Avila BSW Program Assessment Plan and Continuous Improvement

The Avila University Social Work Program has made a commitment to achieving excellence in social work education. The faculty recognizes that this value is demonstrated through use of effective assessment processes. In addition, the faculty knows that such assessment is continuous, requiring skill, creativity, and dedication on the part of everyone in the Program.

A comprehensive multimodal plan has been developed, is being utilized, and includes activities and procedures for evaluating student attainment of ten Core Competencies as demonstrated through achievement of forty-two associated Practice Behaviors. The Assessment Plan guides the measurement of the Program’s ability to advance graduates who have attained the requisite knowledge, skills, and values of professional social work practitioners. The ongoing collection of data and analysis of this data result in program viability and effectiveness by identifying potential areas for growth and improvement, as well as affirming strengths.

Program Core Competencies and Practice Behaviors are distributed to students in course syllabi at the beginning of each semester (August and January).  They are also published in the University catalog, the Social Work Student Handbook, Field Education Manual, and on the Social Work Program’s web page.  Faculty agreed to the following benchmark. “Ratings equivalent to or above 80% achievement will be attained by at least 80% of students.” This achievement level is based on a Program value of excellence.

The Program Assessment Plan contains two direct measures.  The first occurs in the two field education courses, SW 495 Field Experience I (fall) and SW 496 Field Experience II (spring).  A formal assessment of achievement is conducted twice within the context of the field courses to produce one aggregate measure of achievement; one takes place in SW 495 Field Experience I at midpoint (December); the second at endpoint (April) in SW 496 Field Experience II.   The Field Instructor’s midpoint and endpoint ratings are aggregated, resulting in one comprehensive Measure of Achievement of all forty-two Practice Behaviors and ten Core Competencies.

The second direct measure occurs in the course SW 498 Social Work Capstone (spring).  Students in that course identify a client and conduct independent research on the effectiveness of their intervention.  Results are presented at a Social Work Colloquium event.  An external rater evaluates each student’s poster and uses a rubric to rate achievement.  The Assistant Director of Field Education also scores student achievement across the semester using a rubric.

Field Education Measure of Achievement

Table 1. Excerpt from Measure of Achievement Field Experience

Student demonstration of competence is developmental across the four semesters they are enrolled in their social work courses and their field experiences.  As the chart below indicates, at the Midpoint evaluation of fall 2012, 80% or more of the students when measured in Field have already achieved the benchmark for areas measured.  It is expected by the Endpoint evaluation in Field, additional competencies will be demonstrated at the Benchmark level.  The curriculum uses a concurrent model where students take their advanced practice courses in Policy, Communities, and also complete independent research during the Capstone course, at the same time they complete their last semester in the field. 

In May, results including achievement of Core Competencies and Practice Behavior benchmarks, as well as the Measure of Achievement of Field final point will be posted.  This will provide final data of student performance during the 2012-2013 academic year.  Any questions regarding the Assessment Plan or results, please contact Lindee Petersen Wilson at 816.501.3648 or Francis Origanti at 816.501.3647.

Fall 2012 Field Experience Measure of Achievement results