SOCIAL WORK PATHWAY DISTANCE EDUCATION PROGRAMAn Opportunity for Social Work Professional Education through Distance Education

MISSION

The Mission of the Social Work Pathway Distance Education Program at California State University, San Bernardino (CSUSB) is to offer accredited, professional education to students who are unable to attend the main campus at CSUSB. Such students may:

Live too far away from the main campus at CSUSB. We do not have a specific distance in mind. However, the further away a student lives from the CSUSB main campus, the more likely that student is to be accepted into the Pathway distance learning program.

Be in a situation that makes attendance at CSUSB impractical. Generally this includes work or other responsibilities that prohibit attendance at the main campus at CSUSB.

WHY IS IT CALLED “PATHWAY”

WHAT IS INCLUDED IN THE PROGRAM Lower Division Prerequisites (L.D.P.) : Advising

regarding Lower Division Course Requirements for applying to the Bachelor of Arts in Social Work at CSUSB. These courses will usually be taken at a local community college, although some maybe offered online at CSUSB.

Bachelor of Social Work (B.A.S.W.) : A mostly online Bachelor of Arts in Social Work (B.A.S.W.) program, which can be completed in three years.

Master of Social Work (M.S.W.) : An online Master of Social Work (M.S.W.) program, which can be completed in three years. This program costs more than the M.S.W. offered on campus

Student Advising: Since the Pathway Distance Learning program aims to work with students who rarely come to campus, intensive advising is available via email, Fuze (or other video chat programs), phone, or other internet methods of communication

LOWER DIVISION ADVISING

Students in classes at various Community Colleges

Assistance in course planning, prerequisite completion

Helping get applications into the program on time

BASW

Three year, part-time program Social Work classes all offered in an online

format Other course requirements, GE classes may

or may not be online **** There is currently no separate cohort, so are

within the two current cohorts Typical Student:

M.S.W.

A 3 year program with the same structure as the on campus 3 year evening program Structure of Program

Generalist/Specialist curriculum (Change Agent, Interdisciplinary Context, Leader)

All classroom courses are offered at a distance, online

Mandatory 3 day orientation on the CSUSB main campus in August of each year.

The Field Placement component requires a commitment of 16 hours per week in the second year of the program and 20 hours per week in the third year of the program

WHAT DOES THE PROGRAM COST?

The program costs $400 per unit for a total of $36,000 for the 3 year program.

And they get an Ipad!

By comparison, the campus program costs approximately $24,000

ADMINISTRATIVE TASKS AND CHALLENGES

Building Faculty Culture Supporting DE Securing Internal and External Funding Course Development and Conversion Overcoming on campus barriers Organizing Admissions On campus Orientation Organizing Delivery of courses Building the Field Component Student Challenges, especially

communicating professional behavior in an online environment

Outcomes Data

FACULTY CULTURE

Acknowledgement and Acceptance of Opposition to Change

Encouraging the original small core group of faculty with an interest in D.E.

Willingness to teach online became part of the job description for new faculty members

Financial rewards for getting involved including internal grants for course development and external Title IVE funding

Eventually we had a large (over 50% of faculty) core group committed to DE. This process took 10 years!

SECURING INTERNAL AND EXTERNAL FUNDING

Internal Funding self support was the only option. Negotiations with auxiliary (College of Extended

Learning). Numerous political issues: A Provost, 2 Deans

and a Director. auxiliary’s need to cover costs versus School of

Social Work’s mission of service. California State University bureaucracy combined

with CSU, San Bernardino bureaucracy (time consuming).

External Funding Title IVE for course development and delivery of

courses to Title IVE students.

COURSE DEVELOPMENT AND CONVERSION

Funding from internal initiative grants and external Title IVE grant.

Needed a 3 year lead up time table of development of all B.A.S.W. major courses and M.S.W. courses

Needed to develop online field seminars for B.A.S.W. and M.S.W.

Hard to get faculty commitment when the course is not being taught for another year.

However, all courses are no developed except for one sequence in the final year of the M.S.W.

OVERCOMING CAMPUS BARRIERS

Assumptions that all students come to campus

Technical Expertise limited. Admissions and Enrollment infrastructure

limited. Philosophical opposition from Faculty Senate

and Union. CalState online initiative, required major

changes in curriculum and was more of a private university model. Discontent with this initiative was joined with discontent with Distance Education in general.

ADMISSIONS AND M.S.W. AUGUST ORIENTATION

Considerable out reach to local agencies and our campus in Palm Desert

Added workload for Admissions Committees Online synchronize evening meeting for

M.S.W.s in June to orient students to initial enrollment and to introduce them to each other.

On campus orientation for M.S.W.s in August (hottest time in Inland SC). Organized campus housing, schedule includes opening dinner, prep for technology, first year curriculum, prep for online professional communication, overview of field.

DELIVERY OF COURSES

Most are taught by full time faculty who receive extra salary for the overload

For M.S.W. students, first session of each course is taught face-to-face at August orientation.

B.A.S.W. students do not get a similar orientation.

All courses taught on “Blackboard”. Course content asynchronous. Research and Field have additional synchronous meetings.

FIELD CONTENT

Have built B.A.S.W. and M.S.W. assignments and course content which are the foundation for the monthly online synchronous field seminar.

Course content is at:

http://www.csusb.edu/

OUTCOMES DATA

Grateful for an opportunity they would not, otherwise, have.

Overall, appreciated the work put into the program.

Comments on being organized Comments on varying expertise with

technology Group assignments a challenge Face Book “bullying” became an issue Overall professional communication online is

continual challenge Field Placement appreciated

QUESTIONS?