The statistics requirement in social work curricula can be seen by students as a detour from the substance of social work. In this note, I describe my experience teaching part-time master's students that statistical thinking is social work: it is an application of the social work code of ethics and a critical tool in practice for making pragmatic…

The importance of leadership is discussed widely in the social work literature. However, little is known about the leadership skills of social work students and factors affecting their development in the environment specific to higher educational institutions (HEIs). This research aimed to find out what skills pre-service social work students had…

This study compared the educational outcomes of the University of Tennessee College of Social Work's online and traditional MSW programs ("N" = 345). Knowledge, skill, and satisfaction outcomes were compared for online and traditional students in 3 tracks: full-time, part-time, and advanced standing (AS). There were no significant…

Foundation degrees have been developed in the UK as a means of meeting the learning needs of paraprofessionals in health and social care and the services within which they work in a cost-effective fashion. Workplace learning is an intrinsic component to these degrees. Taking a socio-cultural perspective, this paper examines how the students'…

The debates surrounding the effectiveness of teaching social work online highlight the challenges of adequately preparing students for face-to-face practice by way of web-based technologies. The purpose of this paper is twofold. Firstly, to briefly describe how a particular School of Social Work when designing its part-time undergraduate degree…

A convenience sample of MSW students responded to an Internet-based survey (N=2,289) retrospectively reporting their reasons for enrolling in a specific social work graduate program. Reponses indicate that MSW students who enroll in private graduate programs are younger and reported reputation-related and employment-related reasons for specific…

This study aims to evaluate the perception of a cohort of social workers studying for a part-time master's program in social work in using the popular Web-based learning platform--World Wide Web Course Tools (WebCT) as a complimentary method of teaching and learning. It was noted that social work profession began incorporating computer technology…

Student performance in the University of Pittsburgh Extended Master's of Social Work (EMSW) program is examined. The EMSW program was designed as an experimental program to evaluate the feasibility of fulfilling academic requirements on a part-time basis and with minimal interruption to students' employment and/or family responsibilities.…

This article describes the rationale, implementation, and assessment of a summer-study format, part-time doctoral program that was designed to address the shortcomings of traditional part-time doctoral education in social welfare. Findings of a comparative analysis between 67 full-time and 52 part-time doctoral students suggest that the program…

A survey of 119 graduate social work students revealed higher levels of stress among part-time than full-time students. Thirty-eight variables, representing three major groupings of stressors, were examined to compare the perceived stress level of students from full- and part-time programs. (Author/MH)

A renewed interest in social work is discussed. Trends causing a resurgence of interest include: part-time programs, older students returning to school to make career shifts, students pursuing degrees for jobs in the private, for-profit sector, and increased legal recognition of social work. (MLW)

Traditional Masters of Social Work (MSW) students versus extended MSW degree students who took a combination part-time/full-time work-study arrangement were compared. Comparisons were made on a variety of self-inventories, measuring attributes of personality, values and initial helping skills. (Author/MLW)

A study described and compared masters-level social work students in a traditional full-time program and part-time degree program. Differences in performance (classroom, fieldwork, student recordings, advisor discussions) and fieldwork (supervision, assignments, additional learning experiences, agency attitudes) are noted and implications drawn…

A study of graduate social work students indicates that "nontraditional" students (older, married, and working graduate students) experience less rather than greater stress than other students. (Author/MH)

A steep and continuing national decline in master's program applications is influencing applicant pool composition, enrollments, and programs. Reasons include immediate and long-term economic considerations and current lessened interest in social reform and human service. Both educational and professional questions are raised by these…