Teaching Direct Practice Skills Using Web-Based Simulations: Home Visiting in the Virtual World

Social work programs increasingly are engaged in deploying distance education models, yet questions remain about how to teach direct practice skills within this context. As field agency changes have limited practice opportunities for social work students, methods for helping interns develop direct practice skills in diverse field practicum settings also are needed. This paper describes a direct practice course initiative in which a virtual simulation of a home visit was developed in Second Life. Descriptions of the steps that were involved in developing and implementing this initiative, feedback from the students and instructors, and resources necessary to launch such an initiative are discussed.