Teaching Social Work Practice in Israel During COVID-19: Reflections and Lessons Learned

The academic world worked hard to provide practical solutions for learning and teaching during the coronavirus pandemic (COVID-19) when, within a very short period of time, universities and word fieldworksocial work schools had to adapt the educational process exclusively to online teaching and learning. Although institutions of higher education provided training and support to faculty members in terms of online teaching, for some, the online course design process and implementation seemed vaguely outlined and challenging.In this chapter, we will introduce the reader to models of teaching social work practice that emerged during the pandemic. Based on a review of the literature, we will describe the challenges experienced by faculty members and students when teaching and learning, respectively, in online courses. Based on several vignettes and the authors' reflections, we will discuss relevant challenges and successes when designing and delivering a traditional face-to-face course in an online environment. Recommendations will be provided for pedagogical adaptations during emergency situations/crises, such as the COVID-19 pandemic, when social work educators and supervisors aim to construct a beneficial learning process by combining online and face-to-face lessons that promote meaningful student learning processes.