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Seton Hall University

Outcomes - B.A., Social Work

Outcomes and AssessmentSeton Hall University embraces the principle that effective and meaningful assessment is an integral part of the educational process. This principle is at the heart of our commitment to meet our responsibilities to our students, professions, and the communities that we serve.

Vision
We envision ourselves as an exemplar of best practices in generalist, baccalaureate social work education in The United States. 

Mission
Built upon a firm liberal arts foundation, our mission is to prepare social work practitioners at the undergraduate level. This preparation is focused upon service, social justice, the dignity and worth of the person, the importance of human relationships, integrity, competence, human rights, and scientific inquiry.

Goals
Goal 1:  For students to identify themselves as professional social workers and conduct themselves accordingly.
Objectives/Learning Outcomes:

  • advocate for client access to the services of social work;
  • practice personal reflection and self-correction to assure continual professional development;
  • attend to professional roles and boundaries;
  • demonstrate professional demeanor in behavior, appearance, and communication;
  • engage in career-long learning; and
  • use supervision and consultation.

Goal 2:  For students to apply social work principles to guide professional practice.
Objectives/Learning Outcomes:

  • recognize and manage personal values in a way that allows professional values to guide practice;
  • make ethical decisions by applying standards of the National Association of Social Workers Code of Ethics;
  • tolerate ambiguity in resolving ethical conflicts; and
  • apply strategies of ethical reasoning to arrive at principled decisions.
     

Goal 3: For students to apply critical thinking to inform and communicate professional judgments.
Objectives/Learning Outcomes:

  • distinguish, appraise, and integrate multiple sources of knowledge, including research-based knowledge and practice wisdom;
  • analyze models of assessment, prevention, intervention, and evaluation; and
  • demonstrate effective oral and written communication in working with individuals, families, groups, organizations, communities, and colleagues.

Goal 4:  For students to engage diversity and difference in practice.
Objectives/Learning Outcomes:

  • recognize the extent to which a culture's structures and values may oppress, marginalize, alienate, or create or enhance privilege and power;
  • gain sufficient self-awareness to eliminate the influence of personal biases and values in working with diverse groups;
  • recognize and communicate their understanding of the importance of difference in shaping life experiences; and
  • view themselves as learners and engage those with whom they work as informants;

Goal 5: For students to advance human rights and social and economic justice.
Objectives/Learning Outcomes:

  • understand the forms and mechanisms of oppression  and discrimination;
  • advocate for human rights and social and economic justice; and
  • engage in practices that advance social and economic justice.

Goal 6:  For students to engage in research-informed practice and practice-informed research.
Objectives/Learning Outcomes:

  • use practice experience to inform scientific inquiry; and
  • use research evidence to inform practice.

Goal 7:  For students to apply knowledge of human behavior and the social environment.
Objectives/Learning Outcomes:

  • utilize conceptual frameworks to guide the processes of assessment, intervention, and evaluation; and
  • critique and apply knowledge to understand person and environment.

Goal 8:  For students to engage in policy practice to advance social and economic well-being and to deliver effective social work services.
Objectives/Learning Outcomes:

  • analyze, formulate, and advocate for policies that advance social well-being; and
  • collaborate with colleagues and clients for effective policy action.

Goal 9:  For students to respond to contexts that shape practice. Note:  the context of the social work program is conceptualized as poverty and social injustice.  These are derived from the mission of the University and the community in which we learn and serve.
Objectives/Learning Outcomes:

  • continuously discover, appraise, and attend to changing locales, populations, scientific and technological developments, and emerging societal trends to provide relevant services; and
  • provide leadership in promoting sustainable changes in service delivery and practice to improve the quality of social services.

Goal 10:  For students to engage, assess, intervene, and evaluate with individuals, families, groups, organizations, and communities.
Objectives/Learning Outcomes:  

  • substantively and affectedly prepare for action with individuals, families, groups, organizations and communities; 
  • use empathy and other interpersonal skills; 
  • develop a mutually agreed-on focus of work and desired outcomes; 
  • collect, organize, and interpret client data; 
  • assess client strengths and limitations; 
  • develop mutually agreed-on intervention goals and objectives; 
  • select appropriate intervention strategies; 
  • initiate actions to achieve organizational goals; 
  • implement prevention interventions that enhance client capacities; 
  • help clients resolve problems;negotiate, mediate, and advocate for clients; 
  • facilitate transitions and endings; and
  • critically analyze, monitor, and evaluate interventions.