Glossary of Field Practicum Terminology

Coordinator of Field Practicum Programs: The faculty member who has overall responsibility for the Practicum Program at the OUSSW. This faculty member also serves as Practicum Coordinator for programs on the Norman campus.

Practicum Coordinator: The faculty member who is responsible for the Practicum Program on either the Norman or Tulsa campus. All placements must be approved by the Practicum Coordinator on the individual student’s campus.

Practicum Liaison Faculty (Faculty Liaison): The faculty member who oversees the student’s experience in Practicum, visits the student at the placement site, serves as the instructor of record, and awards the student’s grade.

Practicum Instructor: The social worker who provides on-site supervision at the placement site. Usually, the Practicum Instructor is an employee of the site. All MSW students must be assigned to a Practicum Instructor who has an MSW. BSW students may be assigned to a Practicum Instructor with either an MSW or BSW. Each student must meet with his or her Practicum Instructor for at least one hour of supervision weekly. The Practicum Instructor participates in evaluation of the student’s performance and recommends a grade.

Practicum Preceptor: Some sites elect to assign a Preceptor. A Preceptor is a site employee who provides some daily guidance for the student. Generally, a preceptor does not qualify as a Practicum Instructor. In some cases, site administration decides to delegate the official role of instructor to one MSW employee who then assigns preceptorship to another MSW but retains the overall responsibility for the student’s practicum experience.

Practicum Agency or Facility or Site: The agency or facility where students are placed for practicum. All sites must have a legal written affiliation agreement with the OUSSW. Sites may include hospitals, schools, social service agencies, and correctional facilities as well as community-based agencies and programs. Most sites are private non-profit agencies, public agencies, or hospitals.

Concurrent Placement: A placement that occurs during the same semester as classroom coursework.  Generally students in a concurrent placement spend 18-24 hours at their practicum site each week.

Block Placement: A placement that occurs during a semester in which students take little or no classroom work and spend 36-38 hours per week at the placement.