Digital Technologies in Human Services - Micro-credential

Overview

Who is this Micro-credential for?  

• This micro-credential is for professionals and managers working in human and social services such as social work, social care work, healthcare, and education.

• The micro-credential will also be relevant to those aspiring to work or upskilling to work in human and social services.

Why should I take this Micro-credential?  

• The digital skill needs of professionals are increasing at pace as our use of digital technologies intensifies as a result of the Covid-19 pandemic. 

• Supported by a European and national policy agenda driving digital transformation, human services are increasingly delivered using such technologies such as video conferencing and social media. Services management too draws on digital technologies such as big data and machine learning.

• This digital transformation requires ongoing technical skill upgrading for all workers e.g. learning new systems and packages. For human service professionals and managers, it also requires new thinking on how to build and protect relationships in a digital environment.

• This course aims to increase learners’ awareness of the types of digital technologies used in human services with an emphasis on information and communication technologies,

• Learners will evaluate the positive and negative impacts associated with the use of digital technologies in human services and consider issues such as privacy, confidentiality, boundary management and surveillance.

When can I start this Micro-credential? 

• There is one intake per year in January

• Next available start date: 30th January 2023 

What do I need to be accepted onto this Micro-credential? – Entry requirements & Prerequisite documents  

• Applicants must have an NFQ Level 8 qualification. You will need to provide your CV and your university or college transcript. You should have experience of working or volunteering in a human services setting.

What will I learn? 

On successful completion of this micro-credential, learners will be able to: 

1. Identify the policy context and other drivers of digital technology use in human services and human service organisations. 

2. Explain the nature and scope of digital technologies use in human services. 

3. Assess the benefits and challenges associated with the use of technology in human services mindful of the distinctiveness of human service organisations and their context. 

4. Evaluate the impact of technology use on key stakeholders such as professionals and service users.

What will I do? 

• You will learn about the types of digital technologies used in human services delivery and management and the factors driving the use of these technologies. You will apply this learning to the human services settings you are familiar with – what technologies do they use, what is driving this use?

• You will learn about the distinctiveness of human services and how this impacts on technology use. You will discuss with other learners – why is a social worker’s use of technology different to a car mechanic’s use of technology?

• You will learn how to access current research from around the world on the impacts of digital technologies on key stakeholders such as service users and professionals. You will accumulate an evidence base to help you analyse – what are positive and negative impacts of a specific digital technology?

• You will engage directly with the benefits and challenges of the use of specific digital technologies in a specific human service, for a current, or future, employment or volunteering setting.

How will this Micro-credential be delivered? 

• This micro-credential will be delivered entirely online and allows for a significant portion of independent study to be done each week by learners at a time and place that suits them.  Each week a topic will be released and you will listen to an audio visual presentation about the topic and deepen your understanding by reading some current research papers and policies. You will complete some exercises to test your understanding and prepare you for discussion with others.

• Each week learners will then come together as a group with the co-ordinator in a live online class to discuss that week’s topic, share experiences and perspectives and get feedback on exercises. 

• The only fixed time commitment on this module is a two-hour live class each week for six weeks which will take place online between 7-9pm on Tuesday evenings (TBC).

• There will be a break in the middle of the six weeks of classes and an optional assessment guidance class at the end.

• There will be four weeks after the end of the course to prepare and submit the assessment.

How is this Micro-credential assessed? 

• The assessment for the module is a written proposal regarding the use of a digital technology in a human service. The proposal will be grounded in a review of published literature and applied to a specific human service and its given setting. The service and its setting will be one that is familiar to the learner e.g., as a staff member, volunteer, or service user.