Online Teaching, e-Courses, and Innovative Programs in Social Work Distance Education

In today’s constantly evolving world, learners around the globe are increasingly looking to online teaching and specifically e-course delivery to help them navigate the ever-changing education landscape. For example, data by the World Economic Forum reported that 28 million new online learners enrolled in 68 million courses across Asia Pacific, North America, Europe, and Latin America. Social work education, however, has embraced e-learning more slowly than other disciplines due to concerns of limited interpersonal interactions in online environments, and generic and standardized content that does not always reflect the community context. This chapter will explore innovative programs, tools, and methods that can address concerns of impersonalization and a lack of contextualization in social work online education. A brief history of online learning and e-course development globally and in social work education will be provided as well as an exploration of online teaching, learning, and e-course delivery challenges and opportunities specific to social work education.