Bridging Boundaries to Acquire Research and Professional Skills: Reflecting on the Impact and Experiences of Technology-Enabled Collaborative Cross-Institutional and Transnational Social Work Placement Projects

Worldwide, social work educators’ teaching and learning practices are founded on social justice principles and recognised for their evidence-based, interpersonal, cross-cultural, and problem-solving approaches. Placements are integral to social work education preparing students for practice. Learnin...

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Main Authors: Joanne Rose, Carmel Halton, Louise Morley, Monica Short
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: MDPI AG 2024-12-01
Series:Social Sciences
Subjects:
Online Access:https://www.mdpi.com/2076-0760/13/12/659
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author Joanne Rose
Carmel Halton
Louise Morley
Monica Short
author_facet Joanne Rose
Carmel Halton
Louise Morley
Monica Short
author_sort Joanne Rose
collection DOAJ
description Worldwide, social work educators’ teaching and learning practices are founded on social justice principles and recognised for their evidence-based, interpersonal, cross-cultural, and problem-solving approaches. Placements are integral to social work education preparing students for practice. Learning experienced on such placements, particularly those involving research, can assist students to develop a broad understanding of diversity, inequality, and anti-oppressive practice in local, national, or international contexts. Technology-enhanced, online research opportunities have revolutionised research placements. This article offers a reflective dialogue on the insights gained from two transnational, technology-enhanced social work research-based placements. The first example reviews three student-led, rural-focused inquiries completed in Australia and Ireland; the second pertains to students physically situated in Ireland and who engaged in collaborative online projects while completing their USA-based social work placements online. The authors reflect on the experiences and the skills the students developed and how the application of technology helped meet an increasing need for environmentally sustainable practices in teaching, learning, and research on placement. Publicly available student reflections on significant knowledge and practice benefits gained from their transnational experiences are considered. The study highlights how reflective practice assisted in the enactment of research in online contexts.
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spelling doaj-art-15d1ed4120044dbf8f758e3708d7f9ab2025-08-20T02:56:55ZengMDPI AGSocial Sciences2076-07602024-12-01131265910.3390/socsci13120659Bridging Boundaries to Acquire Research and Professional Skills: Reflecting on the Impact and Experiences of Technology-Enabled Collaborative Cross-Institutional and Transnational Social Work Placement ProjectsJoanne Rose0Carmel Halton1Louise Morley2Monica Short3School of Applied Social Studies, University College Cork, T12 K8AF Cork, IrelandSchool of Applied Social Studies, University College Cork, T12 K8AF Cork, IrelandSocial Work, University of New England, Madgwick Drive, Armindale, NSW 2350, AustraliaThe Australian Centre for Christianity and Culture, Charles Sturt University, 15 Blackall St, Barton, ACT 2600, AustraliaWorldwide, social work educators’ teaching and learning practices are founded on social justice principles and recognised for their evidence-based, interpersonal, cross-cultural, and problem-solving approaches. Placements are integral to social work education preparing students for practice. Learning experienced on such placements, particularly those involving research, can assist students to develop a broad understanding of diversity, inequality, and anti-oppressive practice in local, national, or international contexts. Technology-enhanced, online research opportunities have revolutionised research placements. This article offers a reflective dialogue on the insights gained from two transnational, technology-enhanced social work research-based placements. The first example reviews three student-led, rural-focused inquiries completed in Australia and Ireland; the second pertains to students physically situated in Ireland and who engaged in collaborative online projects while completing their USA-based social work placements online. The authors reflect on the experiences and the skills the students developed and how the application of technology helped meet an increasing need for environmentally sustainable practices in teaching, learning, and research on placement. Publicly available student reflections on significant knowledge and practice benefits gained from their transnational experiences are considered. The study highlights how reflective practice assisted in the enactment of research in online contexts.https://www.mdpi.com/2076-0760/13/12/659social work educationwork-integrated learningsocial work researchonlinetransnationalsocial work field education
spellingShingle Joanne Rose
Carmel Halton
Louise Morley
Monica Short
Bridging Boundaries to Acquire Research and Professional Skills: Reflecting on the Impact and Experiences of Technology-Enabled Collaborative Cross-Institutional and Transnational Social Work Placement Projects
Social Sciences
social work education
work-integrated learning
social work research
online
transnational
social work field education
title Bridging Boundaries to Acquire Research and Professional Skills: Reflecting on the Impact and Experiences of Technology-Enabled Collaborative Cross-Institutional and Transnational Social Work Placement Projects
title_full Bridging Boundaries to Acquire Research and Professional Skills: Reflecting on the Impact and Experiences of Technology-Enabled Collaborative Cross-Institutional and Transnational Social Work Placement Projects
title_fullStr Bridging Boundaries to Acquire Research and Professional Skills: Reflecting on the Impact and Experiences of Technology-Enabled Collaborative Cross-Institutional and Transnational Social Work Placement Projects
title_full_unstemmed Bridging Boundaries to Acquire Research and Professional Skills: Reflecting on the Impact and Experiences of Technology-Enabled Collaborative Cross-Institutional and Transnational Social Work Placement Projects
title_short Bridging Boundaries to Acquire Research and Professional Skills: Reflecting on the Impact and Experiences of Technology-Enabled Collaborative Cross-Institutional and Transnational Social Work Placement Projects
title_sort bridging boundaries to acquire research and professional skills reflecting on the impact and experiences of technology enabled collaborative cross institutional and transnational social work placement projects
topic social work education
work-integrated learning
social work research
online
transnational
social work field education
url https://www.mdpi.com/2076-0760/13/12/659
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