Continuing Education as an Effective Linkage Between Schools of Social Work And the Practice Community
Abstract Establishing viable linkages between social work education and practice has been a constant concern of educators and practitioners. Traditional linkages such as agency field placements and agency-based research have not materially strengthened relationships. Continuing education can be an effective linkage between schools and practitioners, providing two conditions are met. First, continuing education programs must be centrally administered as part of the mainstream of the school's curriculum. Second, both practitioners and administrators must be engaged actively in curriculum planning, implementation, and evaluation. The Extramural MSW Program and the Child Welfare Training Project at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, are used as illustrations.
An Agency's View toward Education for Practice
There is no doubt that the school-agency relationship with respect to education for practice continues to be a most complicated, controversial, and troublesome area of mu tual concern. Over the years the litera ture, with its repeated references to prob lems and gaps in communication, makes this clear. There are many exhortations and pleas for better communication with the understandable implication that opportuni ties for more discussion would somehow im
Efficiently establishing concepts of inferential statistics and hypothesis decision making through contextually controlled equivalence classes.
Computerized lessons that reflect stimulus equivalence principles were used to teach college students concepts related to inferential statistics and hypothesis decision making. Lesson 1 taught participants concepts related to inferential statistics, and Lesson 2 taught them to base hypothesis decisions on a scientific hypothesis and the direction of an effect. Lesson 3 taught the conditional influence of inferential statistics over decisions regarding the scientific and null hypotheses. Participants entered the study with low scores on the targeted skills and left the study demonstrating a high level of accuracy on these skills, which involved mastering more relations than were taught formally. This study illustrates the efficiency of equivalence-based instruction in establishing academic skills in sophisticated learners.