WebCT Address

Council on Social Work Education (CSWE) Educational Policy and Accreditation Standards (EPAS)

4.5 Social Work Practice

Social work practice content is anchored in the purposes of the social work profession and focuses on strengths, capacities, and resources of client systems in relation to their broader environments. Students learn practice content that encompasses knowledge and skills to work with individuals, families, groups, organizations, and communities. This content includes engaging clients in an appropriate working relationship, identifying issues, problems, needs, resources, and assets; collecting and assessing information; and planning for service delivery. It includes using communication skills, supervision, and consultation. Practice content also includes identifying, analyzing, and implementing empirically based interventions designed to achieve client goals; applying empirical knowledge and technological advances; evaluating program outcomes and practice effectiveness; developing, analyzing, advocating, and providing leadership for policies and services; and promoting social and economic justice. (CSWE, pp. 35-36).

Catalogue Description of Course Content

Grant proposal development is a fundamental method of accessing funds and developing new programs in the social service arena. In this class, students will identify key funding opportunities in their fields of interest and will write a proposal using an actual federal application. The majority of the course will be devoted to the development of the skills and knowledge necessary to produce a competitive proposal. These include, but are not limited to: a) needs and capacities assessment, b) program development, c) strategic planning, d) budgeting, e) evaluation, and f) community collaboration.

This course includes some instructor-based content, but the primary emphasis is on applied and collaborative learning. Grant writing is a skill that is developed only through practice. This course requires substantial efforts on your part to gather relevant data and produce a grant proposal that would be competitive in the realm of government funding opportunities.

The collaborative nature of the course is also instrumental in this applied learning experience. Not only will you learn by “doing”, you will also learn by “helping.” Through the review team experiences, you will become exposed to other grant opportunities and will serve as a “teacher”, “editor” and general helper to your team members. Being a review team member will require that you participate in a timely and responsive manner. These teams are highly successful when everyone contributes; thus part of your grade will come from an assessment of your role as a team member.

Student Learning Outcomes

By the end of this course, students will be able to:

1. Identify and locate suitable grant-funding opportunities for their individual substantive areas of interest.
2. Construct a federal grant proposal for a minimum of $100,000.
3. Obtain experience evaluating and reviewing grant applications. 
4. Apply their knowledge of diverse populations, needs assessment, capacity building, program development and planning, evidence-based practice, budgeting, evaluation, and community collaboration for the purpose of grant proposal development.
5. Identify methods of promoting the competitiveness and fundability of grant applications.
6. Develop programs and evaluation plans that are culturally-appropriate and comply with human subjects research guidelines.

Educational Objectives Addressed

SOCW 6386 addresses the following MSSW Community and Administrative Practice Objectives:

1. Build on generalist skills in community assessment to design an intervention strategy including mission, goals, objectives, budget, logic model, and evaluation.
2. Identify, critically evaluate, and apply appropriate, evidence-informed interventions at the agency or community level.
3. Critically analyze and apply a variety of community and administrative theories to practice.
4. Demonstrate skills in ethical and empowerment-based social work practice, taking into account the impact of race, gender, sexual orientation, ability, culture, religion, national origin and other client characteristics in organizations, and communities.
5. Design practice evaluation activities to improve human service interventions in organizations and communities.
6. Demonstrate ability to integrate micro and macro practice, policy, and research into their area of service delivery in order to enhance client well-being.
7. Prepare to engage in life-long learning and activities to update and improve  professional knowledge and skills.

This course relates to and advances the objectives by developing a federal grant application that incorporates intervention theories and strategies, models of evidence-based practice, ethical issues as they relate to human participants in intervention research, program evaluation, and discussions of client and community impacts (objectives 1 through 6). Through funding library visits and interviews with grant writers, students become exposed to professional development opportunities and models of community practice consultation (objective 7). 

Prerequisite

The prerequisite for this course is SOCW 6371 Community and Administrative Practice. Students who do not have this prerequisite (e.g. those in the Direct Practice track) must submit a written request to the instructor and provide justification for his/her ability to meet the demands of the class and specification as to how the course will support his/her career goals. Prerequisite: SOCW 6325; SOCW 6326 or concurrent enrollment; or SOCW 6336 or concurrent enrollment. CAP students: SOCW 6371 or concurrent enrollment.

Required Textbook

The Only Grant Writing Book You'll Ever Need:
Top grant writers and grant givers share their secrets (2nd ed.).
Karsh, E. & Fox, A.S.
New York: Carrol & Graf (2006)
ISBN 10: 0-78671-754-8

Software Application and Skills

All students must utilize Microsoft Word 2007 to create and submit their assignments. This software is part of the Microsoft Office™ suite, which is available  to UTA students at a special discounted price through the UTA computer store.

Technical Skills

Students are also required to have sufficient technical skills to do the following:

1. Use the track changes and comment features of Microsoft Word.
2. Create spreadsheets in MS Excel and use basic formulas in spreadsheet cells.
3. Create charts and graphs in MS Word, Excel, and/or PowerPoint.
4. Convert charts and graphs to image files (JPEG or GIF) and import into MS Word.
5. Locate and retrieve social indicator data from public web sites such as the United States Census, Texas Education Agency, and others. 
6. Upload assignments into WebCT and files into WebCT discussion boards.

Applications

WebCT™

Students will actively utilize WebCT to access required reading, journal articles, and other course assignments—as well as to communicate with peers and the professor throughout the semester.

Students must have access to a computer with Internet access and a Web browser compatible with WebCT Campus Edition to be able to participate fully in the WebCT online environment. After you login to WebCT, you can check your browser for compatibility with WebCT by clicking on the "Check Browser" link in the dark blue bar at the top of your "myWebCTpage." If you need more technical information about your browser, go to the Browser Tuneup Page , linked here and on the Check Browser page.

Students will also need a UTA NetID and password to login to their WebCT courses.

Microsoft Office™

The instructor of SOCW 6386 uses the "track changes" feature of MS Word when correcting papers; therefore, in order to review the instructor's comments on your papers, students will need MS Word installed on their computers. Students in SOCW 6386 will also benefit from access to MS Excel™ and PowerPoint™ while working on class projects.

Adobe Reader™

PDF files require Adobe Reader™ to open. Download this free application if it is not already installed on your computer.

Special Student Pricing for Office Software

Students can purchase a copy of the most recent version of Microsoft Office™ at a reduced student price from UTA's OIT Computer Store .

Technical Support

UTA's Office of Information Technology (OIT) offers technical support for students, including problems with logging in to the course or passwords. However, if you need help with any course content, including assignments, quizzes, tests, or the organization of the course in general, please contact your instructor.

Contact the OIT Help Desk:

• Phone: (817) 272 -2208
• Fax: (817) 272-2063
• helpdesk@uta.edu
• Physical location: 102A Central Library

Other OIT Services

Go to OIT's Web site to view the full range of technical services offered to UTA students, including MavSpace , a free online resource for publishing and file storage.

On the Homepage, there are icons for:

• Syllabus and Calendar
• Course Content
• Communication Tools
• Grades and Progress

Course Menu

There is a Course Menu with a list of available sections and features on the left side of the Homepage; the same menu appears in the other areas of the course, allowing you to easily navigate to any area of the course without returning to the Homepage.

Bread Crumbs

Beneath the course name there is a trail of "bread crumbs" — a running list of the links you have used to get to the page you are on. You can click on any of these links to return to any page on your path.

Action Menu

The Action Menu appears above every page of the Syllabus and Course Content areas of the course. The Action Menu includes icons for these tools:

1. Go to the table of contents
2. Previous page
3. Next page
4. Retrace the path
5. Refresh this page from the server

Other helpful features in your WebCT course include:

Assignments

Some instructors list course assignments in the Assignments area of WebCT in addition to the Syllabus or Course Content areas. Your instructor may post Word, Excel, PowerPoint, or other documents to the Assignments area of WebCT, and you might be required to download documents to your hard drive and, later, upload completed assignments to WebCT using upload tools in Assignments.

The link to Assignments can be found on the Course Menu on the left side of WebCT.

The WebCT Calendar

• View scheduled events, deadlines and due dates
• Add private entries (only you can view them)
• Create a printable list of entries (deadlines, due dates, etc.) by selecting the "Compile Entries" link above the calendar
• New events pop up when you access (or refresh) the calendar

Print course materials

• Accessible either from the Syllabus and Calendar icon on the Homepage or from the Course Menu.
• Allows you to "compile" pages into one document for printing.
• Or you can choose to simply print a single page as needed (e.g. the Course Outline in the Syllabus to have a handy reference of each session's key activities).

Hyperlinks

External site will open in a new window

• This icon appears immediately after links to an external site that are designed to open in a new window. When you click on the link, a new window will open.
  • You can easily return to WebCT by either closing or minimizing the new window.

Tabbed browsing and hyperlinks

• If you are using a tabbed browser such as Mozilla's Firefox or Internet Explorer 7.0 a link to an external site may open in a new tab rather than a new window depending on the settings in your browser.
• If the external site opens in a new tab, simply return to the tab you were using for WebCT before you clicked on the external link.

Course content will open in a new window

• This icon appears after course content that is linked so that it will open in a new window.
• This content could be MS Word, MS Excel, or PDF files that you can open and then save to your hard drive. It also could be an image, table, or other graphical content that relates to the content you are studying.
• You can easily return to WebCT by either closing or minimizing the new window.

Links that open within WebCT

• If there is no icon after a web page link, then the page will open within WebCT.
• Examples of web page links designed to open within WebCT:
• World News at the Cable News Network (CNN)
• The University of Texas at Arlington Main Page
• Use your browser's back button to return to course content.

SOCW 6386 FALL 2009

Learning Outcomes 2, 4, and 6

Students will identify a Request for Proposal (RFP) that has been issued by a federal organization within the previous four years. The RFP must be related to social work practice (macro or micro) and have a funding cap of $100,000 or higher. The student must locate a suitable applicant organization or consortium and craft a proposal on behalf of that entity. It is not necessary for the proposal to be formally submitted by the organization, but it needs to be prepared as though this was the intent. 

In order to promote consistency, a reasonable workload, and fairness, students will adapt their RFP according to a “standard” grant proposal model used for this class. This model will include the following 3 components: 

1. Assessment of Needs & Capacities, Goals, Objectives and Logic Model;
2. Work Plan, Evaluation Plan, and Time Task Sheet; and
3. Organizational Capacity, Budget Spreadsheet, Budget Narrative, Abstract, Memoranda of Understanding and Letters of Support/Commitment/Intent. 

Students will need to identify how the components of their RFP match up to the class assignment grading criteria. The selected RFP’s will be used to guide the program development for the project, but the application itself will follow the assignment instructions. 

Learning Outcomes 3 and 5

Students will organize their full grant proposal into a complete final document and post it on the WebCT discussion board. Students will review and score the applications of students who were not on their assigned review team. Students will provide written feedback and quantitatively score each proposal. The instructor will compile these comments and scores and provide them to each proposal author. The highest scoring grants will be posted on WebCT and will receive a “Virtual” award. 

Assignments

Grading Scale

Late Submission Policy

Turning in assignments late is detrimental to the collaborative nature of this course, and makes it difficult for students to maintain the pace of the coursework and complete the class on time. Therefore, points will be deducted for late assignments according to the following timeline:

Example of a Late Submission 

An assignment that is 5 days late will have 19 points deducted: 10 points for the first 2 days (5 points multiplied times 2 days) plus 3 for each additional day (3 points multiplied times 3 days) equals 19 points.

SOCW 6386 is an online course—students are not required to attend any face-to-face classes. However, students are expected to fully participate in the class through engagement in discussion forums and team-based projects, and by completing assignments and exercises. The emphasis of this course is on active learning where students accept responsibility to engage with each other, their instructor, and course content towards the goal of mastering learning outcomes set forth in course material.

Go to UTA's active learning portal for students to read what UTA students are saying about active learning at UTA and how it enhances higher order thinking skills. 

If you chose to drop the class, it is your responsibility to complete the paperwork according to the University’s schedule. Not doing so may result in a failing grade.

The University of Texas at Arlington is on record as being committed to both the spirit and letter of federal equal opportunity legislation; reference Public Law 92-112-The Rehabilitation Act of 1973 as amended. With the passage of federal legislation entitled Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA), pursuant to section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act, there is renewed focus on providing this population with the same opportunities enjoyed by all citizens.

As a faculty member, I am required by law to provide "reasonable accommodations" to students with disabilities, so as not to discriminate on the basis of that disability. Student responsibility primarily rests with informing faculty of their need for accommodation and in providing authorized documentation through designated administrative channels.  Information regarding specific diagnostic criteria and policies for obtaining academic accommodations can be found at www.uta.edu/disability. Also, you may visit the University of Texas at Arlington's Office for Students with Disabilities either online or in room 102 of University Hall, or call them at (817) 272-3364.

The University of Texas at Arlington supports a variety of student success programs to help you connect with the University and achieve academic success. These programs include learning assistance, developmental education, advising and mentoring, admission and transition, and federally funded programs. Students requiring assistance academically, personally, or socially should contact the Office of Student Success Programs at 817-272-6107 for more information and appropriate referrals.

You may also go to UTA's Student Success web site for more information.

John Dillard is the Social Work librarian and holds office hours in the E-Library on the first floor of Building A.

John Dillard's web site provides contact information and links to useful information for social work students.

The University of Texas at Arlington has adopted the University email address as an official means of communication with students. Through the use of email, UT-Arlington is able to provide students with relevant and timely information, designed to facilitate student success. In particular, important information concerning registration, financial aid, payment of bills, and graduation may be sent to students through email.

All students are assigned an email account and information about activating and using it is available on the MavMail Homepage. New students (first semester at UTA) are able to activate their email account 24 hours after registering for courses. There is no additional charge to students for using this account, and it remains active as long as a student is enrolled at UT-Arlington. Students are responsible for checking their email regularly.

• 'Charitable choice' still in flux as religious organizations compete for treatment grants. (2005). Alcoholism & Drug Abuse Weekly, 17(33), 1-5.
• Ford, D. (2006). Webster's new world grant writing handbook. Technical Communication, 53(1), 118-119.
• Hopkins, K. M., & Hyde, C. (2002). The human service managerial dilemma: New expectations, chronic challenges, and old solutions. Administration in Social Work, 26(3), 1-15.
• Kerney, C. A. (2005). Inside the mind of a grant reader. Technology & Learning, 25(11), 62-66.
• Surko, M., Pasti, L. W., Whitlock, J., & Benson, D. A. (2006). Selecting statewide youth development outcome indicators. Journal of Public Health Management & Practice, 12, S72-S78.