Incubator Stay Mary Opio
Hosting Institution: Factor Inwentasch School of Social Work, University of Toronto
International Advisor: Prof. Marion Bogo
The University of Toronto is Canada´s largest university offering over 700 undergraduate and 200 graduate programs on three campuses in the Toronto area.
The Factor Inwentasch School of Social Work is one of the academic departments at the University of Toronto. I visited this department during a one month research stay in September 2018. This was a unique opportunity to meet prominent social work researchers, particularly those focusing on the use of simulation for teaching and assessment in social work education. My international supervisor Prof. Marion Bogo and her team have conducted research in this area for over 20 years and have received numerous acknowledgements for their contribution in making social work a scientific discipline.
In my first research project, I looked at how we can foster assessment competence in social work with adaptable computer supported scripts. The focus in this study was on cognitive processes involved in reasoning about cases presented in vignettes. In my second study, I wanted to examine interactive aspects of conducting an assessment like the ability to personally engage with a client. The use of simulation has been found to effective in fostering such aspects so I wanted to gain further knowledge on this topic.
The faculty members were very welcoming and supportive. Prof. Bogo sent me the contacts of the different professors whom I could meet prior to my stay. The meetings scheduled during my stay helped me gain deeper understanding of the use of simulation in social work education.
One of the goals for my research stay was to draft a research proposal for my second study. I had weekly meetings with my supervisor during which we discussed about my progress. I was also invited to visit different classes that used simulation in teaching. This opportunity helped me acquire an overview about the various formats that could be used in simulation- based teaching. In one of these classes, which lasted a total of nine hours, I observed the process behind simulation-based learning. The focus in this class was on equipping students with the basic skills needed to work with families. In the first session, conceptual knowledge was introduced. The instructors then invited students to practice the newly acquired knowledge with their peers. During the second session of the class, different situations were simulated with actors trained to act as generic clients. Students received feedback from their peers and the facilitators. They also reflected on their learning experience as interviewees. In the debriefing session, facilitators helped students frame the experience. They connected the course content to behavior in practice and used examples from the simulated situations. I witnessed that simulations are a strong learning tool that help connect theory and practice.
During my stay, the faculty welcomed further visiting scholars. One of them was Prof. Karen Healy from the University of Queensland who shared her 15-year teaching experience with simulation. This was a great learning experience. Faculty professors talked about the benefits and limitations of this particular instructional approach. I gained insight into what I should take into consideration when designing my study, for example, the importance of having a clear competence framework before designing the simulation and the need to develop measurement scales based on the targeted skills.
Another informal learning opportunity during my research stay was the contact to fellow PhD students. Some came from different parts of the world and we shared a working office. I learned a lot about social work practices in their countries of origin in our discussions together. I also got to know more about Canada´s unique educational features like the residential communities on Campus (also called colleges). I visited one of these on several occasions and had an opportunity to learn about the social life styles of fellow students at the university.
All in all, my research stay was very productive: I learned a lot from experienced researchers, advanced with the design of my second study, made new friends and visited beautiful sites in the country. I also learned about the history of Canada and was humbled by the diversity of the population in Toronto. I would like to express my gratitude for the financial support and opportunity offered.
Mary Opio is conducting research on the development of assessment competence in social work under the supervision of Prof. Birgit Dorner (KSH), Prof. Ingo Kollar (University of Augsburg) and Prof. Marion Bogo (University of Toronto).