Information and computer technology use in Australian social work education

Abstract

Computer technology is now an every day aspect of both our personal and professional lives. Recently however, concern has been raised as to the preparedness of social work students to use this tool effectively when entering the practice setting. This paper sets out to address the issue by investigating the extent and ways in which computer technology is included in four-year full time Australian social work degree programs. A national study of Australian academics was conducted and the main themes to emerge were: 1) information and computer technology was considered important for social work education and practice; 2) educators need to understand technology if they are to incorporate it effectively within their curricula; 3) the inclusion of technology in social work education should be approached with caution to ensure it is used appropriately to enhance students' learning while maintaining the guiding values and principles of practice of the social work profession; and 4) that students are aware of the legal and ethical use of technology in practice.     

The effects of organizational Twitter interactivity on organization–public relationships

Social media sites such as Twitter provide organizations with the ability to interact directly with publics. Previous research has suggested that web-based relationship building is dependent on the level of organizational interactivity with web technology, or how the organization uses the technology to engage with its publics. This study tested if levels of organizational Twitter interactivity affected the quality of organization–public relationships. Findings suggest that an organization's level of Twitter interactivity influences relationship quality.     

Changes in type 1 diabetes health indicators from high school to college

ABSTRACT

Objective: Evaluate trajectories of type 1 diabetes health indicators from high school through the first year of college. Participants: Seventy-four students with type 1 diabetes who maintained pediatric endocrinology care during the first year of college. Methods: Hemoglobin A_1c (HbA1c), blood glucose monitoring frequency, body mass index (BMI), and clinic attendance data were collected via retrospective medical chart review in spring 2012. Group-based trajectory models evaluated diabetes-related health indicators over time and identified distinct growth trajectory groups. Results: BMI increased and clinic attendance decreased in the first year of college. Trajectories for other health indicators were heterogeneous and stable over time; 69% of students were classified as having stable good glycemic control. Racial minority youth and youth on conventional insulin regimens were disproportionally represented in higher-risk groups. Conclusions: Diabetes health indicators are stable or decline upon college entrance. Results signal the need for targeted support for college students with type 1 diabetes.     

Image Repair Tactics and Information Subsidies During Fraud Crises

This study proposes a synergistic model of corporate communication strategy (corporate ability strategy, corporate social responsibility strategy, and hybrid strategy) on consumer responses and tests the model using 2 Fortune 500 companies (Kellogg and Motorola). The study found that when a company is well-known to consumers as Motorola and Kellogg used in this study, a CSR strategy is more effective in influencing both consumer corporate ability (CAb) and CSR associations and in turn, company/product evaluations. Additionally, consumers tend to automatically assume a company is good at making reliable products when they associate the company with strong CSR, indicating transferring effects of CSR associations onto CAb associations, and onto company/product evaluations. The study results also suggest that the direct influences of CSR associations differ based on industry type. A company that produces high risk involved products such as Motorola, might not experience as strong CSR associations' effects on consumer responses as a company in other industry type like Kellogg.     

A Survey of Online Practitioners: Implications for Education and Practice

In the last decade the helping professions have seen a growing interest in the provision of online counseling and therapeutic services for individuals. Like most fields of work, social work also has experienced a growth in the creative use of technology in various areas of professional work. Based on this growing interest and the need for such services and research on its efficacy, a study was conducted to learn from e-therapists across the United States on their experiences with this mode of service delivery. This paper elicits results from the online survey and provides recommendations to better serve our clients in the tech savvy world and future research endeavors. The main findings of this preliminary study include: (a) Many theoretical perspectives and models are being used to ground online practice, (b) e-therapists are beginning to use videoconferencing for online practice supplementing their face-to-face sessions, and (c) e-therapists believe that online interventions benefit their clients.     

‘Providing a Link with the Real World’: Learning from the Student Experience of Service User and Carer Involvement in Social Work Education

Social work has long placed an emphasis on involving users and carers in the education of practitioners, an emphasis driven by service users and carers themselves, the value base of social work, and by policy and legislation from successive governments and regulatory bodies. Recent changes in regulation and professional standards in social work suggest a continuing commitment to service user and carer involvement. This paper argues that in order to ensure a sustainable commitment, there needs to be greater evidence of the value and purpose of such involvement. Whilst there is a considerable body of literature on this issue in social work education, little focus is on any impact on current and future practice of social work students. The paper discusses a research project addressing this issue from the perspective of social work students. Findings suggest that the involvement of service users and carers in their training was perceived by students as overwhelmingly positive, should be enhanced and that they believed that these experiences were taken forward in their practice. The paper also identifies key points that could inform best educational practice.     

Community college web sites as tools for fostering dialogue

This research brief reports the results of an analysis of community college Web sites as places for fostering dialogic relationships with key publics. Our research suggests that community colleges have created easy to use, information sites that appeal to a variety of publics. With a more attention to the dialogic potential of the Internet, community colleges can better adapt to the needs of their various publics.