Enhancing Diagnostic Competencies in Social Work

Social Work supports people in difficult life situations and advocates for social justice. A central method is individual case work, which means that Social Workers and Social Pedagogues plan and design individual support that caters to people’s life worlds and resources.

In order to strengthen students and practitioners of Social Work in their diagnostic competencies, a transnational team works on the project “TransSoDia”. Under the leadership of Karin Goger and Christina Engel-Unterberger from the St. Pölten UAS, TransSoDia relied on close links between teaching, research, and application. The project team developed digital tools such as multimedia materials in order to support teachers, students, and practitioners of Social Work in acquiring new knowledge and competencies in the field of networks diagnostics and biographic diagnostics.
 
“Our objective is to offer students and experts instruments that facilitate client participation in the diagnostic process and help promote strength- and resource-oriented collaboration with the clients. In the development of web apps and materials for teaching and learning, we paid attention to the consistent linking of theoretical concepts, empirical insights, and practicability”, says Karin Goger, UAS Lecturer in the St. Pölten UAS’ Department of Social Sciences.
 
“The fact that we received funding under Erasmus+ allowed us to bring together teaching, research, and development as well as practical perspectives from different countries. We hope that the wide range of materials – from videos and podcasts through web apps to handbooks and literature collections – will prove helpful for experts, students, and teachers in their work with social diagnostics”, explains Christina Engel-Unterberger, UAS Lecturer in Department of Social Sciences at the St. Pölten UAS.

Further Developing Digital Tools

Social diagnostics is part of the curricula of Social Work and Social Pedagogy at the three partner universities. The project partners teach knowledge and competencies in concepts and instruments of cooperative diagnostics. The further development had a focus on network diagnostics and biographical diagnostics. The technical solutions for creating ego-centred network maps and biographical time bars that were available at the outset of the project were outdated in terms of content and technology. The project team of TransSoDia thus developed modern, web-based software solutions. The web apps’ names – easyNWK and easyBiograph – reflect the goals that the team pursued.
 
“The project TransSoDia affords us an opportunity to further develop the theory of social diagnostics and integrate it into Social Work practice at the same time. With the further developed software for the ego-centred network map (“easyNWK”), we can capture and visualise the complexity of social networks more precisely”, states Professor Joseph Richter-Mackenstein from the Kiel University of Applied Sciences.

Interlinking Teaching, Research, and Practice

Together the project partners developed innovative didactic designs and formats for transnational and digital teaching in higher education and for continuing education in the tertiary sector. They engaged in close exchange with students and practitioners throughout the entire process.
 
“In the TransSoDia project, we place transnational exchange and practical relevance at the centre. This collaboration has made it possible to jointly develop materials and new teaching concepts and to test them in practice as well. This was and is of enormous added value for our students and partners from and in practice. Moreover, we strengthen international networks in Social Work at the same time”, says Lecturer Christian Schwital from the Saxion University of Applied Sciences.
 
The interdisciplinary cooperation with media computer scientists ensured that the software solutions lived up to all professional and technical requirements.
 
“The development of digital tools such as the ego-centred network map and the biographical time bar shows how interdisciplinary collaboration can open up new paths. As media computer scientists, we want to design these tools to be innovative and user-friendly”, emphasises Alexander Rind, researcher at the Institute of Creative\Media/Technologies of the St. Pölten UAS.

Presentation of Project Results on 30 January 2025

For teachers, researchers, and interested professionals of Social Work from the German-speaking area, an international webinar will take place on 30 January.

• Date: Thursday, 30 January 2025
• Time: 09:00–13:00 Uhr (CET)
• Place: Online via ZOOM (access details will be sent out after registration)

The webinar offers

• Insights into the project’s results: web apps (easyNWK and easyBiograph) and contents of the toolkits (articles, handbooks, videos, and podcasts on network diagnostics and biographical diagnostics)
• Good practices: exchange on experiences with the teaching of social diagnostics and tested teaching/learning formats.

Participation is free of charge. Application via email to: christina.engel-unterberger@fhstp.ac.at

About the Project TransSoDia

The three-year project “TransSoDia – Kooperative Soziale Diagnostik transnational und digital lehren und lernen” was carried out under the leadership of the St. Pölten University of Applied Sciences in cooperation with the Kiel University of Applied Sciences (Germany) and the Saxion University of Applied Sciences (Netherlands).

The cooperation partnership receives funding from the EU programme Erasmus+.

Further information on the project as well as further links to the information and learning materials can be found on the following websites:

• Project website TransSoDia
• Website easyNWK
• Website easyBiograph