Digitalization and ICT in Social Work Education: A Scoping Review

Background and Purpose:

Social work educators can harness digital technologies for greater engagement and to foster critical thinking of social work students. However, the social work field has been slow to integrate technology into education, outside of making courses available online. There has been a lack of research highlighting how technology is being utilized in social work education. To mitigate challenges in social work education, it could be crucial to comprehend and examine the function of digital technologies. Therefore, the purpose of our study is to explore how digital technologies are being utilized globally in social work education.

Methods:

We utilized a scoping review method and were guided by the question: What does the literature say about ICT and digital technologies in Social Work Education? The Arksey and O’Malley’s (2005) framework was used to examine existing literature. The inclusion criteria for included studies were (i) published in a peer-reviewed journal in 2013 - 2023; (ii) is a full-text manuscript written in English; (iii) focuses on social work education globally, and (iv) presents information about social work education and digital and information communication technologies. A total of 17 studies were included in our scoping review. The most current study was completed in 2023 while the oldest was completed in 2014.

Results:

The results of our study are compounded into four broad categories of how digital technologies are being utilized globally, the facilitators and challenges of using digital technologies, and their impacts on social work education. The first theme of how ICT/digital technologies are used had subthemes of integration of social media into the social work curriculum, online instruction, individual-level digital presence, and intervention delivery. The second and third themes of facilitators and challenges of using digital technologies were identified in each category of; educator knowledge and/or skill-building, student-educator interaction, student skill & experience, community engagement, design and interface issues, institutional support, and curriculum content. The fourth theme of the impact of the use of ICT/digital technologies in social work education had the subthemes of fostering learning outcomes, providing innovative ways to problem-solve, increasing student engagement, increasing students’ technological ability, facilitating understanding of community issues, and use of digital therapeutics. The findings of our study are aimed to inform teaching practices in social work education by incorporating digital and information technologies into social work curriculums and as instructional strategies.

Conclusion and Implications:

The literature identifies social work educators skilled in the utilization of ICTs as crucial facilitators for incorporating innovative digital teaching practices into social work curricula to enhance students' digital competencies in learning, practice, and research. Enhancing the infrastructure for the broader use of technology in social work education could equip students with the ability to utilize digital technologies in professional social work practice before they graduate. Further research could explore how digital technologies can be used to enhance student learning and engagement in social work education.