Practice Experience and the New Social Work Professor: Implications for Advanced Generalist Programs

Abstract

The need for social work practice experience to become more effective social work instructors has
been the subject of much controversy for several years. The goal of this study is to advance the
conversation about whether new faculty, who are highly experienced social work practitioners, have
a necessary prior skill set to more effectively teach advanced practice courses than new
inexperienced professors. Data was used from 488 student assessment of teaching surveys for eight
new faculty teaching at an advanced generalist social work program at a mid-west university.
Findings suggest that practice experience increases the quality of practice-oriented teaching.
Implications for advanced generalist social work programs pertaining to the recruitment and
sustainment of clinician-scientists are discussed.