Role of field instructors

The field is where theory turns into practice.

Students have the opportunity to put what they have learned in class by working in community settings in service to others. Field experiences are intended to help students apply the knowledge and skills of social work practice. None of this is possible without the support and commitment of our field agencies and field instructors.

Access our field database

We organize and track our students and placements through the use of our field database,Tevera. It is important to keep this up to date as much as possible, especially with the appropriate contact person. The username for this database is the email address of the contact person and whatever password this person has selected. If the login information is lost, please send an email to swfld@vcu.edu.

If your agency has a new employee who wants to be a field instructor for us, please have them email swfld@vcu.edu. As part of a CSWE-accredited school of social work, the Office of Field Education must approve each new field instructor.

Log in to the VCU field placement database

Working with students

As a field instructor, you will mentor students during their field experiences with an agency. You and the student will create a learning plan that will specify what the student will learn and how the learning will take place, and you will provide supervision to help the student stay on track.

Field instructor responsibilities

About process recordings

Students are required to write at least one process recording each month and submit it to field instructors for written feedback.

Process recordings are an integral part of the learning experience in the field. They provide students with the opportunity to reflect on their work, build self-awareness and share their experiences and thoughts with you, and teach them how to relate theory to practice. The focus of any process recording could be work with an individual, family or couple; a small client group; a professional meeting; or a critical analysis of macro practice. 

Process Recording 101 for Students has been developed as a resource to help students get the most out of this educational assignment; it might be useful for you to review this as well.

We are here to help

Each student and field instructor is assigned a faculty field liaison from the VCU School of Social Work who is primarily responsible for facilitating student learning that takes place in the field. The field liaison will monitor the student’s progress, advocate for appropriate educational opportunities and evaluate the student’s achievements.

In addition, the field liaison will meet with you and your student together periodically throughout the year to evaluate learning opportunities and the student’s growth. The field liaison is also available to you for support. Your field liaison is available for consultation regarding appropriate learning activities, to provide you with resources to further facilitate student learning or to problem-solve concerns about your student, agency or the placement situation.

Access the field education manual

The VCU School of Social Work field education manual is required reading for all students and field instructors and contains detailed information about the expectations and policies of field education.

Review documents and forms

Looking for a form or handbook? Access the following and more on our documents and forms page:

Find upcoming dates and deadlines

It is important to stay informed of important dates, which we post to the Office of Field Education field instructor calendar.

Contact us

Have questions? Contact us at swfld@vcu.edu for lost login information and general questions.