Fall 2026 SOWK 486w Week 01 - Theory of Practice I Introduction

Fall 2026 SOWK 486w Week 01 - Theory of Practice I Introduction

title: Fall 2026 SOWK 486w Week 01 - Theory of Practice I Introduction date: 2026-08-26 10:15:00 location: Heritage University tags:

• Heritage University
• BASW Program
• SOWK 486w presentation_video: > “” description: >

This is the first week of classes for students starting in the social work program. Theory of Practice I is part of a three-part series of classes. In the first semester, you will examine how we work with individuals. The second semester is about working with families and groups. Finally, the third semester takes a broader approach and looks at macro practice. During the first class session, we focus on getting to know our fellow learners, the course instructor, and the general feel of the course. We will also discuss academic writing as this course is a “W” class.

The plan is as follows:

• Getting to know each other
• Cooperative agreements and norms
• The look and feel of this learning environment
• Academic writing

Learning Objectives

• Students will gain an overview of this course, the assignments used to facilitate learning and demonstrate competency, and what to expect this semester.
• Students will be introduced to their instructor and peers and will learn some information about them.
• Students will be equipped with the practical knowledge to distinguish between a BASW and MSW degree.
• Students will be exposed to APA formatting and recognize how to engage in their scholarship during this program.

Land Acknowledgement

I want to start off our class honoring the land our university and this class takes place in.

First we recognize that

Yakmumani Tiicham (The land of the Yakama People). We would like to acknowledge that we are coming to you from the traditional lands of the first people of our valley, the 14 Confederated Tribes and Bands of the Yakama Nation, and we honor with gratitude the land itself and the Yakama People.

This course is based at the Heritage at Tri-Cities campus. This campus is located in Kennewick and is on the ancestral homelands of the Cayuse, Umatilla, Walla Walla, Yakama, and Palouse peoples. I also desire to honor and acknowledge them as well

The full land acknowledgment is as follows:

Heritage University occupies its home on the traditional lands of the Yakama People. These ancestral homelands are the Yakama, Palouse, Pisquouse, Wenatshapam, Klikatat, Klinquit, Kow- was-say-ee, Li-ay-was, Skin-pah, Wish-ham, Shyiks, Ochechotes, Kah-milt-pa, and Se-ap-cat, who today are represented by the Confederated Tribes and Bands of the Yakama Nation (Treaty of 1855) and, whose relationship with this land continues to this day. Heritage University, grounded in the vision of the two Yakama women founders, respects Indigenous peoples as traditional guardians of the lands and the enduring relationship that exists between Indigenous peoples and their traditional territories. We offer gratitude for the land itself, for those who have stewarded it for generations, and for the opportunity to study, learn, work, and be in community on this land. We acknowledge that our university’s history, like many others, is fundamentally tied to the first colonial developments in the Yakima Valley. Finally, we respectfully acknowledge and honor past, present, and future Indigenous students who will journey through this home called Heritage University.

Introduction - Minions Short Video Clip

[Activity] Watch Home Makeover

Social work is a diverse field, and while we might not have to work with criminal masterminds like Gru, it’s my hope that this course will give us the skills to follow up with clients of all types.

Agenda and Learning Objectives

Agenda

• Getting to know each other
• Cooperative agreements and norms
• The look and feel of this learning environment
• Academic writing

Learning Objectives

• Students will gain an overview of this course, the assignments used to facilitate learning and demonstrate competency, and what to expect this semester.
• Students will be introduced to their instructor and peers and will learn some information about them.
• Students will be equipped with the practical knowledge to distinguish between a BASW and MSW degree.
• Students will be exposed to APA formatting and recognize how to engage in their scholarship during this program.

Short Biography

I find that it is helpful to share a little bit about myself with students so that you know where I am coming from.

• Educational Experience
  • CBC AA 2006
  • EWU BASW 2008
  • EWU MSW 2009
  • Current doctoral student at CIIS
• Work History
  • Pasco School District (2014-2024)
  • Lourdes Counseling Center Children’s Day Program (2019-2020)
  • TCCH Behavioral Health Services
  • Heritage University (since 2013)
  • UNSAAC
  • Crisis Residential Center
  • Juvenile Detention
  • Jubilee Youth Ranch
• Outside Practice
  • Pasco Discovery Coalition
  • Council for Children
  • Various volunteer experiences
• Interests
  • Dancing
  • Computer technology
  • Travel
  • Graphic and website design
• Questions
  • Only time you can ask about me… [joking]

Poll Everywhere

Go to PollEv.com/campjacob

-> I had to add to PowerPoint

Prompts:

• Are you planning on continuing your education with an MSW?
• What are you excited about for this upcoming year?
• What is your greatest worry for the upcoming school year?

Peer Interviews

I want to give you all an opportunity to get to know each other and for me to start to get to know everybody.

[Small Group Activity] I want everybody to interview at least two people and take notes. We will then go through, and each of you will have an opportunity to introduce at least one of your peers. You will have about 10 minutes.

• Name
• Family or work
• Hopes for future career
• Secret talent, hobby, or interesting fact

[Whole Group Activity] Discuss building a community with the cohort.

Managing Expectations (1 of 3) Your Expectations

[Discussion] What are your expectations for this course?

Managing Expectations (2 of 3) My Expectations

What we want to be able to do comes to a place where we are able to meet in the middle without expectations… and that you’re happy and so am I.

• Cooperative Arrangement
  • Break vs. leaving early
• Nonnegotiable
  • Timeliness
  • Participation
  • High academic standards
• General course format
  • Readings
  • Lecture/discussion
  • Lab days
  • Presentations
  • Papers
  • Breakout activities
• Open/laid back
• Having fun

Managing Expectations (3 of 3) BRAVING Inventory

This class has to be a space where we can build trust. I love Brené Brown and the work she does. We will come back to her a few times this year. I want to lay out what she calls the BRAVING innovatory. These are the domains that are necessary for having a space that can have trust built, and my expectation for us in this class:

The acronym BRAVING breaks down trust into seven elements: Boundaries, Reliability, Accountability, Vault, Integrity, Nonjudgment, and Generosity.

• Boundaries: Setting boundaries is making clear what’s okay and what’s not okay, and why.
• Reliability: You do what you say you’ll do. At work, this means staying aware of your competencies and limitations so you don’t overpromise, can deliver on commitments, and can balance competing priorities.
• Accountability: You own your mistakes, apologize, and make amends.
• Vault: You don’t share information or experiences that are not yours to share. I need to know that my confidences are kept, and that you’re not sharing with any information about other people that should be confidential.
• Integrity: Choosing courage over comfort; choosing what’s right over what’s fun, fast, or easy; and practicing your values, not just professing them.
• Nonjudgment: I can ask for what I need, and you can ask for what you need. We can talk about how we feel without judgment.
• Generosity: Extending the most generous interpretation to the intentions, words, and actions of others.

Text adapted from Brown (2021).

Reviewing Syllabus

[Whole Group Activity] Go section by section

Course Foundation and Purpose

• Course Description
• Course Purpose
• Relationship to Other Sequences and/or Other Courses

Competencies & Objectives

1. Demonstrate Ethical and Professional Behavior
2. Advance Human Rights and Social, Racial, Economic, and Environmental Justice
3. Engage Anti-Racism, Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (ADEI) in Practice
4. Engage in Practice-Informed Research and Research-Informed Practice
5. Engage in Policy Practice
6. Engage with Individuals, Families, Groups, Organizations, and Communities
7. Assess Individuals, Families, Groups, Organizations, and Communities
8. Intervene with Individuals, Families, Groups, Organizations, and Communities
9. Evaluate Practice with Individuals, Families, Groups, Organizations, and Communities

Textbook and Helpful Resources

Textbook: Empowerment Series: Direct Social Work Practice Theory and Skills (11th ed.)

Helpful Resources

• APA Style Guide
• Google Scholar
• Eagle Search

Format of the Class

• Lecture
• Role plays and practice opportunities
• Small group discussion
• Whole group discussion
• Lab days
• Asynchronous content

Assignment Overview

Tentative Schedule

• Orientate how to read.
• Four class sessions that we won’t have class

Information

Attendance Support and Resources University Policies

• Credit hour requirements
• Online course exchange appeals process
• Academic honesty
• Campus safety
• Safe attendance reminder

Academic Honesty

Whose information is this?

Academic Honesty: Using Artificial Intelligence

[Whole Class Activity] Discussion regarding appropriate uses versus inappropriate.

When you submit your work, you take on full responsibility for everything you include in that assignment, no matter how it was produced. Students’ writing is expected to be their own, and sources should be ones they have access to and have read. I use tools such as Turnitin to indicate how much of a student’s writing is likely AI-generated and whether increased scrutiny is needed when reviewing the submission. Using AI tools or relying on methods that do not involve direct reading and engagement with the material you are citing can introduce problems. Issues such as incorrect language, plagiarism, bias, errors, incorrect/fabricated references, or misleading content can all constitute violations of academic honesty.

Academic Integrity and Generative Artificial Intelligence

I want to talk a little about using generative AI and how you might approach it.

First, I have an attachment that was developed by a faculty committee considering Heritage and the use of AI. That is in the handouts. It basically just says to ask and to recognize that it is different between different places.

Show Document: AI Essentials for Students at Heritage University.

It describes the ethical considerations, including

• Originality: All submitted work must be your own. Using AI to assist is not the same as having AI do the work for you. Only use it within the bounds permitted by your instructor.
• Acknowledge AI use: If you use generative AI, cite it as instructed. Ask if you’re unsure. (Citation formats like APA, MLA, and Chicago now include guidance for AI.)
• Protect your data: Never share personal, sensitive, or confidential information with public AI tools.
• Use protected platforms: When possible, use institutionally supported AI tools like Microsoft Copilot with Data Protection to safeguard your information.

In the use, I also encourage you to think about your development of critical thinking skills and meta-analysis that you have to do as social workers, but that can’t really be relegated to a machine (maybe story of graphic design from Federico). We won’t get into potential future threats related to information and ecological concerns.

I want to talk about hallucinations. I have two screenshots from 2023/2024 with bad results.

AI saying that add glue to make cheese stick to pizza

or AI saying that Christof Wandratsch completed it in 14 h 51 min in 2020 cross the Channel on foot.

To give context, he did. In August 2005, he set the world record for the fastest-ever swim of the English Channel in 7 h 03 mins.

I have another screenshot asking the same question today, and it recognizes that as a failed prompt before (because other people have written about it)

What I want you to realize is that it knows nothing. It makes logical guesses about how to describe things, and sometimes it completely makes those things up. I think this will continue to improve, but it can’t be trusted for 100 % accuracy.

So some of my thoughts include:

• Hopes & Concerns: Can help us all level up and improve the work that we do. I already talked about my concerns.
• Appropriate: Getting ideas, brainstorming, asking it to review work that you’ve done and get feedback
• Inappropriate Uses: Asking it to write your forum or papers, overreliance

Contacting Me

• Importance of reaching out
• Best ways to contact me

Rubrics

• How I use them
• Scoring
• Feedback

Academic Writing and Support

We can come back to some of this… but I at least wanted to spend some time talking through some stuff. Ask me later in the semester, and we can do more of this…

Save the Work You Do

First, I think the information and work that you create, you should save and organize it.

• Save articles you read (Zotero, Bookends, Mendeley, EndNote, Refworks)
• Save papers that you write
• Save notes you take about a topic

Student Papers in APA

Two links; go through and review them.

• Student Paper Setup Guide
• Annotated Student Paper

Style Guide Website

Style and Grammar Guidelines

Reminder

Don’t forget to read and Send me your contact info