The UNC School of Social Work will continue to offer MSW classes remotely in the spring, a decision School leaders said remains necessary to ensure the safety of all students, faculty and staff during the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic.
“Despite the challenges before us, as a School, we’ve been remarkably successful in working in this new ‘normal,’” said Lisa de Saxe Zerden, the School’s senior associate dean for MSW education. “Given everyone’s efforts to date, we hope by staying the course we can successfully weather this storm and get to the other side of this virus.”
One of the biggest challenges for the MSW program has been adjusting plans for student field placements. These internships provide students with critical practice hours needed to fulfill their degree requirements.
Thus far this year, students have been attending field in-person, where possible, and will continue doing so throughout the spring semester, Zerden said. For some field placements, students have also been operating successfully in a hybrid fashion or remotely, depending on the agency’s operations or the health needs of the students, she added.
Spring classes for the MSW program start the week of Jan. 11, 2021.