CHAPTER 6 THE DESIGN OF THE MESO PRACTICE COURSE
6.6 The course outline
The formal meso practice course was designed to extend over eleven lectures of 90-minute duration each. In order to orientate the students, the course included my teaching philosophy, to enable students to better understand me and the teaching strategies that would be using. I explained that I endeavour to create an open and transparent learning environment that is horizontal rather than hierarchical, and to be sensitive to diversity and dynamics in class. I also declared the value I place on enabling students to acquire three fundamental skills: critical thinking; lifelong learning abilities and problem-solving strategies. I also spoke of my desire to develop a teaching and learning space that supports knowledge-sharing, cooperation, collaboration and critical thinking. In this way I made the learning design and learning theory explicit to students.
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I shared with students in the course outline that my intention in designing the course was to encourage the integration of knowledge and skills required in running meso practice interventions; I acknowledged that aspects of the course had been designed to encourage students to engage in reflection on the content as well as on the process of this course. I provided examples of the method that will be used, to encourage the achievement of these outcomes which would include active engagement in face-to-face and online discussion, short written exercises, extensive reading and role-play in classroom simulations. In addition, students were made aware of the various integrated assessment activities that would occur during the course. A classic principle of andragogy (Knowles, 1973) is that adults learn better if they know why they are asked to engage in certain activities: I therefore shared aspects of my intentions in course design which would help students understand why they were requested to engage in certain activities, and would help them make connections with the learning outcomes.
The outline included the outcome of the course, which was for the student to have expanded and developed knowledge and skills on how groups are initiated, implemented, evaluated and terminated. I added that students would develop an understanding of the roles of the social worker in meso practice, as well as the concepts of power and leadership in small groups. Furthermore, I provided a detailed timetable of the course, outlining a breakdown of learning time as noted in Table 7.
Table 7: Breakdown of Learning Time
Type No of hours Requirements
Face-to face contact with lecturer
21 hours Attendance of lectures 2 per week
Tutorials 4 hours 1 group assignment and
individual tasks Assignment and tasks 25 hours
Self-study 30 hours 1 post on Sakai
1 reflection report TOTAL 80 hours Methods of student assessment Continuous assessment 50% Final Assessment 50%
http://etd.uwc.ac.za
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In the course outline, I provided the reasons for using blended learning in the course, as well as why we would use PLA techniques. I also set out the expectations I have of students regarding their learning and participation in the course. Links were provided to the values and ethics of the social work profession as provided by the SACSSP, as well as graduate attributes and ELOs. Table 8 provides an example of an ELO provided in the course outline.
Table 8: Exit Level Outcome: Assess client system’s social functioning
Associated Assessment Criteria Teaching and learning activities Assessment tasks Graduate attributes Critical Cross- field Outcomes
Purpose (knowledge, skills and values)
2.1 Assessments reflect the ability to undertake a comprehensive analysis of client system’s needs and strengths.
2.2 Analyses of client systems’ needs and strengths reflect the application of appropriate theoretical frameworks. 2.3 Assessments demonstrate the use of appropriate social work tools and data.
2.4 Assessments clearly reflect the influence and impact of social
circumstances and social systems on client systems' functioning.
2.5 Assessments result in, as far as is reasonable and possible, mutually agreed upon goals.
2.6 Assessment processes and conclusions are recorded clearly, systematically and accurately. Reading Toseland and Rivas (2009, pp. 216-244); Becker (2005) on assessment. Lectures and role play. Students present drawings of their River of Life. Online discussion forum posts. Reflective diary entries that students will share with one another. Class test, response to discussion forum, and an assignment will be used to evaluate understanding regarding the assessment process during the various group stages. The ELO will be assessed in the June and November examinations. Collect, analyse, organise and critically evaluate information.
The student should be able to demonstrate, through their written work and verbal discussions in class: - a commitment to ethical practice in relation to clients, colleagues, practice settings, profession of social work and the broader
community. - a commitment to
culturally sensitive practice and respect for human diversity.
The course outline is a pragmatic tool that provides the student with an overview of the course, and gives an understanding of why a range of artefacts will be created in the teaching
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and learning process. In the design, various visual tools were included in the course that were relevant to understanding meso practice, using the elements of authentic learning.
6.7 Conclusion
In Chapter Six, I have provided the reasons I chose to design the meso practice course, using blended learning methods. I have described the pedagogical reasons for the inclusion of various activities into the course that were linked to the elements of authentic learning. In addition, I showed why it was important to make my course decisions explicit to the students in the course outline, so that they could form connections as they engage in the activities.
Limitations in the design of the course include only processing one iteration of the course since its redesign, and lack of peer review of the course. These limitations suggest areas of future research that include the use of evaluations of the course by a peer or by an expert in teaching and learning.
In Chapter Seven I begin to describe the findings of the study according to the nine elements of authentic learning. The findings emanated from various data sources which included a student survey, individual interviews with students, focus groups with students, as well as the various artefacts produced during the course. The analysis of these various sources of data provided evidence of how the elements of authentic learning were demonstrated in the 2015 course.
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