A discussion of cooperative learning in social-work education outlines its characteristics, reviews theory and research supporting its use, examines its relevance to social work, and provides case examples for use throughout the social-work curriculum. (Author/MSE)

Structured interviews with 19 leaders and potential employers in health- and human-services fields elicited information about the knowledge, skills, and attitudes sought in master's in social work (MSW) graduates. Commonly desired characteristics were knowledge of research processes, writing and communication skills, critical thinking skills, and…

Outlines a transactional model for addressing the underrepresentation of key areas in advanced clinical courses in human behavior in the social environment (HBSE), looking at social work's understanding of the biological and spiritual aspects of human beings. The transactional model is distinguished from other reductionist or interactionist models…

Presents a cultural framework for viewing alcohol/drug abuse to promote increased awareness among social-work students. The framework helps teachers illustrate the powerful role of culture in shaping behaviors in several cultural/ethnic groups simultaneously, and can be used to discuss cases and clinical problems in the classroom, compare cultures…

Social workers in direct practice rely on critical thinking to apply theories, make informed decisions, and explain their assessments and decisions. This paper defines critical thinking and discusses skills needed for its development, methods and assignments for teaching those skills to undergraduate and graduate students in practice courses, and…

Describes use of logic models to teach critical thinking skills in social work. By breaking down the helping process into parts, logic modeling enables students to approach the clinical experience as a whole and understand causal relationships between parts. Students are exposed to theory-practice connections and made aware of reciprocal…

Describes logic modeling as a tool for teaching evaluation skills in social work practice, research, and policy courses. Because logic models break down an intervention or program into parts, they inform evaluators about the kinds of results and evaluation data available, allowing effective and efficient assessment. Three approaches are…

Explores the use of forecasting in social work education to plan for change, and describes two qualitative and two quantitative forecasting models. Recounts the responses of one university task force to using the models for program administration and development, and examines areas of social work education in which the models may be useful.…

Guidelines are presented for developing curricula that integrate health-specific content with traditional foundation content. Specific course content for practice in human behavior, social environment, organization, and policy sequences are proposed. (Author/MH)

A model for assessing the readiness and potential of undergraduate social work students for field education is presented, and issues to consider in implementing such a model are identified, including faculty and university support of and student response to the professional gatekeeping process. One university's experience is discussed. (Author/MSE)

Social work educators are responsible for gatekeeping for the profession, including screening out "unsuitable" program applicants. Educators must exercise caution and beware of legal constraints affecting admissions and retention decisions, as exemplified in court cases and the advice of legal experts. Guidelines can assist social work educators…

The historical development of evaluation in higher education is traced, and current views on assessment options are discussed. A case is made for longitudinal computer-based program monitoring by defining the approach and presenting a case study. Advantages and disadvantages are examined. (Author/MSE)

A survey of Israeli social work faculty (n=62), social workers (n=70), and third-year students (n=90) found an overall positive orientation toward research. Faculty and practitioners feel students are less favorably disposed to research than students do and are unlikely to incorporate it into curricula. (Author/MSE)

A computer-based bibliometric study tracking the growth of dissertation and book production in social work from 1959-88 is reported. Potential applications of online bibliometric analysis are discussed, including its use in evaluation of scholarly productivity, study of social work history, and management of knowledge development processes in…

A study with 97 graduate social work students identified antecedent, structural, and process variables affecting student group learning. Findings indicated that method of group selection, initial preference to be in a group, and level of interpersonal conflict are significantly associated with learning. Implications for faculty and course content…