Book Publishers Association of Alberta

Field education has long been an integral and valuable component of the social work curriculum for students. Field is the place where students integrate their classroom learnings about core social work theories, principles, values, and ethical behaviors into practice. It is recognized as the signature pedagogy of social work education. Transforming the Field Education Landscape: Student Handbook on Field Education is designed to accompany social work students in their field education journey as they move towards becoming practitioners.

It has become apparent in recent years that there is an increasing need to develop new ways of conceptualizing and actualizing field education in response to a dramatically changing academic and practice environment. Our social environments have become much more complex and as a result students are being called upon to address this new reality in their field experiences as they prepare for practice. In addition, social workers are increasingly involved in remote service delivery. Advances in technology are making services more accessible through the use of e-counselling, e-therapy, and videoconferencing options. Many social work students have experienced and will continue to experience practicum placements that involve remote or hybrid models of field learning and/or service delivery. Collectively these demands and changes mean that the way field education is structured and delivered needs to change.