Developing and Evaluating BSW Students' Skills Using the Virtual Home Simulation (VHS)

Bachelor of Social Work (BSW) students are expected to acquire extensive knowledge and skills to practice ethically and effectively. Traditional education settings often lack sufficient opportunities for skill practice, and even fewer chances for evaluation and effective feedback. Both of which are crucial for skill development. The majority of skill acquisition occurs during internships or practicum, which may offer inconsistent feedback and evaluation due to their subjective nature and the intensive resource demands on supervisors. Furthermore, internships and practicum are not true practice settings, and feature high risk environments, where mistakes or incompetence can have detrimental effects to the populations served. To address these gaps, this study investigates the efficacy of the Virtual Home Simulation (VHS) tool designed to enhance skill development through deliberate practice theory, cognitive load theory, and immediate expert feedback (McDonald et al., 2021). This research evaluates the skill enhancement of BSW students using the VHS tool, focusing on their ability to assess child welfare home environments for risks and protective factors.

The study utilized a mixed methods design over a three-year period with approximately 350 BSW students. Participants engaged with VHS in a pretest to post-test format, performing specific assignment tasks within the simulation. Data collection included direct performance measures within VHS, derived from an expert consensus model (Davis et al., 2021), and student self-reported surveys assessing skills, confidence, and perceptions of efficacy and overwhelmed feelings. The approach combined quantitative assessments of skill improvement and qualitative feedback on the simulation experience.

From the findings of VHS use in a large US County’s child welfare agency, and the first two years of this study, we can make assumptions to the final outcomes. Initially it appears that the BSW students have significant improvements in skill and confidence in evaluating child welfare environments from pretest to post-test assessments. Students report increased confidence and decreased feelings of being overwhelmed. The quantitative data reinforced these self-reported gains, with statistical analysis demonstrating marked improvements in the targeted competencies.

The study suggests that VHS is a viable supplementary tool for traditional social work curricula, providing substantial opportunities for skill practice and evaluation without heavily taxing instructor or trainer resources. These findings underscore the potential of virtual simulations in social work education, promoting more frequent and effective skill development opportunities. Further research should explore the scalability of VHS and its applicability across different domains of social work education, potentially influencing broader educational policies and practices.

Resources

Davis, M. J., Raines, J. A., Benson, C. L., McDonald, C., & Altizer, R. A. (2021). Toward a Framework for Developing Virtual Reality Skills Training in Human Services. Journal of Technology in Human Services, 1-19. https://doi.org/10.1080/15228835.2021.1915928

McDonald, C., Davis, M., & Benson, C. (2021). Using Evidence-Based Learning Theories to Guide the Development of Virtual Simulations. Clinical Social Work Journal. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10615-021-00809-9