Social and Behavioral Sciences Commons^™

Service Learning As A Transition Into Foundation Field, Nancy Kropf, Mininder Tracey

Nancy P. Kropf

Service learning is a pedagogical method to bridge classroom and community experiences for students. Although social work education has historically emphasized this connection through internship experiences, service learning can fill a different function within the curriculum. This article proposes a service learning experience to assist graduate students with the transition into their foundation field placement. Beneficial outcomes of using service learning as an educational bridge are discussed for students, faculty, and the social work program.

Ecocity Mapping Using Gis: Introducing A Planning Method For Assessing And Improving Neighborhood Vitality, Richard J. Smith, Kristin Miller

Social Work Faculty Publications

Background: Assessing neighborhood vitality is important to understand how to improve quality of life and health outcomes. The ecocity model recognizes that cities are part of natural systems and favors walkable neighborhoods. This article introduces ecocity mapping, an innovative planning method, to the public health literature on community engagement by describing a pilot project with a new affordable housing development in Oakland, California between 2007 and 2009. While ecocity mapping began as a paper technology, advances in Geographic Information Systems (GIS) moved it forward.

Objectives: This article describes how Ecocity Builders used GIS to conduct ecocity mapping to: …

Jump Start Hs: Engaging High School Students In Their Education, Taylor Ellsworth

MSW Capstones

JUMP START HS curriculum was created to provide foster youth the opportunity to increase peer and faculty interaction with in their school. This intervention seeks to assist foster youth in their high school education, by connecting them with fellow peers and educators in their schools. The JUMP START HS curriculum seeks to provide foster youth with a well-rounded and supportive education, by creating homeroom classes consisting of both foster youth and non-foster youth, along with peer mentors and educators. The JUMP START HS curriculum guide was developed using multiple sources of information; each week is adapted from a lesson from …

Best Practice Resource Manual For New Social Workers At District 77, Shelby Lenzen

All Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Other Capstone Projects

When starting a new job many places of employment have new employee orientation. During this process many employers educate the new employee on the background of the company or organization, policies and procedures, what their job entails and the employers expectations of the new social work employee. However, currently in the Mankato School District 77 there is no orientation specific for incoming school social workers or interns to help guide them in their job. This would also benefit MSW practicum students as they enter the school district. Also, when the social worker or intern starts with District 77 they do …