The Graduate Field Program and Capstone Evaluation Project

Supporting Agencies through Research and Evaluation The North Carolina State University Department of Social Work MSW Field Program works collaboratively with the graduate program's research faculty to provide advanced-year students with a quality capstone experience. While the MSW program does not require a thesis, it does require MSW students to take two sequential evaluation research courses. During the first of these courses, students work with their field instructors and faculty to identify and design an evaluative research proposal that can benefit their field agency. Students then implement this proposal, conducting an evaluation at their field site during the second of the two-credit courses. This evaluation includes collecting and analyzing data, as well as compiling and submitting a final report on the project. To date, approximately 100 students have completed individual capstone projects. Evaluation Opportunities and Field Education The Field Program educates and collaborates with field instructors to identify year-long projects that will evaluate some selected aspect of their agency and organizational work. Graduate students and field instructors all attend the mandatory field orientation scheduled prior to the start of fall semester each year. Members of the graduate research faculty are included on the orientation program to present on the evaluation course sequence and answer questions agencies may have about this opportunity. The fit with field placements and the potential for a meaningful evaluation project within the field agency is emphasized. Faculty members coordinate a "Q & A" following their presentation, with the field director and field liaisons also present to answer questions.The result of this collaboration between field and graduate research faculty is that students have assisted with grant-funded, statewide projects in some instances and have provided agencies with useful program and evaluative data. In instances involving grant-funded and/or statewide projects, field instructors have chosen to directly supervise student work. Students have also conducted evaluations of group work at field placement sites and/or outcome evaluations focused on specific aspects of treatment programming. In these situations, field instructors often have chosen to support students' work on the projects by expediting access to data, allocating time during the placement for data collection, providing financial support, allowing student to present research to agency staff, etc. Clarifying Opportunities and Expectations with Field Instructors and Students New field agencies are sometimes unclear about the scope of evaluation projects. The general expectation is that field instructors will give students on-site support in the data collection for their evaluation projects. But the identification of the evaluation's scope is left up to the individual student in consultation with both the field instructor and research course professor, who must also approve the project. A number of tools have been created by the research faculty to assist agencies in understanding and identifying possible projects. After orientation, a reminder email is sent to agencies about the project, which includes a "Frequently Asked Questions" document on the evaluation project. The document explains the expectations of the project: a focused, time-limited evaluation project (from fall semester to May) related to social work programs or interventions, using existing data or data that students collect. The project can be used to:* Articulate outcome goals: What are you trying to learn, change or accomplish with the program/initiative? * Identify indicators: What kinds of information might reveal progress or challenges within a program/initiative? * Inventory what is known: Does your experience suggest certain factors would be worthwhile to investigate to increase program capacity/services? …