Syllabus

Master of Social Work

SSW-564 Program Development and Community Practice

Credits - 3

Description

Program Development and Community Practice (SSW 564) is designed to prepare students to engage in advanced social work practice in organizational, community, and other system environments through the development of knowledge and skills which are congruent with the School of Social Work vision, mission, and values. The course will address the development of sustainable, equitable, and diverse programs, organizations, and communities that promote social inclusion. Students will develop evidence-based macro-level practices that promote social inclusion to create change in a variety of settings. Students will also explore self-reflective skills to employ in professional social work practice as community practitioners, administrators, and policy advocates.

Prerequisites:

Successful completion of SSW 522 Field Integrating Seminar/Practicum II

WCHP Core Values:  Collaboration, Leadership, Critical Thinking

Materials

Learning Objectives and Outcomes

School of Social Work Program Outcomes:

Graduates of the UNE SSWO will demonstrate knowledge, skills, and leadership in the following:

1. Practice social inclusion to enable people, populations, and communities to fully participate in society, enhance human bonds in the context of cultural diversity and ensure improved quality of life and equitable resource distribution. EPAS Competencies 2 & 3
2. Engage in culturally-informed relationship building, being respectful of the complexity and diversity of contexts and circumstances. EPAS Competencies 3 & 6
3. Utilize theories of human behavior, social systems and social inclusion when offering interventions with people and their environments. EPAS Competency 8
4. Promote ethical reflection, critical consciousness and shared decision-making based in social work values and with consideration of the broader contexts of the world in which we live. EPAS Competency 1
5. Balance the roles of helpers, activists, and advocates through collaboration with communities to build healthy and sustainable resources. EPAS Competencies 2, 5, & 6
6. Engage as critical consumers and producers of research as it relates to assessment, intervention and evaluation of clinical and community practices. EPAS Competencies 4, 7, 8 & 9
7. Practice person-centered and collaborative community partnerships across diverse settings. EPAS Competency 6

Course Objectives:

Upon successful completion of this course, the student will be able to:

1. Demonstrate an understanding of how to engage in effective program development and community practice utilizing community assets and participatory approaches that create change in a variety of settings and promote social inclusion. Program Outcomes #1 and #7 (All Assignments)
2. Develop a deeper understanding of the dynamic nature of community practice in collaboration with clients, systems and community partners the importance of possessing a diverse range of interpersonal skills as part of that process. 
Program Outcome #7 (Assignment Two)
3. Demonstrate an understanding of the intrinsic value of critical self-reflection in social work practice and develop skills in the reflective use of self. Program Outcome #4 (All Assignments & Discussion)
4. Apply a social work macro practice perspective to working within communities, organizations and its connection to micro and mezzo social work practice. Program Outcome #7 (class activities & discussions)
5. Demonstrate an understanding of the critical role policy development plays in program development and community practice and its implementation at the micro, mezzo, and macro levels through professional and persuasive oral and written communication, networking, organizing stakeholder collaboration, and other forms of activism. Program Outcome #7 (Assignment Four)
6. Demonstrate the ability to engage in participatory community based assessments, evaluate current community efforts, identify gaps, and develop a methodology for evaluating program goals, objectives, and interventions as a way to identify and sustain efforts that promote social inclusion. Program Outcome #6 (Assignments Three & Four)

Accreditation Standards Addressed: Council on Social Work Education Educational and Practice Standards (EPAS)

• Demonstrate Ethical and Professional Behavior (EPAS 1)
• Engage with Individuals, Families, Groups, Organizations, and Communities (EPAS 6)
• Assess Individuals, Families, Groups, Organizations, and Communities ( EPAS 7)
• Intervene with Individuals, Families, Groups, Organizations, and Communities (EPAS 8)
• Evaluate Practice with Individuals, Families, Groups, Organizations, and Communities (EPAS 9)

Assignments

A variety of learning activities support the course objectives, facilitate different learning styles, and build a community of learners. Learning activities for each module include the following:

• Readings and Multimedia: Online courses require different types of materials to enhance student understanding and knowledge of the course content. This includes lectures, websites, films, video clips, case studies, podcasts, and reading assignments.
• Discussions: The discussion forums require students to demonstrate a critical understanding and integration of the material covered.

Written Assignments:

You will identify a current social issue from which you will develop a program over the course of the semester. There are three assignments leading up to the final assignment where the final program will be presented. 

All of the peer assessments (Assignments 1-3) are due by Sunday 11:59 PM EST in their respective modules. Papers cannot be submitted late to the Peer Assessment link so please be sure to submit the paper by the deadline.

Once the deadline for submitting the paper to the Peer Assessment link has passed, papers will be randomly distributed among class members for peer review. The papers will remain anonymous to the reviewer (please do not put your name anywhere on the paper or as part of the filename of the saved document) however, the instructor will be able to see both the author of the paper and the peer reviewer’s ratings and feedback.

You will have until Tuesday 11:59pm EST in the corresponding module to complete the ratings and provide feedback.

Peer reviews of papers cannot be completed late so please be sure to complete all reviews by the deadline. Once the deadline for reviewing papers has passed, the instructor will review the feedback provided by the peer reviewer and participation points will be assigned according to the quality of feedback provided by the peer reviewer. You must submit your paper for peer review and you must provide quality feedback on the papers you have been assigned to review in order to receive full points for this assignment.

Assignment One (Peer Assessment)

For this first assignment you will submit a 5-8 page paper that includes a description of the issue you will address; an assessment of efforts currently underway or previously used; an analysis of how this issue is being framed in the media and general public; you will identify potential stakeholders, present an initial overview of the program or project you would like to develop, and include how this program will promote social inclusion. You should keep in mind that your ideas will evolve over the course of this class and you should expect to refine aspects of the program.

Assignment Two (Peer Assessment)

This second assignment builds on Assignment One, the course readings, and discussions. You are to further develop your program or project.

Program development and community practice requires garnering multiple layers of support. Textbooks and literature are helpful in determining best practices and a roadmap of sorts to success. Many times these tried and tested methods are exactly what is needed. Alternatively, as we look around our world we see that multiple social issues facing society are complex and the established methods of addressing them have not rendered the results hoped for. If we are going to be innovative in our approach to promote social inclusion (as was demonstrated in the Coca Cola Ted Talk), new ways of addressing these issues need to be developed. It’s time to step outside of your comfort zone and reframe ideas from “what can be done” to “what would we never do”. The idea of what “you would never do” can be a gateway to innovation. Capitalizing on the Module 4 discussion where you put two “what you would never do” ideas out to your classmates and their feedback, submit a 5-page paper.

Assignment Three (Peer Assessment)

This assignment will build on the previous two, and in it, you will develop a vision and mission for your program. You will demonstrate an understanding of how a vision and mission connect program objectives and outcomes to social work values. You will state proposed objectives, outcomes, and evaluation measures for your program.

Now that you have identified the issue you will address and what type of program/intervention/event will be used, developing a vision and mission will further focus where the attention of efforts should be. For this assignment, you will submit a 5-page paper.

Assignment Four (Final Paper and Video)

This paper is a culmination of the previous assignments, online discussions, and course activities. You will submit a paper that clearly states (1) the community need the program seeks to address; (2) the vision and mission, goals, objectives, and outcomes; (3) the theoretical framework from the literature that support the rationale for the methods and strategies being proposed for this program; and (4) how the program will be evaluated. In addition to the written assignments you will give a formal presentation of their program.

This paper is a culmination of all the work you have done to create your program. The paper will be 6 – 8 pages in length. You will refer back to assignments 1 – 3 to choose parts of each of these papers to help you complete your final paper – this will not be a simple copy and paste of the whole paper from each of the previous assignments. The final paper requires you to provide a full description of the program and include all of the following:

1. Clearly state the community need that this program proposes to address, the methods you would use to assess this need, and the key stakeholders. Clearly state the vision, mission of your program and the goals and three clearly stated objectives.
2. Cite the evidence or theoretical framework from the literature that supports the “rationale” for the methods and strategies you propose to employ in your program. This should flow from what you learned in the “what you would never do” exercise.
3. Provide and how this program will be evaluated including measurable outcomes. Be sure to include criteria used to measure performance on each outcome.

You will give a formal video presentation of your program in Week 8. In the video, you must give an overview of the issue your program seeks to address, the key stakeholders and the proposed intervention and strategies based upon the assessment. You should be prepared to answer questions as if you were presenting to a Board of Directors, community coalition, or legislative body. The presentations will take place during the last class meeting. Your grade is partially based upon the organization and concise presentation of relevant data and analysis.

Grading Policy

The School of Social Work uses the following grading system for all courses with the exception of field education courses. Students are expected to maintain a “B” (3.0) average over the course of their study. Students with less than a GPA of 3.0 will be placed on academic probation. Students must have an overall GPA of 3.0 in order to receive their Master’s Degree.

Your grade in this course will be determined by the following criteria:

Grade Breakdown

Assignments	Point Value	Percent of Final Grade
Assignment 1 (Peer Assessment)	150 points (100 points for the paper, 50 points for the feedback)	15%
Assignment 2 (Peer Assessment)	150 points (100 points for the paper, 50 points for the feedback)	15%
Assignment 3 (Peer Assessment)	150 points (100 points for the paper, 50 points for the feedback)	15%
Assignment 4 (Final Paper)	250 points	25%
Weekly Discussions	300 points	30%
Total	1,000 points	100%

Grade Scale

Grade	Points Grade	Point Average (GPA)
A	94 – 100%	4.00
A-	90 – 93%	3.75
B+	87 – 89%	3.50
B	84 – 86%	3.00
B-	80 – 83%	2.75
C+	77 – 79%	2.50
C	74 – 76%	2.00
C-	70 – 73%	1.75
D	64 – 69%	1.00
F	00 – 63%	0.00