| Abstract: | The social work degree has now been introduced in England andit is timely to reflect on and evaluate key changes made bymany universities in this process. This paper reflects on thebeginning of such an evaluation, presenting a case study ofassessment changes made in relation to communication skillsteaching in a post-1992 university. This will act as a vehicleto explore some of the inherent complexities involved. Assessmentmethods implemented on social work courses should be scrutinizedin relation to their validity, reliability and feasibility.Drawing upon multi-professional literature, one such processof scrutiny is described, with the intention of contributingto current debates regarding communication skills within thewider arena of developing social work education. The case studypresented outlines how one social work programme changed itsmethod of assessing communication skills for social work students.It explores the processes involved in moving from an essay assignmentto the use of video interviews, supplemented by a written reflectiveself-evaluation undertaken in relation to the interview process.The views of students are outlined via their responses to aquestionnaire and the paper highlights key themes identifiedby a student focus group. |
