IU School of Social Work is headquartered on the IUPUI campus with locations on 8 IU Campuses. The school also has the Department of Labor Studies
The Field Coordinator provides administrative support for all aspects of field education within their specific campus and/or assigned curriculum. Field Coordinators have primary responsibility for recruiting and assessing field placement agencies and Field Instructors, engaging students in the field planning process and assigning students to specific field placements. Field Coordinators often act as consultants to Faculty Liaisons, Field Instructors, agency directors and students in resolving field practicum difficulties.
The Faculty Field Liaison provides consultation to Field Instructors and students to ensure integration between classroom and field. The Faculty Liaison is in a strategic position to enhance communication regarding curriculum matters, field learning opportunities, new developments and demands of practice, and new projects undertaken by the School of Social Work.
Who do I contact for Technical Assistance?
Contact the Field Coordinator on your respective campus.
The agency-based Field Instructor provides field instruction and practice supervision to the practicum student at their placement site. The Field Instructor also evaluates the student performance and level of competency on practice behaviors.
An off-site Field Instructor provides educational supervision to the practicum student when there is not an agency-based Field Instructor available. This position carries the same responsibilities as an agency based Field Instructor.
In some placement sites, the Field Instructor assigns or is assisted by other agency staff member/s in aspects of the supervision and/or training of the student in service delivery.
Who do I contact for Technical Assistance?
Contact the Field Coordinator on the campus that your student is located. Please see Contact Information tab for further information.
The Learning Plan is the template used for students to document their learning process in field. It is set up in relation to the Council on Social Work’s Competencies and Behaviors. Students enter their planned agency activities which relate to how they will demonstrate competency at the midpoint and end of their practicum. Students track their progress throughout their practicum by entering how they demonstrated that particular behavior at the completion of the activity. This tool is linked to the midpoint and final evaluations of which the student completes a self-evaluation and the Field Instructor completes an evaluation of the student based on the outcomes of their learning activities.
The Learning Plan, Midpoint Evaluation and Final Evaluation, can be found within Sonia under the Forms tab.
Sonia is the online field management software program that students, Field Instructors, Task Instructors, Faculty Field Liaisons, and Field Coordinators use to access placement information, required forms, reference documents, and to document their practicum activities.
Students and Liaisons access Sonia by using their IU username and passphrase. Field Instructors and Task Instructors access Sonia by using their work email address and the password that they have created.
Yes, a student can do their practicum at their place of employment if the following conditions are met:
Generally, there are no evening/weekend placements. At best, there are a few late afternoon/evening placements.
Students are expected to observe the agency schedule for holidays. When agencies are close on a scheduled field day, this time frame does NOT need to be made up on-site (with the exception of spring vacation in public school settings). However, the expectation is for the time to be used for practicum support activities. Holiday breaks need to be negotiated with the placement agency prior to the beginning of the practicum.
Practicum is a learning experience. As is true with all learning experiences, feedback is needed as students learn how to perform the skills and function as a professional social worker. To ensure that students are following good social work practice skills and ethics it is necessary to provide good social work supervision. In addition, supervision ensures that the clients served by the student are receiving quality services.
Susan Corrie, Sr. Administrative Secretary of Field Education, smkinser@iupui.edu or (317) 274-0734
Concurrent:
Seminar included in 481 and 482.
BSW with a minimum of two years post BSW experience
or
MSW with a minimum of one-year post MSW experience.
MSW with a minimum of two years post MSW experience.
Seminar included – 5 sessions.
Concurrent: (Select one)
Block: 40 hours a week for one semester (usually spring).
Extended: 16 hours a week for both semesters, plus 8 weeks.