If you supervise a BSW student, your student will complete a year-long project assignment for the Practicum Seminar and Lab courses.
What does the Capstone Project provide for BSW students?
The opportunity to integrate and demonstrate learning through developing and implementing a project at their assigned practicum site.
Mastery of the social work knowledge, skills, values, and ethics necessary for generalist social work practice.
Allows students to meet learning needs and pursue interests as well as make a real contribution to client populations and agencies
Student Learning Outcomes
By completing this project, students will have the opportunity to develop and demonstrate the ability to
Communicate differentially across client populations, colleagues, and communities orally and in writing
Apply new knowledge gained through supervision and consultation to further development of social work practice
Utilize critical thinking in relation to social work practice
Present outcomes of the strategy or recommendations for addressing the question, issue, or problem.
Examples of Capstone Projects
Due to differences in the nature of client populations, social problems, service delivery of practicum agencies, and the focus of individual student interest, Capstone Projects will vary from student to student. Project proposals will require the written approval of the agency practicum supervisor and the seminar instructor. The Capstone Projects may include, for example, but are not limited to:
Community organizing around some relevant issue
Designing and implementing a public awareness campaign
Evaluating the effects of a social policy or agency policy on the client population or agency
Conducting a needs assessment
Developing and presenting training materials for clients or staff
Developing and implementing a psycho-educational group
*We ask that you assist us in not allowing students to propose compiling a community resource guide.
Requirements of the Project
The Project proposal must include a clear statement of the question, issue, or problem the project will address, a review of relevant literature, and a plan of action. It is written for the Practicum Seminar and Lab I course. The Project is to be meaningful to the agency in that it meets some need or purpose. Students are to collaborate with their assigned Task Supervisor and Practicum Instructor, from brainstorming project ideas to writing and gaining approval for the project proposal in the Fall semester. Students must also work collaboratively with their Task Supervisor and Practicum Instructor from implementation to virtual poster presentation in the Spring semester. The poster presentation will be a part of a poster presentation event held in April of the spring semester, wherein all students present their posters for an audience of both students and Kent School faculty and staff members.