Frequently Asked Questions about Field Education, Southeast Missouri State University

Completion of at least 105 University credit hours.
The student must have a cumulative 2.5 Grade Point Average (GPA) or a cumulative GPA of 2.25, plus a GPA of 2.75 in the required professional foundation courses and social work electives.
Completion of all University Studies requirements.
Completion of all required professional foundation courses and social work electives with a minimum grade of "C".
Successful completion of the University's Writing Proficiency Exam.
Completion of the Area Concentration Achievement Test (ACAT) or any other required professional competency examination.

2. How many hours of field education do I have to have in order to graduate?

In order to graduate with the Bachelor of Science Degree, with a major in Social Work all students are required to successfully complete Field Education which consists of 480 clock hours of generalist social work practice experience in a designated field agency under the supervision of a professional social worker serving as the Field Instructor.

3. How many weeks of field education do I have to complete in order to graduate?

The field education student must successfully complete 480 clock hours in the designated field agency. Students are assigned to field agencies four days each week, Monday-Thursday. The student typically works an 8 hour day. At this rate, 32 hours per week, the student will complete the required 480 hours in about 16 weeks. Occasionally students will work more than 32 hours per week, however, the student must complete a full 15 weeks and a total of 480 hours at the agency in order to fulfill the field education requirements.

4. Do I have to find my own field placement agency?

The Director of Field Education is responsible for coordination of the placement of students in field agencies.

UNDER NO CIRCUMSTANCES IS A STUDENT TO CONTACT ANY FIELD AGENCY FOR POSSIBLE PLACEMENT WITHOUT CONSENT FROM THE DIRECTOR OF FIELD EDUCATION.

5. How are field placements decided?

The Director of Field Education is responsible for coordination of the placement of students in field agencies. The student must submit an Application for Admission to Field Education in the semester immediately before the student is expected to enroll in Field Education. The Director of Field Education reviews each student application to insure that the student meets the requisite criteria. The Director of Field Education then meets individually with each student to gather the student’s input as to interest in setting and/or agency. The applications are then submitted by the Director of Field Education to the Social Work faculty for review. During this review the Director of Field Education and the faculty make a determination of appropriate field agency assignment(s).

The Director of Field Education will contact each prospective field agency instructor to determine willingness to interview and/or accept student for the upcoming semester. The student is then referred by the Director of Field Education to the selected Field Instructor to arrange an interview.

At the interview, the student will provide the Field Instructor with a copy of her/his Application for Admission to the Field Education Program. During the interview, the Field Instructor and student will discuss the learning experiences available in that agency. The Field Instructor will also assess the student’s expectations, knowledge, experience and personal characteristics as indications of the student’s potential for success in the placement. Following the interview, the student and the Field Instructor complete their respective Pre-placement Assessment forms and return them to the Director of Field Education. The Director of Field Education and student will meet individually with each student again to evaluate the assessments. If both assessment forms are positive, the Director of Field Education will confirm the placement with the student and the Field Instructor.

UNDER NO CIRCUMSTANCES IS A STUDENT TO CONTACT ANY FIELD AGENCY FOR POSSIBLE PLACEMENT WITHOUT CONSENT FROM THE DIRECTOR OF FIELD EDUCATION.

6. Can I find my own field placement agency?

The Director of Field Education is responsible for coordination of the placement of students in field agencies. UNDER NO CIRCUMSTANCES IS A STUDENT TO CONTACT ANY FIELD AGENCY FOR POSSIBLE PLACEMENT WITHOUT CONSENT FROM THE DIRECTOR OF FIELD EDUCATION.

7. Can I do my field placement with my current employer?

The faculty of the Department of Social Work prefers that a student not attempt his/her Field Education in an agency where he/she is employed. Educational objectives are the primary focus of Field Education. Those educational objectives are based on the student entering into a field agency where, through new learning experiences, the student can develop and demonstrate competence in generalist practice.

There is great concern that such placements may not afford the student adequate opportunity for learning, growth and development. Educational objectives are not always consistent with employment-related expectations, and this can cause conflicts for the student/employee, as well as other problems. It also places the Faculty Liaison and Director of Field Education in the awkward position of monitoring a situation which is assumed from the outset to be potentially problematic.

In the event the student is employed by an Agency that is not an approved field agency, consideration of such a placement is contradictory to more than one Field Education policies. Although such placements are rarely approved, a student may submit a request to the Director of Field Education to have the faculty consider approval of an exception to this policy.

8. Can I do my field placement in my hometown?

Students often request a field placement in or near their home towns. The Department of Social Work has 30 core approved agencies throughout the Southeast Missouri region in which to place students. The Director of Field Education is usually able to accommodate students’ request for a placement in or near their hometown.

9. What if I don’t like my field agency placement after I begin?

Placement decisions are made with careful consideration of the student’s interests, the student’s education needs and the practice opportunities available at each approved agency. Placements are not changed due to the student not “liking” the field agency placement. In the event that the student is not satisfied with the placement, the Faculty Liaison, the Field Instructor, The Director of Field Education and the student will work together to resolve any issues so that the placement can continue.

If the student has to be removed from the assigned field agency due to circumstances beyond the student’s control, such as the agency closing or the Field Instructor leaving the agency, the Director of Field Education and the Faculty Liaison will work with the student to get that student another field placement as soon as possible.

If at any time a student is asked to leave a field agency due to illegal, unprofessional, or unethical behavior, or due to student’s consistent inability to meet basic requirements, the student will fail SW449, and SW450-451.

10. Can I be paid for my work during my field education?

Students in Field Education may not be paid wages or a salary for their services while performing field learning experiences. Students may accept scholarships, educational grants and stipends. Field agencies wishing to provide a scholarship or educational stipend to the student in field placement must inform, in writing, the Director of Field Education in advance. The amount of the scholarship, grant or stipend should be given in the notification along with any expectations or obligations that may be tied to receipt of such funds. The Director of Field Education will inform the faculty of the Department of Social Work of such proposals. The faculty reserves the right to approve or decline such placement arrangements.

11. Do I get a grade for field education?

The final grade for SW450/SW451 Field Education is Pass or Fail. Evaluation of the student’s performance is based on the Learning Agreement, containing the seventeen Core Learning Objectives for Generalist Social Work Practice as required by the Department of Social Work, developed by the student and the Field Instructor at the beginning of the semester.

At mid-term, student progress will be evaluated only on those objectives that have been attempted up to that point. Objectives that have not been attempted should be noted as “Not Attempted.” Each objective must be evaluated based on the student’s progress in performing the learning experiences (a minimum of three learning experiences per objective) contained in the Learning Agreement.

To receive a Final Grade of PASS at the end of the semester, it is expected that the student has demonstrated competence to the Field Instructor’s satisfaction, in consultation with the Faculty Liaison, in EVERY objective. This is done by receiving a satisfactory evaluation in a minimum of two thirds of the written learning experiences related to each objective. If the student fails to perform satisfactorily on less than two thirds of the learning experiences under any one objective, then the student’s performance has not met the requirement for Satisfactory for that objective, and the final grade for the semester is FAIL. The Field Instructor’s evaluation should also include narrative statements which can be helpful to the student’s understanding of his/her performance and foster learning and professional growth. The Field Instructor will recommend a grade of Pass or Fail based on the above requirements. The final grade will be assigned by the Faculty Liaison.

12. Can I take classes while I am in field placement?

The Field Education courses are:

SW450 Field Education (6 credits);
SW451 Field Education (6 credits);
SW449 The Social Work Integrative Seminar (3 credits).

Students cannot take additional coursework during Field Education.

13. Do I have to pass a background check in order to be placed in an agency?

The semester immediately preceding the semester for which the student is applying, he or she must register with the Missouri Department of Health and Senior Services Family Care Safety Registry. The appropriate State forms, which will be provided to the student by the Director of Field Education, must be completed and accompanied by any required fee(s). The Social Work Department will receive from the Registry a criminal background check, a child abuse and neglect screening, and other critical background screening information. The results of these screenings could render a student ineligible for certain field education assignments as well as prevent a student from enrolling in Field Education. This screening complies with all Missouri Statutes.

In the event that a student has already registered as a result of previous or current employment, the student will provide his/her name and social security number to the Director of Field Education for verification purposes. Background check information will then be accessed by the Director from the Family Care Safety Registry.

14. What is the role of my field instructor?

Responsibilities of the Field Instructor include:

Orientation of the student to the agency mission, policies, procedures and staff. Confidentiality, sexual harassment, grievance and personal safety should be addressed.
Developing practice opportunities that will enable the student to fulfill the goals of the Core Learning Objectives for Generalist Practice and the development of professional competence;
Educational instruction and weekly supervision with the student, and when needed more frequently;
Provide the student with consistent supervision, evaluation of the student’s performance, and recommend the final grade to the Faculty Liaison;
Communication with the Faculty Liaison regarding the student’s progress and any issues or concerns that may affect Field Education;
Communication with the Director of Field Education regarding the organization’s overall participation in the Field Education Program, adherence to the cooperative agreements and any related issues. Additionally, regularly attend Field Education seminars to keep abreast of developments in the Field Education Program and provide feedback and input into the program decision-making process.
The Field Instructor should foster and promote identification with the values, principles and Code of Ethics of the National Association of Social Workers.

15. What is the role of the faculty liaison?

As part of their semester work load, members of the faculty are assigned the role of Field Liaison. They are expected to provide oversight of the educational experience to insure that the Field Education experience of each student is consistent with the mission, goals and objectives of the Department of Social Work. Responsibilities of the Faculty Liaison include:

Develop working relationships with the assigned Field Instructors to enhance the delivery of a quality educational experience for every student.
Conduct a minimum of three site visits, augmented by telephone contacts, per semester, to each field agency to consult with the Field Instructor and the student about the student’s progress and performance. The Faculty Liaison will serve as a resource to Field Instructors on the integration of practice and academic learning.
Faculty Liaisons assigned in any given semester will provide information to the Director of Field Education regarding a field agency’s performance in providing the expected educational experience.
Conduct weekly conferences with assigned students about field experiences to assist students to integrate knowledge, values and ethics into their practice and to help them recognize opportunities for, and areas of personal growth.
Insure that the Learning Agreement developed by the student and the Field Instructor adequately addresses each student’s learning needs and meets the educational objectives established by the Department.
Obtain feedback from students regarding their judgments of the field agency’s effectiveness in meeting the educational needs of students in placement.
Maintain all records related to the field placement including the Learning Agreement, Time Sheets, The Journal, Evaluations and correspondence. At the end of the semester all documentation, except the Journal, will be submitted to the Director of Field Education, to be filed in the student’s permanent file.
Mediate any issues which may arise among or between the student, Field Instructor, the field agency and the Department of Social Work.

16. What is the role of the Director of Field Education?

The Director of Field Education has administrative responsibility for the Field Education Program including:

Communication with students, faculty and Field Instructors on all significant matters related to the Field Education Program;
Screening Applications for Admission to the Field Education Program;
Coordination of the placement of students in field agencies, and assignment of the Faculty Liaisons;
Orientation to Field Education for students;
Recruitment of field agencies, development of mutually beneficial collaborative relationships and evaluation of outcomes;
Communication with Field Instructors, and development of ongoing training programs for Field Instructors;
Conducting the Field Education Integrative Seminar (SW 449);
Collection of all Field Education information, files, contracts and data, and compilation of necessary reports;
Investigate complaints and grievances related to the field experience and report to the Chairperson of the Department of Social Work.

17. What is Integrative Seminar?

All Field Education students are enrolled in SW 449 – Social Work Integrative Seminar. The class meets on Fridays, 10:00 am – 11:50 am. The Integrative Seminar, using group process skills, is designed to allow students the opportunity to discuss and analyze their field experience with their peers and apply critical thinking skills required for competent generalist social work practice. Students will be helped to integrate field experiences with foundation social work curriculum content areas of ethics, values, social policy, social justice, diversity and generalist practice. Students should begin to develop a life-long professional frame of reference that allows them to interpret and relate practice to social work knowledge and theory and facilitates their professional growth and development.

18. What is the Learning Agreement?

Every student in Field Education will develop a Student Learning Agreement that details the learning experiences to be attempted by the student during the placement. The Student Learning Agreement must also include the evaluation methods to be used by the Field Instructor to evaluate the student’s performance of the learning experiences. Any concerns or problems in developing, implementing or evaluating the Student Learning Agreement should be brought to the attention of the Faculty Liaison immediately. The Student Learning Agreement is used at mid-term, and at the end of the semester, to evaluate the student’s performance and assign the final grade.

By the end of the third week of the Field Education semester, the student must have developed a Learning Agreement that reflects the student’s individualized learning goals, while fulfilling the required Core Learning Objectives for Generalist Practice. The format of the Student Learning Agreement is:

The Core Learning Objectives for Generalist Practice.
A minimum of three learning experiences (tasks) for every objective.
Evaluation methods, the process of evaluating the student’s performance in undertaking the learning experiences.
Time frame for completion of tasks.

19. What is the ACAT? How do I prepare for it?

All Field candidates are required to complete the Area Concentration Achievement Test (ACAT) prior to the field education semester. The ACAT will be scheduled by the Director of Field Education the semester prior to enrolling in the field education courses. The ACAT is a nationally normed test designed to measure general social work knowledge in eight critical substantive areas: diversity, populations at risk, social and economic justice, values and ethics, policy and services, social work practice, human behavior in the social environment, and research methods. The ACAT scores will be used to assess individual student performance in each of these areas.

Preparation for the ACAT can include a review of core social work class notes and a review of the NASW Code of Ethics. Students may choose to form study groups to review notes from core social work classes.

20. What if I don’t do well on the ACAT?

Students who score at or below the 40th percentile in any of the eight areas tested will be required to do a developmental assignment in that area during the field education semester. Developmental assignments will be included in the Student Learning Agreement and will be graded by the Field Liaison on a pass/fail basis. Failure to satisfactorily complete developmental assignments will result in failing the field education courses.

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