Social Work Capstone Projects

John Poulin is a Professor, Emeritus and Adjunct Professor at Widener University's Center for Social Work Education, where he has taught generalist practice, research and policy courses for 32 years. As an adjunct professor he is currently teaching the foundation field seminar in Widener's On-Line MSW Program. He received a BA from the University of Southern Maine, an MSW from the University of Michigan, and a Ph.D. from the University of Chicago's School of Social Service Administration. The former director of Widener's BSW program, he founded its MSW program and served as the dean and director for 13 years. He also served for 10 years as the executive director of Social Work Consultation Services (SWCS); an innovative community-based field placement agency developed by the school of social work in collaboration with a local community human service organization. SWCS provides a wide range for free social work services to low income community residents as well as free capacity building services to under-resourced community based human service organizations and served as field placement site for 100s of BSW and MSW students. Dr. Poulin has published numerous journal articles and book chapters and five social work textbooks. Stephen Kauffman is a Professor at Widener University's Center for Social Work Education, where he has taught community practice, program evaluation, research and policy since 1991. Since receiving his Ph.D. from Bryn Mawr College and his M.S.W. from Washington University in St. Louis. His research and practice have focused on citizen participation and community and organizational responses to global problems, such as environmental decay, poverty (in all its dimensions), and education. With this focus, major research projects have included program evaluations of USDOJ violence prevention programs, USHHS housing programs, Century 21 school performance studies, lead abatement, and teenage pregnancy prevention. The programs (and evaluations) have received funding from U.S. Department of Justice, US Department of Housing and Urban Development, the state of Pennsylvania, and several private foundations. Most recently, his work has targeted the relationship between Universities and their surrounding environments. He has published in Social Work, Journal of Social Work Education, Journal of Community Practice, Journal of Baccalaureate Social Work and elsewhere. Travis Sky Ingersoll is an Associate Professor of Social Work at West Chester University. He received his Doctor of Philosophy in Human Sexuality, and two master's degrees, one in Social Work and the other in Education at Widener University. Dr. Ingersoll weaves important sexual health information into every class he teaches, from race relations to social policy. His course "Sexuality Concepts for Social Workers" focuses on training social work students to be competent and comfortable addressing the sexual health concerns of their clients. Outside of his role as a college professor, Dr. Ingersoll has guest-lectured and facilitated interactive workshops in person and through distance-learning technologies, domestically and internationally, on a variety of topics. His presentations have educated groups about how to teach sensitive topics, cross-cultural sexuality, sexual health, sexuality throughout the lifespan, sexually transmitted infections, sexual orientation, intimate relationship violence, media's role in the promotion of sexual violence among men, trans-realities and the gender spectrum, how to utilize the Fear of Intimacy Scale in clinical settings, and recognizing the myriad opportunities for producing sexuality scholarship. Dr. Ingersoll's academic publications include the textbook "Sexuality Concepts for Social Workers," international studies examining the fear of intimacy, sexual anxiety, gender roles, and implementing clinical interventions to residents of elderly communities.

Part 1 - Getting Started
Capstone Projects, Professional Competencies and Ethical Applied Research
Capstone Projects
Strategies for Effective Writing
Identifying a Research Topic
Data Collection
Part 2 - Applied Research Designs
Program Evaluations:Policies,Process and Outcome Assessments
Needs Assessments
Qualitative Concepts, Approaches and Processes
Practice Effectiveness Evaluations
Part 3 - Data Collection and Analysis

Quantitative Data Analysis
Beginning Phases of Qualitative Research
Qualitative Research Analysis: Data Coding, Analysis, Interpretation, and Reporting Results
Part 4 - Writing and Presentations
Writing your Capstone Paper
Presenting your Capstone Project