Dear Mandel School Students,
We recognize that you may have many questions regarding your field placement and the expectations for moving forward. The Mandel School has established plans to address temporary disruptions in students’ field placement activities due to local, state or national emergencies or events. Although classroom instruction will be provided virtually until at least April 6, 2020, Mandel School students are expected to attend field placement as planned and exercise the appropriate health and safety precautions. The below guidance applies only during the closure of field placement sites or when a student is advised or required not to physically attend field placement. Students should first contact their assigned field instructor at the field placement site/agency to check if there are mandatory agency closures and follow the directives of the agency.
If students are advised/required by their field site or the Mandel School to not physically attend field placement for a period of time, or if safety concerns warrant a temporary disruption in field placement, students must immediately consult with BOTH their Mandel School field faculty advisor and their assigned placement site field instructor to discuss and plan next steps.
In an effort to fulfill students’ field placement hour requirements and educational competencies in the event of a temporary field placement disruption related to COVID-19, the Mandel School is providing alternative field education learning activities that can be completed remotely or off site on a temporary basis. This policy is designed to address short-term field placement disruptions of a maximum of 21 calendar days. If the field placement disruption continues beyond a 21-day period, the Mandel School Field Education Department will determine the most appropriate response to support students in successfully completing their field placement requirements. No more than a total of 60 field hours will be approved for remote activities.
Field Education Remote Activities are meant as a supplement to the field placement experience and not in lieu of agency learning. Students must request this option in advance by emailing their Mandel School field faculty advisor and their field instructor. The student should include: the selected activities the student will pursue along with the specific date, times and location for each activity. No more than three (3) field hours will be approved for any one activity. A variety of different activities across several competency areas should be included in each student’s request to complete field hours remotely. The student should keep a log of all completed activities so that the field instructor can comment on these activities in the evaluation section of the Learning Agreement. The request must be approved by both field faculty advisor and field instructor prior to beginning the activity. Students will not receive credit for any field activities that are not pre-approved. In addition to completing the required monthly field education timesheet in the Intern Placement Tracking (IPT) system, each student must submit written verification of completed remote activities using the Field Education Remote Activities Documentation Form to receive credit for field hours.
We understand that this time of uncertainty may be particularly stressful for many. Case Western Reserve University continues to monitor COVID-19 developments within our region and nationwide, and places the highest priority on the health and well-being of our students and the campus community.
If you have questions regarding this policy or the suggested learning activities, please contact your field faculty advisor directly. If you are aware of any planned disruptions in the operations of your field agency that may impact your placement, please advise your field faculty advisor so that we may support you in developing a plan to move forward. This information in this email has also been sent to all current field instructors.
We will continue to provide updates to students and our field education community in the coming weeks or as new information is available.
Sincerely,
Grover C. Gilmore, PhD
Jack, Joseph and Morton Mandel Dean in Applied Social Sciences
Amy Korsch-Williams, MSSA, CNM, LISW-S
Assistant Dean of Academic Affairs, Field Education & Instruction