Field Educator Orientation Resources

These training resources are designed to help professionals orient to their role as field educator. Whether you are new to the role or need a refresher, our training program allows field educators to individualize content to meet their needs.  

Welcome to Field Education at the UB School of Social Work. We are grateful for your partnership and hope the resources below will equip and enable you to feel supported in your commitment to be a field educator. Please reach out to us anytime with questions: sw-field@buffalo.edu

This module (5 mins) provides an overview of Field education, the field educator orientation, and introduces you to the Field team at the UB School of Social Work.

This module (10 mins) covers the structure of field (when field takes place, the hour requirements for students, field calendar) and roles and responsibilities (of field educator, task supervisor, faculty liaison, and student). 

Link to the field calendar and manuals

This brief module (2 mins) gives an overview of Taskstream and demonstrates how to set up an account (for field educators).  

In this module (6 mins), field educators will learn about the importance of providing MSW students with a comprehensive orientation at the start of placement. The module will also review best practices and where to find orientation-related resources

This module (10 mins) reviews the basics of a learning contract: What it is, how it is developed, and how it is critically important in guiding the field placement.  

UBSSW resources for developing a learning contract

This module (19 mins) will cover the significance of supervision in the field education experience. Field educators and students will gain insight into developing a positive working relationship, understand the importance of regularly scheduled supervision, as well as the importance of providing honest, ongoing feedback. 

This module will assist supervisors with strategies for handling problems that could arise with students in field. Supervisors will understand the importance of problem solving and contacting the Faculty Liaison for support.

This module (10 mins) provides an overview of why and how we evaluate students. A demonstration of completing an evaluation in Taskstream is included.