BSW Field Resource
Weekly outline
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George Williams School of Social Work
Field work enables you to apply concepts and theories that you have learned in courses, while exploring a practice setting that is interesting to you.
Your field work takes place during your senior year, extending over the two semesters. You will complete about 14 hours per week of field training (and will be caped at 16 hours).
View hour requirements HERE.
You will be enrolled in SWK 4210: Field Instruction I and SWK 4220: Field Instruction II to support your field experience.
Students are encouraged to 1st review the field manual, attend an orientation and utilize the moodle information here.
Your field coordinator is Amy Ceshker.
Please reach out to Amy with any field questions they may have after you have reviewed your resources. Amy's contact information can be found below:
Amy Ceshker, Field Coordinator
Click here to schedule a meeting: https://calendly.com/aceshker
See below for specific track coordinator information:
Addictions Track: Laura Donavon (ldonavon@aurora.edu)Child Welfare Track: Laura Vargas (lvargas@aurora.edu)Video: Tevera Field Application Tutorial
Video: How to add hours in Tevera (including how to add hours retroactively)
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Before you register for field courses, you are required to attend a field orientation session to get familiar with the process and structure of field education. Field orientations are conducted about once every month and are held via Zoom. Please register for the field orientation session you plan to attend.
PLEASE register for one of the Spring 2024 Orientation sessions now to help you know what do to next.
You will want to register now to avoid prolonging your graduation date AND/OR your internship start date.
The AU Online BSW Field Orientation registration link is:
https://applynow.aurora.edu/portal/bswfieldorientation
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How to Register as a New User in Tevera
As an Aurora University Social Work student, you will automatically be eligible for a Tevera account. Tevera is a field management and assessment platform that will be utilized throughout your time with Aurora University, so an active account is a requirement for all students.
To activate your account, click on the Tevera Registration link below. You will then be redirected straight to Tevera, and can follow the prompts to complete the registration of your account.
Field Application: Once you have activated your link in Tevera, navigate to Site Placements> Internship> start the multi-step process to submit your field application.
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Field Applications for Fall 2024 is June 1st, 2024 Start your search today!!
Step 1: Click on the Tevera Link
Step 2: Once logged into Tevera, go to Site Placements> My Sites> Browse*
*Enter your zip code and distance preferences for a list of sites near you
Step 3: Click "+" to expand the site of sites and view their contact information
Step 4: On Moodle, view Current Field Placement Openings
Step 5: If you do not see any sites listed in your state, check out https://www.211.org/about-us/your-local-211, to reach out and inquire about internships with potential new sites for AU to affiliate with.
Step 6: Send a professional email * (from your AU email account) to the site with a cover letter and resume attached (in PDF form). See example on Moodle.
*If you do not receive a reply, follow up 1 week later
Step 7: If you receive a reply, set up a time to interview
Step 8: Continue the above process until you are offered an internship
Step 9: Once you have accepted an offer, log into Tevera and complete your field application
Site Placements> Internship> Follow the guided steps
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Students may request to use a current or recent employment position or a previous internship site as field placements. Students will initiate this request by contacting their field coordinator.
Assessment of an employment-based internship will be based on the following:
Role: The role of the student employee will need to fully accommodate the learning objectives required of the internship level the student is requesting to be approved. The student will be asked to complete an application for an employment-based internship with their supervisor that will outline in detail how their current role maps back to internship learning objectives. This application will be provided by the field coordinator once the student initiates an employment-based internship request.
Supervision: Ideally, the field placement should be supervised by someone other than a current supervisor for the student. If that option is unavailable, the current supervisor will be asked to create a separate supervision hour with the student specifically focusing on internship learning. The plan for supervision will be included in the employment-based application completed by the student and supervisor.
Affiliation Amendment: The agency will complete an amendment to the Aurora University Affiliation Agreement indicating their support of an employment-based internship for the student. The internship cannot be approved without the agency’s approval of this structure.
If the above conditions are met, a student can use their employment hours to count towards the internship hour requirement. Please note, employment-based internships have a weekly maximum number of hours that may be applied toward the field requirement. For BSW/Generalist year internships, students may use up to 16 hours per week towards the internship hour requirement; for Specialist year internships, students may use up to 20 hours per week towards the internship hour requirement.
Using employment hours to meet the internship requirement means students may exceed the internship hour minimums outlined by the Field Department. Students will still be required to be enrolled in both field courses associated with their respective internship level, and will be expected to maintain engagement and complete assignments even if hours have exceeded the minimum requirements.
Students will be asked to complete the Employment-Based Application in order to have this option vetted and approved by their Field Coordinator.
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Students are expected to interview at potential internship sites. This is to ensure the agency will meet your needs and expectations as well as to determine if you are ready for the experience they can provide. Please see the "interview guide," below. This guide is not all encompassing, but provides students ideas as to what questions agencies might ask during the interview.
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Use the example email (below) for outreach to sites. Be sure to customize the words written in blue.
You will send a professional email (from your AU email account) to the site with a cover letter and resume attached (in PDF form).
Example email:
Good afternoon,
I am a current BSW student at Aurora University. I am in the process of searching for an internship for the 2023/2024 school year. If you are currently accepting interns for a summer 2024 start date, I would greatly appreciate the opportunity to interview with your site.
Please find my cover letter and resume attached to this email. I look forward to hearing back from you.
Kindly,
(Name)
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- Students will require a total of 450 hours at the end of the second semester.
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Use these dates when submitting your field application in Tevera:Fall 2023 Internships:
*Start date: August 28th, 2023
End date: May 3th, 2024
APPLICATIONS ARE ACCEPTED 3/2/23-7/1/23.
Spring 2024 Internships:
*Start date:January 8th, 2024
End date: August 16th, 2024.
APPLICATIONS ARE ACCEPTED 7/2/23-11/1/23.
Summer 2024 Internships:
*Start Date: May 6th, 2024
End date: December 9th, 2024
APPLICATIONS ARE ACCEPTED 4/1/24-6/1/24
*Start date: August 26th 2024
End Date: May 3rd, 2025
*The dates you put in the application will be the dates that you are expected to participate at your placement
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Please review the following dates carefully, these are hard deadlines in order to be eligible:
INTERNSHIP TERM: APPLICATION DUE DATE
Summer 2024: March 1st. 2024Fall 2024: June 1st, 2024Spring 2025: November 1st, 2024Summer 2025: March 1st. 2025Fall 2025: June 1st, 2025Spring 2026: November 1st, 2025Guide to the Field Application Process
Once you’ve accepted an offer from an agency, you will complete the Site Selection process in Tevera to begin the field application process. Please begin this process as soon as you accept an offer from an agency to ensure that your start date is not delayed.
For sites already AU approved:
Step 1: Register your Tevera account with the Field Program. For BSW students, you will do this by clicking the Tevera Registration link on your Field Resources Moodle page. For MSW students, you will do this by clicking on the Tevera Registration link on your MSW Registration (on campus) or Program News & Resources (online) Moodle page.
Step 2: You will log into your Tevera account and go to the “Site Placements” tile on your home page, and then go to “my site placements.”
Step 3: You will complete the site placement tasks, selecting the site and supervisor from the already approved lists available in Tevera
Step 4: Once your placement process has been initiated, the field team will begin to review and approve your site placement. This will include confirming student registration in the field courses, verifying affiliation and liability insurance status, and collecting the required pre-requisites, if applicable. See below for more details regarding these steps.
For sites not already AU approved:
Step 1: Register your Tevera account with the Field Program. For BSW students, you will do this by clicking the Tevera Registration link on your Field Resources Moodle page. For MSW students, you will do this by clicking on the Tevera Registration link on your MSW Registration (on campus) or Program News & Resources (online) Moodle page.
Step 2: You will log into your Tevera account and go to the “Site Placements” tile on your home page, and then go to “my site placements.”
Step 3: After completing your pre-application tasks, you will go to “select site” and scroll to the bottom of the page. You will select “suggest site” and enter in the contact email for the agency contact who has offered you the internship position. This will initiate a new site form the site will need to complete and submit.
Step 4: Once your site has completed and submitted the new site form, the field team will begin to review and approve your site placement. This will include confirming student registration in the field courses, verifying affiliation and liability insurance status, and collecting the required pre-requisites, if applicable. See below for more details regarding these steps.
See link below for more support around the application process in Tevera:
https://knowledge.tevera.com/space/SPSHA/741369789/Applying%20for%20Site%20Placement -
Once you submit your field application, the field coordinator may have clarifying questions about the field application as applicable - please answer these questions right away to avoid delays in processing your application.
Once fully processed, a confirmation to start email will be sent. Please do not begin any placement hours prior to your application being fully approved in Tevera.Important Field Roles to Know
Field Placement Instructor: Once you begin your internship, you will be supervised at your field placement by a field instructor (i.e., the supervisor at the agency). All field instructors are to be approved by the School of Social Work.Field Liaison: (AU staff) who is will reinforce your social lens through classroom dialogue, collect all field assignments, and mediate any concerns of that you or the agency may have and to help maximize your learning experience. Your liaison will be the instructor of your field course.
Field Liaison +: As applicable, students whose supervisor does not have an MSW with 2 yrs experience in the field as outlined by CSWE will be required to participate in the Liaison Plus program, which consists of regular Moodle forum posts. Students can confirm if they are in Liaison Plus with their field liaison.