assignments are due in class on the day noted in the course outline. If, due to an emergency, you will miss a class or assignment deadline, you must notify the field advisor prior to the class. Arrangements must be made to complete the assignment at the earliest possible time. If a grade of IN is given for the course, the field advisor will develop a contract with the student for when and how the work will be completed. A grade will be assigned when the work is complete. A grade of IN, however, remains on the student’s records with the assigned grade. If the work is not completed within 1 year, a grade of
F will be assigned.
Grade Scale
H Clear Excellence 94-100 points
P Entirely Satisfactory 80-93 points
L Low
F
Passing
Failed
Rubric for Grading:
Attendance and Seminar Participation & Agency Gift Presentation
5 Substantive Answers/Findings Online (5 points each)
5 Substantive Responses Online (5 points for each)
30 points
25 points
25 points
Interdisciplinary Case Conference; Attendance and Online Reflection
2 Professional Development Workshops (7.5 points for each workshop)
5 points
15 points
Total Possible Points = 100 points
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Foundation Field Seminar Syllabus - Spring, 2008 4
Policy on Late Assignments:
All assigned work is due on the Google Groups by the date and time listed in the Online Discussion Assignment
Dates matrix of the syllabus. Late work loses one point per day for each day late, including weekends and holidays, unless a prior arrangement (at least 24 hours before due date) was made for an extenuating circumstance.
Honor Code:
Students are expected to complete independent readings, contribute to the development of a positive learning environment and demonstrate their learning through online discussions and group participation. Original written work is expected and required.
It is the responsibility of every student to:
• Obey and support the enforcement of the Honor Code, which prohibits lying, cheating, or stealing when these actions involve academic processes or University, student or academic personnel acting in an official capacity;
• Conduct all academic work within the letter and spirit of the Honor Code, which prohibits the giving or receiving of unauthorized aid in all academic processes.
To review a complete copy of the Honor Code (formally known as the Instrument of Student Judicial
Governance ); please refer to the Record of Graduate School Handbook.
It is also available from the Judicial
Programs Office, 06 Steele Building, or online at http://honor.unc.edu/honor/code.html
.
Written work must be accompanied by a signed Honor Code statement. Written work that is lacking this affirmation will not be accepted. The statement reads:
I have neither given nor received any unauthorized assistance on this assignment.
<Student Signature>
The Honor Code statement does not need to be included in online postings.
Accessibility:
To obtain disability-related academic accommodations, students with disabilities must contact the instructor and the Department of Disability Services as soon as possible. You may reach the Department of Disability
Services at 919-962-8300 (Voice/TDD) or http://disabilityservices.unc.edu
.
Course Schedule:
January 11
January 25
February 8
February 22
March 7
March 25 or 27
5:15PM 9:00PM
April 4
Welcome back and Field Office announcements
Peer support
Introduction to Inquiry Based Learning – Student Directed Model
Query Selection
Peer Support
Inquiry Based Learning
Query Selection
Interdisciplinary Case Conference Learning Activity
Presentation of Agency Gift (Due Apr. 4)
Professional Development Workshop Form (Due Apr. 4)
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Foundation Field Seminar Syllabus - Spring, 2008 5
Description of Assignments:
1. Inquiry Based Learning – Student Directed Model
Each week the seminar group will identify a topic they are interested in researching (collaborative inquiry) .
These topics are pertinent to field education and/or the profession of social work. Selection of topics is driven by students with approval of the seminar instructor. Students may: (1) select a topic or topics of social work interest, or (2) generate a topic or topics from student experiences in field placement.
Students will research (information literacy) their topic based on the questions developed in seminar discussion. Students are expected to use peer-reviewed journals to develop their substantive answer/findings.
Students will post their findings (network learning) on the established Google discussion group website.
The process through collaborative inquiry → information literacy → network learning produces a studentdirected model for inquiry based learning.
Collaborative
Inquiry question development
Network
Learning online postings
Inquiry Based
Learning
Social work profession
Field education
Information
Literacy student research
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Foundation Field Seminar Syllabus - Spring, 2008 6
Online Substantive Answer/Findings – 5 postings – 5 points each
In seminar, students will develop questions based on topics of discussion. Consideration should be given to the following areas:
Diversity
Ethics & Ethical action
Theory, Models & Strategies
Assessment & Planning
Intervention & Evaluation
Not all topics have research questions related to all ten “cells”.
The purpose of substantive answer/findings is to address the questions generated by the seminar students. This new information promotes learning and clearer direction for the group. In referencing the articles or readings, and crediting specific examples of one’s ideas or the ideas of others, use APA style.
Online Responses – 5 postings – 5 points each
Students will review the substantive answer/findings of their group and contribute at least one online response to other group members’ postings. Write a response as you would to a professional colleague. Online responses may include but are not limited to: (1) how is this going to impact your work with clients; (2) your personal reaction; (3) what have you gained from this information; or (4) how does this apply in your agency/institution/organization. Other suggestions for responses are: idea-building strategies, integrating reflection and thoughts, suggesting alternative ways to adapt the material to the case, analyzing the information, comparing the information with another source, enriching the information with a different perspective, asking probing questions and their rational, relating familiar information with new information, and point out consistencies or inconsistencies with other material.
On-line responses are delivered thoughtfully and respectfully of others’ substantive comments.
Interdisciplinary Case Conference Attendance and Reflection Posting– 5 points
On-Line Discussion Assignment Dates:
On-Line
Discussion from
1/11 to 1/24
On-Line
Discussion from
1/25 to 2/7
On-Line
Discussion from
2/8 to 2/21
On-Line
Discussion from
2/22 to 3/6
On-Line
Discussion from
3/7 to 3/26
Substantive
Answer/Findings
Due Date: 1/17,
9:00 AM
Post a substantive comment on the assigned question
Response
Start Date for
Responses : 1/17 after 9 AM
Due Date: 1/23, by
9:00 AM
Substantive
Answer/Findings
Due Date: 1/31,
9:00 AM
Post a substantive comment on the assigned question
Response
Start Date for
Responses:1/31 after 9:00 AM
Due Date: 2/6, by
9:00 AM
Substantive
Answer/Findings
Due Date: 2/14,
9:00 AM
Post a substantive comment on the assigned question
Response
Start Date for
Responses: 2/14, after 9 AM
Due Date: 2/20, by
9:00 AM
Substantive
Answer/Findings
Due Date: 2/28 ,
9:00 AM
Post a substantive comment on the assigned question
Response
Start Date for
Responses: 2/29, after 9:00 AM
Due Date: 3/5, by
9:00 AM
Substantive
Answer/Findings
Due Date: 3/20,
9:00 AM
Post a substantive comment on the assigned question
Response
Start Date for
Responses: 3/20, after 9 AM
Due Date: 3/26, by
9:00 AM
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Foundation Field Seminar Syllabus - Spring, 2008 7
Interdisciplinary Case Conference Attendance and Reflection:
Interdisciplinary Case Conference attendance March 25 th
or March 27 th ; Prior to April 3 rd you are required to post online a thoughtful reflection about some aspect of this experience. The posting should be the equivalent of a Substantive Answer/Finding. Please read each other’s reflections and feel free to respond.
On-line Substantive Answer/Finding/Response Evaluation:
Research
(5 points)
Substantive answer/finding is relevant & useful
Connections Substantive answer/finding makes a strong connection to content or case
Ideas Ideas are well developed
Professional Writing Professional language is consistently demonstrated with 1 or less grammatical & spelling errors
(3 points)
Substantive answer/finding is somewhat relevant & useful
Substantive answer/finding makes a limited connection to content or case
Ideas are beginning to develop
Professional language is inconsistently demonstrated with 2 or less grammatical & spelling errors
Below Expectations
(1 point)
Substantive answer/finding is insufficient to be relevant & useful
Substantive answer/finding makes minimal connection to content or case
Ideas are not sufficiently developed
Professional language is not sufficiently developed with 3 or more grammatical & spelling errors
2. Agency Management and Community Practice Gift
Students are required to have developed and presented an agency management and community practice gift.
Examples of possible gifts are: developing a media campaign or PSA, writing a grant, planning a fund raising event or a community awareness event, developing a needs assessment survey or evaluation instrument, a resource directory, an agency safety plan, a training, writing a brochure, a new policy, an article for the paper or internal newsletter, researching and presenting best practices on service area or population.
The agency gift, which is a macro practice project, is to be included in the development of the Foundation
Learning Agreement. The student will present the agency gift to the agency and the seminar group by the end of the 2nd semester. The agency gift should be planned in consultation with the field instructor/task supervisor and field advisor. Time to develop the gift should be provided as a part of the field placement during spring semester.
3. Interdisciplinary Case Conference Learning Activity
The need for interdisciplinary teamwork in the helping professions is critical. Client problems are often complex and interventions sometimes need to involve several systems to be successful. For this interdisciplinary conference the perspective is the health of a particular client. The need for such a meeting in health care is growing because of the complexity of health care problems and the need to provide high quality care while holding down the costs of care. Well-coordinated collaboration across professions has the potential to promote comprehensive, population-based, holistic, cost-effective patient care and a renewed emphasis on health promotion and disease prevention, while also increasing both professional and patient satisfaction. The education of health professionals, however, remains largely segregated by profession, with little opportunity for students to learn with students from other professions or to learn from faculty from other schools or programs.
This learning activity aims to create an opportunity for interdisciplinary interaction for both faculty and students.
WHO: Students in the Schools of Dentistry, Medicine, Nursing, Occupational Therapy,
Pharmacy, Physical Therapy, Rehabilitation Counseling, Social Work and Speech and
Language Pathology.
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Foundation Field Seminar Syllabus - Spring, 2008 8
WHAT: While working with an interdisciplinary group of 8 or 9 students, interview a patient in order to discuss the case and develop patient management strategies. Each group will have a facilitator from one of the participating disciplines.
WHY: 1. To gain an understanding and appreciation of the professional knowledge and
roles of various health care professionals.
2. To learn to effectively share responsibility for interdisciplinary team health care delivery.
3. To learn to describe a rationale for an interdisciplinary team approach to patient
care.
WHEN: Each student will participate in one of the following sessions:
Tuesday, March 25 or Thursday, March 27; 5:15pm to 9:00pm; dinner is provided.
Sign-up for a session will occur earlier in the semester.
4. Professional Development Workshops:
15 points (7.5 points each)
Foundation students are required to attend two professional development workshops during the fall semester to complete the foundation field seminar course requirement. These Professional Development Workshops can be taken outside of the School of Social Work or at the School. All forms must be turned in prior to or on April
4.
We utilize the honor system for documentation of this course requirement. In support of the honor system for the Professional Development Workshops, students will have arrived at the start of the workshop and remained for its entirety.
The following workshops are available for students, field instructors and faculty to attend.
(1) The FYI series , hosted by the Jordan Institute, features social work research projects which are being conducted by faculty at the School. (2) The Clinical Lecture Series , hosted by the School itself and coordinated by Dr. Deborah Barrett, aims to foster and strengthen relationships among area practitioners and clinically-oriented students, faculty and alumni. The Clinical Lecture Series offers monthly lectures by innovative practitioners to enhance the clinical curriculum for students, graduates and practitioners. The Clinical Lecture
Series events take place in the auditorium of the Tate-Turner-Kuralt Building.
Pre-registration for the clinical lecture series is required http://ssw.unc.edu/jif/cls/ . There is NO COST for students and field instructors to attend the FYI Series or the Clinical Lecture Series.
Clinical Lecture Series Spring 2008 Schedule
Monday, January 14 - Ethics and End of Life Care , Laura Hanson, MD, MPH
Monday, February 18 - How Do We Treat Perpetrators? The Ethics of Working with Sex Offenders ,
Melissa Grady, PhD, MSW, LCSW
Monday, March 24, 2008 - Using Transference and Counter-transference, David Freeman, MD
Monday, April 21, 2008 - Steps to More Powerful Groups, Bohdan Hrynewych, MSW, LCSW, LCAS
FYI Brown-Bag Spring 2008 Schedule
The FYI brown-bag series features social work research projects in the Tate-Turner-Kuralt Building,
Room 300, 12:15-1:30. No pre-registration required. Hosted by the Jordan Institute for Families
Tuesday, January 15 - Strengthening Relationships Among Low-income, Unmarried, Expecting Couples , Anne
Jones, M.S.W., Ph.D.
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Foundation Field Seminar Syllabus - Spring, 2008 9
Tuesday, February 12 - Mapping Acculturation Trajectories: How Cultural Risk Factors and Assets Influence
Mental Health in Latino Adolescents , Paul Smokowski, M.S.W., Ph.D.
Tuesday, March 18 - Helping Survivors of Partner and Sexual Violence: Consensus Service Delivery Practices
Among North Carolina Providers , Rebecca Macy, M.S.W., Ph.D.
Tuesday, April 8 - Building Wealth: The Importance of Banks for Low and Moderate Income Families , Michal
Grinstein-Weiss, M.S.W., Ph.D., and Mat Despard, M.S.W.
The last page of the syllabus is a form to document the two Professional Development Workshops students attend. After students have participated in two workshops, they are to submit the Professional Development
Workshops form to their seminar leader.
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Foundation Field Seminar Syllabus - Spring, 2008 10
Total of 15 points (7.5 points each)
1. Title of Workshop or Presentation______________________________
Facilitator:_________________________________________________
Date of Workshop:____________________________________________
2. Title of Workshop or Presentation______________________________
Facilitator:________________________________________________
Date of Workshop: ________________________________________
Honor Code
It is the responsibility of every student to:
• Obey and support the enforcement of the Honor Code, which prohibits lying, cheating, or stealing when these actions involve academic processes or University, student or academic personnel acting in an official capacity;
• Conduct all academic work within the letter and spirit of the Honor Code, which prohibits the giving or receiving of unauthorized aid in all academic processes.
I,__________________________________________
(Printed Name of Student) attended the entire workshops listed above.
__________________________________________
(Signature of Student)
Field Advisor’s Name
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Creating Community in Your Online (Google) Group Discussion Forum
In this Seminar’s Google Group discussion forum, you will have opportunities to learn how to be effective as an online group participant, learn how virtual groups develop, and help your class become more cohesive and productive.
Be an effective participant
•
Be courteous and encouraging to other forum members. o
Don’t use CAPITAL LETTERS in posts. ALL CAPS is considered "shouting" and makes your message harder to read.
•
Write in Professional Language o
Write as you would to a professional colleague whom you don’t know well. Do not use slang or instant messaging abbreviations.
•
Be concise
Take advantage of message “threading.”
• In Web forum discussions, messages are automatically sorted by subject (AKA
“threaded”). This makes it easier to follow a discussion over time. o “Maintain subject line discipline ” - When you respond to a substantive answer/findings, the subject line stays the same. Be sure that what you write about in your response is pertinent to the topic in the subject line. o
If you want to write about something else, use a different subject line that describes the new topic. But before you create a new topic line, search through the list of current topic lines to see if your new topic fits under an existing topic. If it does, write a substantive response to that existing topic. If you use a different subject line, you need to show how this new topic was inspired by the postings of that week.
Nurture group cohesiveness
• In cohesive groups, members regularly express appreciation for each other’s contributions.
When you respond to a message, even if you disagree with parts of it, first mention something about how it contributed to the discussion. If you are going to disagree with anyone else’s statements, provide and cite a different source of evidence to justify your viewpoint.
• Sometimes a current discussion topic can lead to new insights about topics previously discussed in earlier weeks.
When this happens, tell the group! Post a reply to the current discussion topic. In your posting, you can make a reference back to an earlier discussion. ( Please do not write your reply to the original thread.
Your seminar instructor will not track your online substantive response if you reply to an original thread from postings earlier on.)

Foundation Field Seminar Syllabus - Spring, 2008 12
• Have realistic expectations about how many responses you will get to your
“answer/findings” posts.
If you don’t get any replies to one of your substantive answer/findings, it does not mean that it is not a valuable contribution to the discussion. Remember, the minimum requirements is one (1) substantive responses during the second week between seminar sessions. Each student has to choose among many substantive answer/findings when deciding which ones to respond to. However, if you find that you are only responding to the same few people over several weeks, ask yourself what you could do to contribute to another thread or a different person’s substantive answer/findings.
Create continuity in the development of ideas.
Take advantage of opportunities to carry ideas and issues back and forth between your online and in-class discussions.
Confidentiality
Even though email often seems like private communication, in the world of virtual communication it is about as “private as a postcard.” Email messages can go astray or be monitored. When you compose your messages, avoid including any identifying information about clients or agencies and the people that work there.
Technology Challenges
Since we are all learning about how to use technology in Field seminars, we anticipate that we will encounter difficulties occasionally with the class Google Groups and websites.
Here are two strategies to help you figure out what to do
First, try Google Groups Help (link is in the upper right corner of the home page) to see what answers you can find there.
We will also create a Technology Challenges thread so that you can notify Field staff and other students about any problems you encounter and ask how to solve them. If you happen to know how to solve a problem that someone else describes, tell the group! (Posts to the Technology Challenges thread do not count toward your grade.)
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