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throughout the generations and still apparent
today (Paul, 2006). Indigenous-centred social
work services designed to support the reclamation
of Mi'kmaq ways of being and ameliorating the
damages of colonialism have been one means for
sovereignty identified by local elders.
Beckoned by the moral imperative to increase
the number of Mi'kmaq social workers working
in Mi'kmaq communities and social work agen-
cies, and having offered decentralized programs
on Cape Breton Island, Prince Edward Island,
and New Brunswick, in 1984 forty Cape Breton
Mi'kmaq students enrolled in a Bachelor of
Social Work offering that combined campus and
decentralized delivery. Over the years since that
time, students in our campus programs continued
to request accessible and flexible program options
to meet their learning needs, changing demograph-
ics, and long-term social work practice goals. On
the basis of an ideological commitment to inclu-
sion, diversity and accessibility, plus expertise in
delivery methods and commitment to following
through on responsiveness to students, incorporat-
ing distance delivery methods to the undergraduate
and graduate curricula was a logical advance.
As a result, the School of Social Work at
Dalhousie University launched national Bachelor
and Master of Social Work programs in 2001,
both fully accredited by the Canadian Associa-
tion of Schools of Social Work (now called the
CanadianAssociation of Social Work Education).
Both degree programs are offered on a part-time
basis for study, in recognition of the prevailing
student demographic of full-time employment.
The platform WebCT was used at the launch of
the programs, with the latest version of WebCT
subsumed under Blackboard Learning Systems.
Since 2001, seven cohorts of BSW and MSW
students have been admitted, with four cohorts
graduated since 2004. Students live in their home
communities across the nation, from the far west
of Victoria, British Columbia to the northern tip of
Newfoundland to the rural north of Nunavut. The
life experiences and exposure to the social work
field of students range broadly, from entry level
introduction to the profession for most Bachelor
students, to the return of seasoned professionals
for their graduate qualifications.
At Dalhousie, both undergraduate and gradu-
ate social work programs have a field education
course which includes a social services agency-
based placement and participation in a concurrent
bi-weekly seminar. Field education is regulated
by the Canadian Association of Social Work Edu-
cation Standards of Accreditation (2007) which
state that the objectives of field education are “the
development...and the preparation of a profession-
ally reflective, self-evaluating, knowledgeable and
developing social worker” (CASWE Standards of
Accreditation, 2008, p. 9). Further, at Dalhousie,
all curriculum, policies and procedures related to
field education are governed by the Bachelor of
Social Work and Master of Social Work Commit-
tees, respectively.
Field Education is a significant anchor in so-
cial work education. It is the sole course which
is completed principally within a social service
agency, whether in direct practice, policy develop-
ment, research and/or community mobilization,
and as such it offers unique opportunities for the
integration of theory and practice. Students are
embedded in rich ideological, political, ethical
and theoretical discussions and complex practice
situations, which provide the focus for continuous
critical reflection and self assessment required for
the ongoing development of the effective social
worker. Within the field courses, students occupy
an inimitable position among academic structures,
agencies, communities, and practitioners, to ana-
lyze the realities of practice and their personal
frameworks for practice within the profession.
At the School of Social Work, field education
is pivotal to the mission statement to “educate
students and collaborate with others to advance
change within the social work profession, social
institutions and the broader society” (Dalhousie
School of Social Work's vision, mission and
guiding principles can be found at www.dal.ca/
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