Social Work Commons^™

Building University-Community Partnerships In Rural Settings Through A Community-Based Learning Assignment, Karen Rice Phd, Lsw, Acsw, Kathleen Walsh

Contemporary Rural Social Work Journal

Universities located in or near rural settings are uniquely positioned to partner with their community to offer invaluable resources often lacking within rural social service agencies. This teaching note describes a community-based research assignment implemented within an MSW advanced research methods course. The goal of this class was to teach students, through service learning, each phase of the evaluation process, and strategies to build and sustain rural community partnerships. Lessons learned and implications for social work practice and education are discussed.