Summary

The purpose of this paper presentation is to discuss a study that assesses the usage and effectiveness of a social work open educational resource (OER). The focus of the study is aligned with the United Nation’s Sustainable Development Goals of providing quality education and reduced inequalities. Educational costs, including the price of textbooks, have increased steadily over the years. Social Work OER can use open source technology to help reduce the cost associated with a college education and remove some of the financial barriers faced by students (Lindshield and Adhikari, 2013).  Through the use of technology, OER provides greater access to learning materials for a wider array of students with varying income levels. This study involves the usage of a social work OER workbook created in Pressbooks, which is an open source project that provides new models for book publishing. Students who used the book in an undergraduate social work basic skills course were asked to complete an anonymous survey at the end of the semester and reflect on the impact of this type of technology on their educational experience. In addition, educators who accessed the workbook through the Pressbooks website were asked to complete an anonymous survey about their usage of the OER workbook and to gather feedback. This study stems from previous research we have conducted that shows alternative textbook options help to neutralize income disparities between students when purchasing textbooks and are more easily accessible. Data from this study are still being collected but initial analyses seem to support our previous research. More complete preliminary findings relating to this OER’s impact on students and educators will be shared during the session.

Keywords (separate with commas)

open educational resource, technology, alternative textbook, social work education

Summary

Supervision of social workers has been defined throughout its evolution by supportive, administrative and educational functions to ensure that social workers render the best possible services to service users. The use of digital media and technologies in these services has been increasingly normalised to keep up with the latest inventions; and the Covid-19 pandemic enlarged the scope of ICTs in social work globally. In turn, this propelled the incorporation of new digital technology practices in supervision of social workers. However, research is globally chiefly focussed on ICTs in social work intervention, and findings are scant regarding the potential scope of ICTs in supervision of social workers. To bridge this gap, an exploratory qualitative study was initiated with 20 South African frontline social workers in diverse agencies and communities. Supervision of social workers in South Africa is aligned with supervision practices globally, as established by recent international collaborative studies in this field. Findings as reported in this paper, may thus be juxtaposed with other international contexts in the field. Key conclusions suggest that the way in which the functions of supervision were traditionally operationalised, changed drastically when the use of a myriad accessible and innovative ICT tools such as social media platforms, digital collaboration tools, software applications, cloud computing and chatbots (AI) were embraced. Recommendations focus on the creation of transformative learning environments in social work agencies, with all role players being predisposed towards venturing through the taxing, multiple cutting-edge digital inventions and novel professional complexities, engendered by the scope and incorporation of ICTs in the supervision dyad. The issues and challenges outlined in this paper may serve as guidelines to both supervisors and supervisees to determine whether the use of particular ICTs is potentially harmful or helpful in their supervision practices.

Keywords (separate with commas)

Social Work supervision; Information and Communication Technology

Summary

The global financial crisis, the climate crisis and the crisis of Covid-19 coalesced to begin to challenge some of the myths of neoliberal capitalism. Neoliberalism is both a precursor to Covid-19, and a cause of some of the devastating consequences of the virus, with Covid-19 exacerbating the crises of neoliberal states. But would Covid-19 put neoliberalism on trial? Some thought this might happen following the global financial crisis in 2007-2008 but this, unfortunately, did not materialize. Given the hegemony of neoliberalism, imploding the myth that unbridled economic growth and GDP ensures development and wellbeing will require a strong counterhegemonic discourse, with popular movements continuing the pressure in challenging global capitalism. We are at a conjectural moment in world history which holds potential to create cracks in the consciousness of people about a system deemed to be inviolate. There can be no reverting to a pre-Covid-19 normal moving from one crisis to the next. In this presentation, I discuss the normalization of liberal democracy and neoliberalism, and the convergence between digital technology (DT) and neoliberalism. I conclude by calling for an awakening of individual and societal consciousness, and for liberating DT from the constraints of neoliberalism in the interests of an emancipatory politics and more just societies.  

Keywords (separate with commas)

Liberal democracy, neoliberalism, digital technology, social movements, emancipatory politics, social justice