Social Work Education in a Digital World: Technology Standards for Education and Practice

Technology has transformed the nature of social work education. Whether it is used to supplant or supplement face-to-face instruction, social worker educators must keep pace with rapidly developing standards of practice and related ethical standards. Standards promulgated jointly by the Council on Social Work Education, National Association of Social Workers, Association of Social Work Boards, and Clinical Social Work Association create new benchmarks for social work educators. This article provides an overview of the new standards, especially related to the diverse ways in which technology is being used in social work education, instructor competence, academic standards, and field education. This article explores the new standards' broad implications for contemporary social work education in the digital age.