Technology and Social Work... what I'm up to

It's fun to think about all the ways that the things that I love overlap. In this blog, I've written mostly about my overlapping interests in social work and education. Here are some things I am doing lately that draw upon these overlapping interests:

1. Professional advocacy:  I recently joined the BPD Technology Committee.  BPD is a group that focuses on undergraduate social work education. As part of this group, I give input regarding recommendations about how to share information about technology with other educators.  I will present on some ways to use technology in the classroom at the 2013 BPD Conference in South Carolina.  I have also recently been elected to the HUSITA board.  HUSITA is a group that focuses on promoting the ethical use of technology in human services.

2. Research and dissemination: In January 2013, I am presenting a two-hour workshop at the Society for Social Work Research (SSWR) on the ways that I have used technology to support research fidelity.  As the evaluator of a federal grant on Family Group Decision Making, I have developed videocasts and blog resources to help support the way that we conduct research and evaluation of an intervention project.  At the conference I will share these methods with other researchers.  I will share technology I am using, such as jing, blogger, and other tools, and talk about how they have benefited our work.

3. Classroom activities:  I have posted before about how I am using videocasts in the classroom to share intervention techniques in children's mental health.  This is a fun project for a lot of reasons; it allows students to contribute to professional development of each other; it is a resource that we can share with other professionals; it is applied work that ties research to practice; it allows students to learn new technological skills.  They squirm quite a bit about having to record themselves, but it is one of my favorite assignments. 

Last semester I started using a new technology-enhanced assignment related to "flipped classroom" theory.  I am using journaling on blackboard as a way to get feedback about questions before class so I can incorporate student's questions directly in to the class lecture.  We focus more on questions, discussion, and practice in class and spend less time doing "chapter review."  Through technology, I am able to help make sure students are reading outside of class so we can have richer discussions in class.

4. Publications:  I am currently working on a few technology-related publications, including a review of all the things a professor must think about when inviting a guest speaker in to the classroom via distance technology (there's a lot to think about!), as well as a research article related to the flipped classroom technique that I mentioned previously.  When we use new tools and techniques we have to share the outcomes!  

5. Podcasting:  I am very excited about my podcast in the works.  I have many hopes and dreams about this work, and it is a creative project that stimulates lots of parts of my brain! This podcast will focus on research-to-practice  in child welfare.  I will interview people who do research and intervention in child welfare in a way that is approachable for child welfare workers in the field.  Child welfare workers spend a lot of time in the car, so I hope they'll download episodes for the road and learn about best practice that is coming out of research. I was a child welfare worker for many years, and it is work that is close to my heart. My hope is that eventually I will be able to offer continuing education based on the podcasts.  I would like to post short tours of child welfare agencies across the country- child welfare environments look so different from place to place. I hope it also encourages a broader understanding of what child welfare work is (and isn't) and might attract more social workers to the important field. The first episode will launch in Jan 2013, and I am lining up interviews with researchers across the country.

Therapeutic social work interventions with children: A video blog of examples

The Children's Mental Health Intervention blog has been updated with another semester of evidence-based interventions demonstrated by my graduate students.  I am posting Jenna's fine work below; she is a forensic interviewer.  Click on this blog link to see more!

How to find articles in Google Scholar

Here is a short video about how to use Google Scholar to find research articles for social work.

College students suffer from depression, and technology can help

A new study reports that 37% of college students who seek help report severe psychological problems, which is more than twice the rate of a similar study in 2000.  Counselors report that self injury and eating disorders both appear on the rise. Suicide is reported as the second leading cause of death among college students after accidents.

Image courtesy of best-of-web.com

The article above reports that University of North Carolina-Chapel Hill's incoming freshman will be required to read a book on how the internet contributes to feelings of loneliness and disconnection. While it is good for each person to explore the impacts of their online social worlds on their personal well-being, for many young people the online world is a place to make connections, learn new things, problem solve, and perhaps even increase a student's experience of social support and self esteem.

ULifeline is one way that technology is helping students explore their own well-being.  This site reports over 10,000 visitors per month, and is customized to help provide resources for over 1,000 campuses. There are many self-screening quizzes that help students identify help for themselves or a friend. The site has many good articles about how to recognize problems and support peers.

Many college students are affected by anxiety and depression, but both of these problems are well-researched and improve with talk therapy and/or medication. Since stigma contributes to help-seeking behavior of college students, especially in certain groups, the internet could play a role in normalizing the experiences of help seekers and encourage cognitive awareness about mental health. More research should be done about how well sites that provide mental health information convert self-assessment to actual community-based help for the many college students who report symptoms.

Facebook is one online place where many college students spend time.  It appears support from Facebook friends may play a role in increasing social capital, well-being, and combating stigma if friends are supportive to online disclosures. However, if you share your life on Facebook check your privacy settings: researchers may try to clinically diagnose your status updates without you ever knowing about it!

What I've learned about teaching & technology (so far)

Last Fall I accepted a faculty position at the University of North Dakota. One of the draws for me was their long history of providing quality online MSW education, and the university's commitment to improving technology use.  I am learning about teaching online, about effective use of technology in teaching, and about the available resources.  As an evaluator on a federal research grant, I am also learning how to incorporate technology in my evaluation work.  Here are some of my observations:

• There is a significant learning curve. Teaching online means learning new programs, getting used to new formats, and keeping everyone up to speed.  We are fortunate to have a distance coordinator in our program who is a social worker and also skilled with technology, and she makes sure the students are prepared before they come to our classrooms. Still, when lecturing online I don't have the same cues (nods, laughing at my jokes, blank stares) as I do in a face-to-face classroom, and this is a difficult change.  It's ok because there are new kinds of cues: I can ask students to raise their hands, turn on a green light, turn on their cameras or mics to answer a question... it's just a change.


• Some things are better about distance learning. Talk about  diversity of experiences! I have students across the US in my distance classes. Although many of my students are local because we prioritize their admissions, our ND students online get to share a class with more diverse students than they would if they were campus students. For the most part, the students are already in helping professions and are working students with good experience. Because we have a very good and established program we attract high quality students, it makes for a rich classroom experience.


• A lot of people (students and faculty) have limited technology experience. These are exciting times. If you know how to use technology it is easy to be a leader in its use and to make an impact. For those of you interested in using technology, your skills will be valued and appreciated. Agencies are raising their expectations for technology skills for incoming employees, and if you've been dragging your heels you probably need to think about how to climb on board. It is a nice way to set yourself apart.


• Technology skills do not replace good teaching. Sometimes technology stands in the way of good teaching. Although I've enjoyed the way that I could bring distance guest speakers to the classroom online, use youtube to demonstrate what someone with a particular diagnosis looks like, or use a blog to share research information, all of these things are clutter if not backed up by good teaching practice. And too much fidgeting with technology is a real distraction in the classroom.

I taught in our on-campus program this semester and had an amazing group of students. We made good use of technology, but our classroom discussions were rich and rewarding. I am very proud of the work students have done to help launch this intervention blog where they each explain a brief intervention technique; I hope the blog will continue to grow as I teach the class in future semesters.

I am taking a summer technology workshop in May where I will get to learn about some more specific programs and work on classroom prep. My goal is to move more of my lecture to pre-recorded video so we can spend additional time in the classroom in role plays, discussions, vignettes, and practice. This is scary and exciting because it is harder to engage in practice exercises than to review theory, but I am ready for the challenge and hope that I can bring the students along successfully.  I look forward to growing and stretching and learning new things. The opportunity to innovate is one of the most exciting things about working at a university.

Child welfare workforce turnover- what's the problem?

(c) creative commons brianhendrix

I have dedicated the last several years of my research career to studying the problem of child welfare workforce turnover.  High turnover of frontline child welfare workers is a national (and international) problem. The average stay of a child welfare worker in the US is about 2.5 years. So what's the problem?

1.  It takes workers time to learn system issues and effective practice.  Some research suggests it takes about 2 years.  If workers leave just as they are learning the job, they are taking what they've learned with them, and clients are often served by newer workers.

2. Turnover is expensive.  It can cost about $35,000-$50,000 in direct costs (training, advertising, recruitment, payout of earned time) each time a worker leaves.  This cost impacts the budget of agencies who could be spending the money for more direct services to families or perhaps even preventative services. If a small office loses 10 workers per year, this could be $500,000 in funds that are used to replace workers instead of serve children.

3.  Turnover is contagious.  When a worker leaves, it places a workload burden on other workers. Studies show that turnover and the associated poor morale can be contagious in agencies.

4. Turnover impacts the vulnerable clients that child welfare agencies serve.  Often children involved in child welfare have a history of unstable relationships, seperation, and loss, and worker turnover heightens this experience.  Children in care report that they have a harder time trusting social workers because of turnover, and even feel responsible for workers leaving the agency.

5. Turnover is linked to lengthened time to permanency.  When a new worker gets a case, she has to learn the history and about the family.  There may be gaps in services when workers change (before a new worker picks up the case).  This may mean that it takes more time before children are safely returned home or until they can be adopted.

 Although some research has focused on the qualities of an individual worker that might lead them to be more committed or the ways that agencies can train workers in efficiency, my research has focused on the things that child welfare organizations (often governmental agencies) can do differently to better retain workers.  Ultimately, changing organizations to better support workers will be more effective than changing individual workers to deal with dysfunctional organizations.  In a later post I will talk about some of the organizational predictors of turnover and the things agencies can do to support workforce stability, as well as the people and organizations working on solutions to this problem.

Should you get your MSW degree online?

If you are an online-ed skeptic, you're in good company according to this research report which indicates that over half of hiring executives polled viewed online grads less favorably. But let's face it, online degrees are not all created equal.  If you graduate from an MSW program, employers foremost want to know if it is CSWE accredited, and you want to make sure you're learning the core skills of the profession.  If you are on the market for a social work degree, it's important to know what you are looking for.

A growing pool of research suggests that a person can learn as well online as in the classroom.  I had the privilege of visiting University of North Dakota recently; they've been doing online-distance ed in social work longer than anyone. They offer synchronous classes, which means that students log in at particular times and interface with their teachers and classmates directly via webcam, very much like if they were sitting in the classroom.  The faculty that teach these classes are the same faculty that teach in the on-campus program. Admission to the program is selective, but they offer some priority to geographic isolation- which means they can contribute to social justice by helping educate place-bound students in communities where social work ed may not otherwise be available.  Their cutting-edge online software allows the class to be divided in to small groups with their online classmates to discuss issues via webcam (just like in a classroom), and for students to meet individually by webcam and record mock interviews for faculty review, and even for students to raise a virtual hand and be called on in class.  Students meet on campus for several intensive days of study and orientation every year.  Faculty members fly all over the United States to visit students in their communities  at their field placements, in person-  in more than 30 states.  AND the online program costs the same for residents and non-residents, making it a more financially accessible option than many private schools.  The faculty was really warm, and overall a group with rich practice and research experience.  These are some of the characteristics that suggest a lot of thought has gone in to online program delivery that meets the needs of the students and provides quality content.

There are several other programs offering social work education online.  Some online schools require some period of residency or require that you live within the state. An online degree takes a similar amount of time and devotion as an in-person program. If you are considering online social work education, you should ask:

1. Is the program accredited by CSWE? (Most employers only recognize CSWE accredited programs.) 
2. Are classes synchronous (at a certain time) or asynchronous (log in at your convenience)?
3. How are field placements arranged?
4. Does the program have a specialization? What are they known for? (macro practice? clinical? rural?)
5. How does a student practice social work skills like interviewing and engagement? What does class participation look like?
6. Do tenure-track faculty teach in the program, or all the instructors mostly adjuncts?  Are they conducting research and providing service in their fields? 
7. How do students access the faculty for advising and questions?
8. Is there an in-person requirement? If so, what are the associated expenses? (air travel, hotel, etc.)
9. What is the selection criteria and the retention (how many students drop out?)
10. How many students are in the program? How do you work with other students?
11. How expensive is the program?
12. How are disruptions handled (if you have to drop a class, etc)?

You must also do some self reflection.  Can you dedicate time and attention to online study, and eventually do a time-intensive field placement in the community? Students are typically asked to work full days either 2 days a week over a year or 4 days a week over a semester. These placements are typically unpaid.  What are your experiences with online learning?  What kinds of supports will you need to be successful?

An application for an online grad program should be taken as seriously as an application to a site-based program. Although it comes with some conveniences, it has a unique set of challenges as well.  Look at what other online learners have said to evaluate whether this might be a good match for you.  If you've been an online learner, let me know what you think.

In the news: Skype Counseling with homebound elderly

I was excited to see this article in the news today about a research project that offers laptops to elderly people at risk for depression, where they have access to therapy via Skype. Social Work researchers at the University of Texas-Austin have brought laptops to the homes of seniors over 60 who are socially isolated.  This project offers an opportunity for evidence in how to support people who may be hard to reach because of isolation or illness.

I am lukewarm, generally, on the issue of internet-based therapy.  Many licensed (and unlicensed) therapists are offering counseling services via webcam, email, and even in Second Life.  Many have ethical practices, waivers,* see only those who are not in acute crises, and are well-educated in issues related to counseling via distance.  This may be a responsive option for people with social anxiety/agoraphobia, who are geographically isolated, or have a specialized need that might be more available when they have a wider variety of therapists from which to choose. Our professional organizations are still overly-vague on the issue of internet-based services, although many good articles have been written on the topic.

The difference between this research project and online therapy is that (I assume) there has been an in-person assessment for appropriateness of fit, and the workers are still in the community should an acute need arise.  My view is that we need more professional clarity and regulation about social work via distance before it can be a broad credible option, or some professional education for consumers about what to look for in an online counselor.  What do you think?

*I do not know or endorse this Licensed Clinical Social Worker, but saw she offered a more thorough list of the risks of online therapy than many social workers offering e-counseling.

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