Bridging Boundaries to Acquire Research and Professional Skills: Reflecting on the Impact and Experiences of Technology-Enabled Collaborative Cross-Institutional and Transnational Social Work Placement Projects

Joanne Rose (), Carmel Halton, Louise Morley and Monica Short
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Joanne Rose: School of Applied Social Studies, University College Cork, T12 K8AF Cork, Ireland
Carmel Halton: School of Applied Social Studies, University College Cork, T12 K8AF Cork, Ireland
Louise Morley: Social Work, University of New England, Madgwick Drive, Armindale, NSW 2350, Australia
Monica Short: The Australian Centre for Christianity and Culture, Charles Sturt University, 15 Blackall St, Barton, ACT 2600, Australia

Social Sciences, 2024, vol. 13, issue 12, 1-17

Abstract: Worldwide, social work educators’ teaching and learning practices are founded on social justice principles and recognised for their evidence-based, interpersonal, cross-cultural, and problem-solving approaches. Placements are integral to social work education preparing students for practice. Learning experienced on such placements, particularly those involving research, can assist students to develop a broad understanding of diversity, inequality, and anti-oppressive practice in local, national, or international contexts. Technology-enhanced, online research opportunities have revolutionised research placements. This article offers a reflective dialogue on the insights gained from two transnational, technology-enhanced social work research-based placements. The first example reviews three student-led, rural-focused inquiries completed in Australia and Ireland; the second pertains to students physically situated in Ireland and who engaged in collaborative online projects while completing their USA-based social work placements online. The authors reflect on the experiences and the skills the students developed and how the application of technology helped meet an increasing need for environmentally sustainable practices in teaching, learning, and research on placement. Publicly available student reflections on significant knowledge and practice benefits gained from their transnational experiences are considered. The study highlights how reflective practice assisted in the enactment of research in online contexts.

Keywords: social work education; work-integrated learning; social work research; online; transnational; social work field education; technology; sustainability (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: A B N P Y80 Z00 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2024
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