I Spy Implicit Curriculum

The Council on Social Work Education (CSWE, 2022) requires undergraduate and graduate social work programs to conduct self studies to ensure programs meet required standards for accreditation. Of particular interest in this case study was the examination of implicit curriculum – the program’s commitment to inclusive excellence, policies and procedures, advising, student participation, faculty engagement, administrative structure, resources, etc. (CSWE, 2022). A Department of Social Work located in the Midwest collected data from graduating students (n = 269) in both the BSW and MSW programs regarding their overall learning climate from 2020-2022. This project introduced a new scale for assessing implicit curriculum using a cross-sectional, web-based design. Overall students believed the programs allowed them to speak up about diversity issues important to them. Students felt encouraged with the program’s approach to meaningful conversations about diversity topics. Students felt vested partners in the department demonstrated a meaningful commitment to diversity, respected students, and provided a comforting environment for sharing concerns. Inferential statistics also indicated no significant differences in experiences between students based on race/ethnicity, online versus face-to-face, or first-generation student status. A significant difference did exist in relation to a student’s sexual orientation. The article concludes with implications for social work education and future research directions. This includes specific ways programs can identify concerns related to implicit curriculum from a proactive lens.