University of Iowa, School of Social Work
MSW Foundation Practicum Guidelines
1. Overview: the Foundation Practicum, which occurs in the spring or summer, is designed to give students without an accredited undergraduate degree in social work a generalist orientation to the profession throughagency-based experiential learning. Placements are mutually affirmed by the agency and student, following interviews and approval from the SSW.
2. Duration and time log: students must complete 210 agency contact hours. To track the hours earned, students are advised to utilize a time log that is regularly reviewed and signed by the Field Instructor/Task Supervisor.
3. MSW supervision/practicum instruction: the agency is asked to provide the student one hour per week of supervision by a master’s level social worker who has two years of post-graduate practice experience. Some centers may require additional qualifications of Field Instructors. Someone outside the agency may serve in this capacity if no one on staff has the requisite credentials.
4.Learning opportunities: the agency is asked to provide hands-on learning opportunities that reflect the student’s areas of interest, experience, knowledge and skills. These should be mutually determined by the student and Field Instructor/Task Supervisor, based on their assessment of the student’s skills and practice readiness. Ideally, the practicum should afford a balance betweenpractice-related activities, and time for reading, observation and training.
5. Learning contract: each student is required to prepare a learning contract, with specific learning activities that demonstrate his/her practice skills in each of CSWE’s core competency areas:
- demonstrating ethical and professional behavior
- engaging diversity and difference in practice
- advancing human rights and social and environmental justice
- engaging in practice-informed research and research-informed practice
- engaging in policy practice
- engaging with individuals, families, groups, organizations and communities
- assessing individuals, families, groups, organizations and communities
- intervening with individuals, families, groups, organizations and communities
- evaluating practice with individuals, families, groups, organizations and communities
6.Seminar: concurrent with the practicum, students are required to attend a practicum seminar designed to assist them in integrating academic and experiential learning. Attention will be focused on exploring practice within the agency and community, linking conceptual learning and practice, applying professional ethics, and building cultural competence.
7. Site visits: a faculty member will visit the practicum agency twice during the semester, once in the initial 2-4 weeks and again near the end of the spring or summer session. The purpose of the visits is to ensure that the practicum is taking place as expected and to provide an evaluation checkpoint.
8. Evaluation/Grading: the student’s practicum will be graded on a pass-fail (S/U) basis. The evaluation will be based on the learning contract, which includes a rating scale, allowing it to serve as an evaluation instrument. In addition, the Field Instructor will be asked to provide a narrative assessment of the student's skills and areas of needed improvement. Together, these documents, along with the Field Instructor’s recommendation regarding the grade, will be used as the basis for determining the semester grade.