By Dr. Kate Chaffin, Assistant Dean for Faculty Development and Professor of Practice
In June 2008, the College of Social Work launched one of the first online MSSW programs in the country. With very humble beginnings, we started with 13 students, a director, and a handful of professors. These humble beginnings have grown into one of the largest online programs at the University of Tennessee and one of the most successful programs in the country. Today we celebrate 15 years of excellence and the over 1,200 students that have graduated from the College of Social Work who have gone out into the world as advocates, healers, and solvers of complex problems.
Being a leader in online education not only requires a commitment to providing quality education and cutting-edge curriculum, but it also requires contributing to the body of knowledge surrounding best practices in online education. Over the past fifteen years, the college has published and presented regularly at scholarly conferences about online education. This past year, I published a case study of the online MSSW program in Social Work Education along with alum Dr. Suzanne Shatila. Several key factors of success were studied. It was concluded in this study that student-centered approaches, inclusive teaching, development of learning communities, and policies and procedures which bolster retention and graduation rates are critical considerations for online programs. These success factors were measured through exit surveys, comprehensive exams, alumni surveys, and a faculty survey.
The face of online social work students is historically nontraditional. These students are predominantly women working full-time jobs, supporting families, and residing at various intersections of race, religion, ethnicity, gender, sexual orientation and learning abilities. With these characteristics in mind, educators have an ethical obligation to deliver a quality, meaningful, and affordable social work education to students. Educators should be aware of factors of success that promote student knowledge and skill attainment while also considering overall well-being. What are retention and graduation rates like? How do students learn best? How do online students feel a sense of belonging? How are professors promoting policies that support nontraditional students? And lastly, do graduates feel as though they are well-prepared to practice through a social justice lens with integrity and competence?
Lessons have been learned. Fifteen years of online MSSW education has taught us that it is not enough to simply provide online programming. The whole student must be a consideration in the delivery process. The University of Tennessee, College of Social Work, is proud to be a leader and visionary in online education. We are proud to graduate competent social workers that are charged with solving the world’s most complex problems, surviving as catalysts for creating more socially just communities. Our success and professionalism are primarily due to a group of administrators, faculty, and staff dedicated to ensuring students have a wonderful experience while in the program. The college is committed to continually staying abreast of best practices and contributing to best practices, a task that is essential to providing meaningful educational experiences.
What is in store for the next 15 years? We envision empowered excellence harnessing technology that helps grow empathy, knowledge, and skills through a Fred Roddy Foundation grant aimed at developing virtual reality technology. Stay tuned for more!