Factors Affecting Social Work Progress

This assignment explores the impact of online learning on the field of social work. It delves into various factors that both promote and hinder progress within this context, such as safety, convenience, face-to-face interaction, and practical application. The author reflects on how their studies in social sciences have opened avenues for further research or professional development in the social work sector.

Learning and
Communicating Online

INTRODUCTION...........................................................................................................................1
MAIN BODY...................................................................................................................................1
CONCLUSION................................................................................................................................5
REFERENCES................................................................................................................................6

INTRODUCTION
Online communication is defined to be interaction among individuals through verbal and non-
verbal mediums. The style of communication is widely accepted as it carries a higher degree of
flexibility and convenience among people who wish to interact (Armstrong and et. al., 2015). It
also provides power to people who are more comfortable with sharing their feelings through
written medium. This assignment aims to articulate personal reflection of knowledge gained
through experience.
MAIN BODY
Catering my services in the social work industry I have experienced a nourishment of my
expertise in the same industry. Communication plays a vital role in social work industry as it
involves interaction on a regular basis. A health care segment comprises of vulnerable people
who can only be served with excellent communication skills (Dunlap and et. al., 2015).
Considering my experience in social care sector will be benefited with incorporation of learning
and communication through online platforms. I have faced various obstacles while serving the
clients which have been surpassed with obtaining knowledge through online mediums. The
availability of e-learning platforms has made it convenient for me to obtain information and
sharpen my skills. The versatility of online learning and communicating platforms makes it more
preferable than campus learning. The justification of the same is that employed people find it
difficult to go to college for the purpose of gaining knowledge. The learning which can be gained
over the online medium will be applied in real life condition to deal with patients in an improved
manner (Shadiev, Hwang and Huang, 2015). Main areas which can be improved are
communication over verbal and non-verbal medium, problem solving skills, decision making and
problem solving capacities can be enhanced. The nourishment of these above mentioned skills
help in building my expertise in social works as I will be able to assist in the best possible of my
capacity.
In the beginning I was a little reluctant to opt for e-learning and communication as it
lacked practical approach and ambience in which knowledge gathering can be availed. It is seen
that online learning platforms are experiencing a boom in its sector. The last data recorded states
that 10% increase in enrolments has been ascertained since 2012. However, the quality of
knowledge catered through online mediums have been criticised over times, this being one of the
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major reasons for not opting it earlier. The job and time constraint are among two factors which
persuaded me to opt for learning and communicating over online mediums. It is essential for a
learning environment to be safe and supportive which is able to fulfil requirement of a learner
(Hamid and et. al., 2015). It can be understood that online learning environment provides ability
a learner to take control over the physical circumstances when compared with class-room
teaching. I hail from a background of social working which is highly relatable to the study which
is being conducted by me. The background in which I have worked carries lesser relevance to the
online segment as it was more emphasized on practical approach. Initially it was difficult for me
to grasp skills and knowledge of the online environment. Being a social worker for a long period
I possess right amount of interpersonal and communication required to fulfil my task and duties.
A role of a social worker revolves around intervening and consulting people who are vulnerable
on a medical front. Initially there were lot of problems encountered by me in forming a
collaboration and communication over the online platforms. The use of email and
communication platforms were relatively newer for me. People who are looking to collaborate
online are independent until they are provided with a goal to achieve. Communication over the
online platforms is relatively convenient how ever lacked intensity which can be felt in face-to-
face conversation. However while collaborating my efforts with my colleagues I encountered
some difficulties. The lack of confidence and accessibility have tempered in creating
collaborative experience. It is essential to be provide a training which defines them measures and
guidelines for the first timers. Along with availability of infrastructure it is essential for teacher
to employ this tools to facilitate teaching to others. However after the initial struggles I have
gained familiarity with the system. The major areas which have worked in favour of conducting
study online are the flexibility and lower costs. Social science aims to conduct study of scientific
approaches and relationships which will further help me in career advancement in field of social
working. It is essential for an instructor to create a learning environment which is safe and
supportive so that its purpose is fulfilled. It should involve meaningful discussion so that
learning can be facilitate in an ideal manner. As I have ventured into online learning environment
I have realised that it is a supportive and convenient means for people who are employed in
nourishing their skills in social work domain. This unit helped me in identifying the major
advantages of learning online such it is safe and convenient. On the other hand, it is seen that
there is lesser control of the instructor and it is difficult to establish face-to-face interaction
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between student and instructor. Therefore, it can be said that undertaking this unit have definitely
enhanced my understanding on this domain.
The unit goals that I have established while undertaking this unit is to able to learning and
communicate online in an effective manner. The unit goals are learning and communication
online in context of social science discipline. The goals defined the purpose of studying this
segment. The purpose of communication and learning online aims to build confidence and
capabilities over online platforms. This unit intents to improve professional practice which is
carried out in domain of social science. The major unit goals of learning and communicating
online are as follows:
 On the successful completion of this unit I will be able to explore and evaluate
information which is gathered through online platforms.
 The use of tools and processes will be enhanced and applied in the ideal manner.
 The ability to construct knowledge and publish it over various platforms for other to
obtain the information.
 At the end of this unit, I will be able to reflect these learning upon self as a learner.
The outcomes from studying this unit can be ascertained in understanding on the topic
such as social policy and civil society operating in the country. Society is referred to be a pool of
people who interact with each other for their survival. The further knowledge is obtained on the
manner in which scientific theories are applied which lead to better understanding of the
behaviour of individual along with measures to manipulate the same. On the other hand civil
society are the non-governmental organisation working for the welfare of people.
As a social worker I am familiar with the role communication plays while fulfilling a
task or duty. Education is must as it provides an individual with knowledge which knowledge
and skill which are help become a competent employee. There are certain factors which hindered
the successful completion of unit i.e. the presence of distraction act as a major factor which
hindered learning and communicating online. The secondary factors which carried an impact are
bad social circles and time constraint. The presence of feedback mechanism, communication
guideline and skill building exercise helps in fostering online learning in context of an individual
(Hou, 2015). It can be said that these factors directed me in achievement of established
objectives. Being an amateur I have seen some progress toward learning to communicate through
online measure and have definitely helped me in polishing my skills in field of social work.
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In order to complete this course in an ideal way I needs to possess a defined set of skills
and attributes. These capabilities carry a right balance of physical, cognitive and emotional
characteristics of an individual. The faculty member will identify presence of skills through
evaluation. Communication skills carry utmost priority in this segment. The student should be
able to communicate thoroughly with faculty, colleagues and other authority and be able to
express feeling and emotions in an ideal manner. Excellent spoken and written communication
are preferred which will help me in my future profession as well. Along with interpersonal skills
it is essential to have sensory abilities which further help in participation during classes and
practicum placement (Hwang, Singh and Argote, 2015. It is necessary to professionally commit
to the course so that legislation and code of ethics are adhered and make sure it’s ideal
completion. The presence of sensory skills and professionalism will help an individual undertake
future endeavours in the right manner.
The factor which helped me in the most important manner is that I possessed an experience
of social care domain of more than 7 years which helped me in fostering my growth towards my
unit and coarse goals. The experience helped in better understanding of this unit as I am aware of
how important communication stands in social care industry. The another aspect which helped in
fostering of learning and communicating online is that is safe and convenient. I being a newbie
in the online learning and communication is reluctant to opt for such measure. The feeling of
empathy and objectivity which is already possessed by me help me in directing my efforts to
attainment of course and unit goals. The cost effectiveness degree is another motivator of
completion of goals. The setting up of own face helped me in carrying out of course and unit
completion in the manner I want. The most significant constraint which I faced is that I was
being new to this domain and lacked basic knowledge. I happen to consider a lot of interaction
with the instructor which is to be overcome in this self-directed learning approach. The biggest
drawback of opting this approach is that it lacks face-to-face interaction which makes it difficult
to resolve queries which are essential in unit accomplishment (Wei, Peng and Chou, 2015).
I have learnt distinct theories and practices which are applicable in social work sector. The
application of such theories and knowledge helped me in carrying out my duties and
responsibilities in the most preferable manner by the client. The level of professionalism has
improved as well, as it defines the code of ethics and legislation which is to be emphasized by a
student (Osipov and et. al., 2015). The thorough knowledge gained by me will definitely help me
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serving client in an improved manner. the combination of experience and knowledge will help in
turning out to be an ideal employee for the future organisation. There were so many aspects
which were uncovered by me and this bachelor’s degree helped me in discovering and
facilitating an understanding with untouched areas. The major concepts which were included in
the course are its introduction, knowledge of human behaviour and study of cultural diversity
and policies (Kovanović and et. al., 2015). The knowledge of such concepts and theories and
broaden horizon of a student. It also provides an opportunity to student to carry out further
studies in such domain of social work (Ko and Rossen, 2017). There are variety of program
which are designed to prepare a student in practices studies which can be availed by a person.
There is no denying in the fact that the lessons learnt in this course will help in creating an ideal
future in social work along with offering opportunity to further specialise in the subject.
CONCLUSION
It can be concluded from the above report experience is a greatest teacher and when
coupled with reflection it can lead to ideal results. Learning and communication online is a
contemporary concept which aims to provide knowledge and information through measures over
the internet. Undertaking of this course helped in enhancing skills and capabilities which are
essential carry out a task in the social work sector. There are variety of factors which are foster
and hinder the progress in this unit. The safety and convenience are factors which foster whereas
lack of interaction face-to-face and lack of practical approach are two setbacks of this approach.
The undertaking of this course in social sciences for me has opened doors to further carryout
studies in future domain or to become a competent employee in the social work sector.
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REFERENCES
Books and Journals
Armstrong and et. al., 2015. Marketing: an introduction. Pearson Education.
Dunlap, J. C. and et. al., 2015. What sunshine is to flowers: A literature review on the use of
emoticons to support online learning. Emotions, technology, design, and learning. 163.
Hamid, S. and et. al., 2015. Understanding students' perceptions of the benefits of online social
networking use for teaching and learning. The Internet and Higher Education. 26. pp.1-
9.
Hou, H., 2015. What makes an online community of practice work? A situated study of Chinese
student teachers’ perceptions of online professional learning. Teaching and Teacher
Education. 46. pp.6-16.
Hwang, E. H., Singh, P. V. and Argote, L., 2015. Knowledge sharing in online communities:
learning to cross geographic and hierarchical boundaries. Organization Science. 26(6).
pp.1593-1611.
Ko, S. and Rossen, S., 2017. Teaching online: A practical guide. Taylor & Francis.
Kovanović, V. and et. al., 2015. Analytics of communities of inquiry: Effects of learning
technology use on cognitive presence in asynchronous online discussions. The Internet
and Higher Education. 27. pp.74-89.
Osipov, I. V. and et. al., 2015. Study of gamification effectiveness in online e-learning systems.
International Journal of advanced computer science and applications. 6(2). pp.71-77.
Shadiev, R., Hwang, W. Y. and Huang, Y. M., 2015. A pilot study: Facilitating cross-cultural
understanding with project-based collaborative learning in an online environment.
Australasian Journal of Educational Technology. 31(2).
Wei, H. C., Peng, H. and Chou, C., 2015. Can more interactivity improve learning achievement
in an online course? Effects of college students' perception and actual use of a course-
management system on their learning achievement. Computers & Education. 83. pp.10-
21.
Online
Online Communication. 2017. [Online]. Available through:<
https://www.pcmag.com/encyclopedia/term/60733/online-communications>.
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