Reconfiguring Social Work Classrooms in the AI Era: Digital Learning Innovations and their Pedagogical Implications

Abstract

Digital technologies have come to the fore in recent years, rapidly changing higher education worldwide and prompting the professional disciplines to question the established approaches to teaching. Digital learning innovations are already being embraced in social work education, historically focused on face-to-face interaction and training in the field, through alternative instruction and learning models. This paper will concentrate on the impact of digital pedagogy on the social work classroom through learning management systems, virtual simulations, multimedia resources and collaborative technologies, and online. It will explore the application of the innovations in supporting the development of professional skills, critical thinking, digital literacy, and ethical awareness of social work students.

The paper critically assesses the opportunities and challenges that are involved in digital transformation and on how to address the issues of equitable access, faculty preparedness, student involvement, and how to maintain the relational and value-based practice in the virtual world. Digital tools provide flexibility and new learning opportunities, but their implementation should be consistent with the social justice, human dignity and ethical practice in the profession. The article argues that the responsible use of digital pedagogy fosters and does not harm humanistic underpinnings of social work education. It concludes by highlighting need for redesign of the curriculum, training of faculty and institutional support to make the digital innovation sustainable and ethical.

Keywords: Curriculum Transformation; Digital Inclusion; Educational Innovation; Learning Management Systems; Professional Competency Development