Distance Learning and Online Education in Social Work

This edited collection focuses on the early development, gradual evolution, and present status of distance learning and online education in the social work profession. Relevant for social work students and educators in baccalaureate, masters and doctoral programs, this book is an authoritative statement authored by widely recognized educators on the cutting edge of technological innovation.

In addressing the future of web-based social work education, the collection demonstrates the power of distance learning and online technology. The chapters cover a comprehensive range of topics, including organizational and administrative aspects, teaching and practice, recent research and the challenge of creating intimacy and interaction. The volume provides a valuable set of insights into how distance learning and online education are transforming how social work is increasingly being taught today, and will surely be offered in the future.

This book was originally published in the Journal of Teaching in Social Work.

Paul A. Kurzman, Ph.D., ACSW holds a dual appointment as a Professor of Social Work at the Silberman School of Hunter College, USA, and as a Professor of Social Welfare at the Graduate School and University Center of The City University of New York, USA, where he teaches policy and practice in the MSW and PhD Programs and Chairs the World of Work Field of Practice Specialization. He also is the Editor-in-Chief of the Journal of Teaching in Social Work and a member of the Editorial Board of the Journal of Workplace Behavioral Health. Dr. Kurzman served for a record 26 years on the New York State Social Work Licensing Board, chaired the Board of the first Register of Clinical Social Workers, was elected the President of the Faculty of Hunter College, and appointed the Acting Dean of the School of Social Work. Professor Kurzman has held major leadership positions in the National Association of Social Workers, locally and nationally, including as President of the New York City Chapter, from which he recently received their Lifetime Achievement Award. He is an author or editor of 8 prior books, including Union Contributions to Labor Welfare Policy and Practice (with R.P. Maiden), Work and the Workplace: A Resource for Innovative Policy and Practice (with S. Akabas), Labor and Industrial Settings: Sites for Social Work Practice (with S. Akabas & N. Kolben), Psychosocial and Policy Issues in the World of Work, Work, Workers and Work Organizations: A View from Social Work (with S. Akabas), Harry Hopkins and the New Deal, Work and Well-Being: The Occupational Social Work Advantage (with S. Akabas), and The Mississippi Experience: Strategies for Welfare Rights Action. Dr. Kurzman holds an MSW from Columbia University and a PhD from New York University. He can be reached at pkurzman@hunter.cuny.edu.

R. Paul Maiden, Ph.D., LCSW is a Professor and the Executive Vice-Dean of Academic and Student Affairs at the University of Southern California School of Social Work, USA, the largest graduate school of social work in the United States, with 3,200 MSW students at five academic centers. He spearheaded creation of the school's military social work program, launched the San Diego Academic Center, expanded the school's global immersion offerings, and led the development of its Virtual Academic Center, the first and only web-based MSW program serving a national and international student population. Dr. Maiden also is the Editor-in-Chief of the Journal of Workplace Behavioral Health, and has published extensively in the areas of employee assistance, substance abuse, work site domestic violence, managed behavioral health care, trauma management, and the evaluation of work-based human services. He has extensive international experience and has been the recipient of Senior Fulbright Scholar awards to Russia and South Africa. Dr. Maiden is an editor of 9 prior books, including The Older Worker and the Changing Labor Market: New Challenges for the Workplace (with J. Gonyea), EAPs in Higher Education (with S. Phillips), Union Contributions to Labor Welfare Policy and Practice (with P. Kurzman), Workplace Disaster Preparedness and Disaster Management (with R. Paul & C. Thompson), The Integration of Employee Assistance, Work/Life and Wellness (with M. Attridge & P. Herlihy), Global Perspectives on Occupational Social Work, Employee Assistance Services in the New South Africa, Accreditation of Employee Assistance Programs, and Total Quality Management in EAPs. Dr. Maiden holds an MSW from the University of Tennessee, USA, and a PhD from the University of Maryland, USA. He can be reached at rmaiden@usc.edu.