Technology is profoundly shaping the world, especially in the delivery of education. Concurrently, services like telehealth, predictive analytics, and technology aids (i.e. Fitbits, apps and home listening devices) affect service delivery. Given these changes, how do social workers promote social justice and support privacy and equity? And consider needs of the vulnerable while harnessing technology for good? How does social work redefine the profession in the face of algorithmic solutions to human problems? This panel will introduce a dialogue about what’s happening, where are gaps in social work education, and how programs might reinvent in a rapidly-changing environment.

1. Imagining Social Work
into the future
LIVE
Melanie Sage, PhD (University at Buffalo)
Laurel Iverson Hitchcock, PhD (University of Alabama at Birmingham)
Ellen Belluomini, PhD (Brandman University)
Check out our handout for
more resources:

2. BREAKING NEWS
We’re reporting live from SWDE where social work educators are learning to be change makers...
SWDEHow do social work educators and administrators advocate
for justice for their students in the face of data-driven
reporting that promises easy answers to complex
problems?
How do social work programs train students to practice in
the technology-mediated world and still promote social
justice, consider the needs of the most vulnerable, and
support issues of privacy and equity?
How does social work redefine itself as a profession in the
face of increasing faith in algorithmic solutions to human
problems?

3. BREAKING NEWS
Social Work Educators in San Antonio are trying to answer the questions to some big challenges….
LIVE at # SWDE2019
Inquiring Minds want to know:
● What is already happening?
● Where are the gaps in social work
education?
● How will big data affect our field?
● How can we redefine itself in a rapidly
changing environment?

4. BREAKING NEWS
Where are we now? Online Education and Social Work Practice
#SWDE2019Online Degree Trends
● Increasing numbers of students are enrolling in exclusively
online programs or hybrid programs
● Over 70 exclusively online programs in Social Work in US
Social Work Practice Trends
● 16% job growth for social workers through 2026
● Most MSW (over 70%) work in traditional social work job
● About 50% of BSW work in non-social work job

5. BREAKING
NEWS LIVE
Accessibility
ADA Compliant Learning;
Personalized Learning
Open Education
Digital Badges, Open
Educational Resources
Overall Trend:
Increasing Enrollment in
Higher Education
Entrepreneurial Models
Reduced state funding has
schools seeking alternative
revenue, private partnerships
that specialize in reaching
new markets
Industry-Delivered Education
Certificates; Portable,
stackable credentials
Trends in Post-Secondary Education:
Promote or Limit Social Justice
in Education?

6. Practice Trends
NEWS
Big data drives service delivery
From personalized interventions to
cost-effective models, data will increasingly
inform who gets what.
• What do social workers need to know
about algorithmic justice?
• How do we keep our expertise from
being “farmed out” to people who are
better with computer-mediated
services?

7. BREAKING NEWS
Technology Impacts Service Delivery
LIVE

8. LOREM IPSUM DOLOR
SIT AMET
Digital Therapeutics
In November reSET — a substance use disorder treatment that was the first
software-only therapeutic cleared by the FDA — is now commercially available for
clinicians to prescribe to their patients.
Treating opiate abuse, sleep disorders, copd, diabetes, schizophrenia, etc.
Questions for Social Workers
Does this create two classes of service delivery:
human and digital?
What do we want our role to be in the design,
delivery, and execution of digital therapeutics?
What parts of our roles might be replaced by this
trend?
What new opportunities and jobs exist for us as
digital therapeutics emerge?
How do we train students for these roles?
How do we advocate for vulnerable and assure our
values and ethics show up in these spaces?

9. Creating Communities of Practice Addressing Obstacles to Technology Self-efficacy
And Innovation within Social Work Education
01
It isn’t enough to know the importance of
technology integration and practice to
change social work education
02
Self-efficacy with technology is the
stepping stone into a commitment of an
innovation mindset
03
Previous negative beliefs and experiences
with technology need to be re-examined
and re-framed
04
Communities of Practice opens the door
to creating a shared interest and
commitment to innovation and a future
mindset for the evolution of the social
work profession

10. BREAKING
NEWS LIVE
Observability
Will I be able to see positive
results/outcomes if I use this? How
does it add to the profession?
Trialability
Will it cost me money? How much
time would it take? How hard is it to
learn and use? Can I answer student
questions?
Complexity
How easy would this be to include
in the course? Can I use it without
technical difficulties? Is it worth
the effort?
Relative Advantage
What are the benefits of this
tech vs. what I am doing now or
using other tech options? Will it
make teaching easier or harder?
Compatibility
How much would this change my
current approach to teaching?
Would it impact my values?
Professional Ethics?
(Rogers, 2003)
Questions Asked by Faculty When Adopting
Innovations and Technology

11. Avoiding
Confirmation
Bias in Building a
Community of
Practice
Suspending our Beliefs to Effectively
Innovate and Avoid Groupthink
● Openness to divergent ideas
● Encourage critical thinking, not being
critical
● Include diversity in content experts and
members
● Equanimity in Leadership
Intra-university Communities of
Practice for Innovation
● Intersectionality
● Faculty from disciplines across the
university
● Administration involvement
● Support Services
● Student participation
Inter-university Communities of
Practice for Future
● Faculty
● Business leaders using disruptive
technologies
● Experts creating disruptive technologies
● Social service administrators
● Educators from other institutions
● Practitioners

12. Let us know what you think…..
Check out our handout for more resources:CheS
Check out our handout on
Google Docs for more
information:
….is coming to higher
education?
….social work educators need
to prepare our students?
….our profession needs to do
for the future?