All assessment articles

Evaluating Social Work Education Outcomes: The SWEAP Field Practicum Placement Assessment Instrument (FPPAI)

Published April 2015

by Brian Christenson, PhD
Capella University

Tobi Delong-Hamilton, PhD
University of Utah

Patrick Panos, PhD
University of Utah

Kathryn Krase, PhD
Long Island University, Brooklyn

Victoria Buchan, PhD
Colorado State University

Dorothy Farrel, PhD
Colorado State University

Tameca Harris-Jackson, PhD
Texas A&M University

Ruth Gerritsen-McKane, PhD
University of Utah

Roy Rodenhiser, EdD
Boise State University
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Abstract: This manuscript reports on the development, piloting and validation of the Field Placement/Practicum Assessment Instrument (FPPAI). The FPPAI is a measure of student attainment in social work field practicum/placement under the 2008 Education Policy and Accreditation Standards (EPAS) of the Council on Social Work Education. The tool is designed for use by field instructors in undergraduate and foundation year graduate social work programs. Competency of 457 students from 19 undergraduate social work programs, across 18 states, was measured over three years. Analysis supports the reliability, validity, and utility of the FPPAI as an outcome measure of the 2008 EPAS competencies, and related practice behaviors.
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Back to Basics: A Skill-Based Approach to Assessing Social Work Students within Directly-Observed Practice

Published October 2014

by Mark Irwin
Southern Health & Social Care Trust
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Abstract: This article is based on a piece of research completed with final-year social work students and practice teachers (educators/assessors) within Northern Ireland. The work was concerned with the assessment of students via direct observations of “live” practice, and captured the views, perceptions, and experiences of students and practice teachers.

The findings highlighted the complexity of the direct observation process and the need for effective skills in preparation, assessment, planning, communication, evaluation, and intervention/participation. The outcome challenges current thinking, as there was a high level of support for the use of professional discretion to intervene by practice teachers during an observation.
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Should End-Measures for Every Competency and Practice Behavior Come from Field Practicum Evaluation?

Published April 2014

by Dianna Cooper-Bolinskey, MSW
Indiana State University

Angela M. Napier, PhD
Indiana State University
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Abstract: Field education is recognized as the signature pedagogy in social work education. In this article, we acknowledge the inherent support for using the competencies and practice behaviors set forth by the 2008 Educational Policy and Accreditation Standards (EPAS) for evaluating student performance as well as social work curriculum. However, we propose challenges to adopting field education ratings from field instructors as one of two means for evaluating the social work curriculum at both the individual and programmatic levels. With the 2015 EPAS currently in draft stages toward adoption in June 2015, this article underscores points of consideration.

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