All students are expected to maintain a certain level of academic and professional standards in their coursework, engagement with faculty and other students, and in their field placements. Any behavior that is considered a violation of the NASW Code of Ethics is grounds for review within the program, as are any charges of academic dishonesty/plagiarism.
Review Process
When concerns about a student’s academic and/or professional behavior are raised, the SSW follows a three-level review process:
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Level 1 Review Process:
If concerns arise related to academic performance or conduct within the classroom, the faculty member who has concerns should first communicate these directly to the student and work with the student to implement a corrective action plan. They may also notify the student’s faculty advisor of the issue and plan. If concerns arise during field placement regarding a student’s behavior or conduct, the agency field instructor should first raise these concerns directly with the student and work jointly with the student to implement a corrective action plan. The field liaison may notify the field director as well.
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Level 2 Review Process:
If concerns persist despite the corrective action plan, the faculty member or field instructor should then coordinate a meeting with the student and the academic advisor (for academic concerns) or SSW faculty field liaison (for field-related concerns) to discuss the student’s behavior and determine whether the current action plan should be modified or whether the student’s case should be referred directly to the MSW committee for either a student success meeting or an academic review (see section below on student success meetings and academic reviews). In cases involving field, the field director may be involved in this meeting as well.
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Level 3 Review Process:
If concerns about the student’s behavior persist after the revised action plan determined during the Level 2 meeting has been implemented, the student’s case will then be referred to the MSW committee for an academic review (see section on academic reviews). If the concerns are related to the student’s placement, the student may not be allowed to continue with placement or field seminar until the academic review is completed. The student may be asked to refrain from attending and/or withdraw from other MSW courses as well.
Academic Reviews
An academic review is a supportive process used by the School of Social Work to address situations interfering with a student’s academic experience in the MSW program. The academic review process allows us to work in partnership with students to find solutions to these situations. The academic review can be used as a part of the disciplinary review process, but it is also an educational support mechanism to problem solve a variety of situations the student may encounter during the program. Academic reviews are initiated by the SSW.
Situations that may warrant an academic review include (but are not limited to):
- A student’s grade point average is below a 3.0;
- There are concerns regarding academic progress or professional behavior;
- Termination from a field placement;
- Social, financial, or other outside factors are creating barriers to academic success for a student.
In situations in which a student’s case requires an academic review, the MSW program director will coordinate a meeting time during which the MSW committee members will meet either in- person or via Zoom to review the various information regarding a student’s progress in the program and any concerns that have prompted the review. The student will be informed, in writing, of the time and date of the review and invited to attend a portion of the meeting in order to provide the committee with any additional information they feel are important.
After the committee reviews the available information and hears the student’s statement, it will decide on an action plan to address the barriers that are impacting their progress in the program. The student will be notified of this plan in writing via a letter from the MSW program director within one week of the review meeting. Students also have the right to a copy of the written minutes from the academic review committee meeting.