The case for online education: success factors in an MSW program through a critical feminist lens

ABSTRACT

Social work has seen a dramatic rise in online MSW programs;however, there is a paucity of research surrounding programmatic reviews. Given the dearth of supporting evidence, data were collected from online students at the University of Tennessee, College of Social Work surrounding several noted key measures for success demonstrating the compatibility between online programming and social work education. These key measures include student demographics, knowledge, student perceptions, alumni perceptions, and faculty perceptions. Data were also collected regarding the university's COVID−19 response, perceptions surrounding diversity, equity, and inclusion work, and the use of a dedicated advisor to support online students. Results were viewed through a critical feminist lens and revealed that this online MSW program either did meet or exceeded success factors described in the literature. Results also identified new success factors that include alumni outcomes and the importance of dedicated advisors for online students. Implications for online teaching, administration, and research are discussed. [ FROM AUTHOR] Copyright of Social Work Education is the property of Routledge and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full . (Copyright applies to all s.)