ABSTRACT

This paper presents a specialization blended immersion course in social work with military, veterans, and their families that includes a 3-unit elective course for Master of Social Work (MSW) students incorporating a virtual (i.e. synchronous) class component and an eight-day visit to the Washington DC area. Data collection from over 60 students over a four-year period was collected, and mixed methods analysis indicated success in knowledge acquisition related to social work practice and policy with military and veteran communities. This study supports other research findings on the usefulness of immersion experiences in acclimating students to different cultures, in this case, military culture. Additionally, as today’s digital education platform evolves in light of COVID-19 more students are engaged in online education. As such, this paper describes a framework for combining methods of instruction, such as blended and immersive experiences, that can be useful for social work education and in advancing practice in working with these populations.

摘要

本文介绍了一个与军人、退伍军人及其家人一起参加的社会工作专业化混合浸入式课程，其中包括为社会工作硕士 (MSW) 学生开设的 3 单元选修课程，其中包含虚拟（即同步）课程部分和为期八天的课程参观华盛顿特区。收集了超过四年的 60 多名学生的数据，混合方法分析表明在与军队和退伍军人社区的社会工作实践和政策相关的知识获取方面取得了成功。这项研究支持其他关于沉浸式体验在使学生适应不同文化（在本例中为军事文化）中的作用的研究结果。此外，随着今天的数字教育平台随着 COVID-19 的发展而发展，越来越多的学生参与在线教育。因此，