As I reflect on my time in the Florida State University online, part-time traditional (3-year) MSW program, I cannot believe how much I have learned and how quickly the time has passed. One question I frequently get from others who are interested in the program is: what do MSW students do? What skills do I need?
I'm going to start writing about the online MSW journey to help people really gage if the program is a good fit for them. In this article, I will talk about the most important skills for an online MSW student to have, and what sorts of activities the coursework involves.
I started my social work journey in January 2020. Actually, I started my journey in December 2019 when I went to the FSU bookstore, found the books I'd need for my first classes, and began reading them in advance of my first semester.
I remember the excitement of being back in school, but also the nerves - studying, reading, writing papers. How easily would I pick those back up again? I found the readings interesting and engaging, and luckily the first semester of classes eased me back into the workload almost gently. Courses picked up and became more challenging as my program progressed, but my skills were improving simultaneously.
So, if you're considering going back to school to earn your MSW, which I personally highly recommend, here are some things you can expect:
Reading
There will be a good amount of reading for the classes, which is not surprising for graduate courses and that is how you will acquire most information. Online lectures and occasional videos accompany the coursework but reading books and journal articles make up the lion's share of the work.
Research
Dust off your research skills. If your prior experience pre-dates online article searches, you will be pleasantly surprised. In the FSU online library portal, you can search for peer-reviewed journal articles with the ability to search within a given date range, for keywords, Title, Author, Subject, or in the body of the paper. Gone are the days of poring through hard copies of journal appendices to find relevant research.
Writing
The primary way you will convey your understanding of the material is through writing. There are a few tests and quizzes along the way, but most of what you turn in will be research papers, analyses, summaries, discussion board posts and responses, literature reviews, etc.
A huge asset in this area is the software Grammarly, provided free to all FSU students. I have gotten into the habit of running all my papers through Grammarly before turning them in. It catches run-on sentences, misspellings, overly-used words, poorly-phrased sentences, and other writing gaffes. Not every Grammarly suggestion improves writing, so you still have to self-check your work, a good practice to develop as well.
You will also need to be extremely conversant with APA Style formatting. Currently, the program uses APA 7. While I have the APA 7 manual, I find that most questions I have are resolved most quickly with a simple Google search. One tip I have is to create a sample document with the correct font (Times New Roman, 12 point), spacing (double), margins (1"), cover layout, page numbering (it starts on the cover), reference page layout, etc., and save it as "APA template." That won't remove all APA formatting tasks from papers but will ensure that each paper starts out with correct base formatting. It gets easier the more you do.)
Discussion Boards
Every class has discussion boards though the quantity varies. Courses may have one a week, several a week, or even one every few weeks. In any case, the basic concept is the same. A module will open in Canvas, the student coursework portal, with a list of the required readings, information and tasks for a given time period, usually one or two weeks. After completing the readings and tasks, students usually complete a discussion board post evaluating or reflecting on the information they learned, often with additional research required. After your initial posting, most discussion board assignments require responses to between one and three classmates, which initiates a deeper level of discussion.
Lectures
Some professors include video lectures with each new module, and some do not. Sometimes professors have a written 'lecture' rather than a video one. One way or another, professors let you know how to focus on the given material, what to look for, and what they consider essential.
Peer Relationships
Even though the program is online, there are opportunities to connect with your peers, and I can honestly say I've made some excellent friends in the program, who live in various parts of Florida and around the country.
Discussion boards are not just an opportunity to showcase what you have learned. They are a place where you can find out what your peers are doing, how they interpret and feel about the material and what social work means to them. Discussion boards are meant to take the place of in-class interactions, and in that, they are not entirely the same. But they are rewarding experiences in their own right.
So, if you're considering venturing into the world of online MSW studies, this is some of what you will have in front of you. In future posts, I'll write about the different course offerings, navigating field placements, and strategies for keeping up with online coursework.