The aim of this scoping review was to identify, synthesize, and report research on reflective collaborative learning through virtual communities of practice (vCoP), which, to our knowledge, is scarce. A second aim was to identify, synthesize, and report research on the facilitators and barriers associated with resilience capacity and knowledge acquisition through vCoP. The literature was searched in PsycINFO, CINAHL, Medline, EMBASE, Scopus, and Web of Science. The Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews (PRISMA) and Meta-Analyses for Scoping Reviews (ScR) framework guided the review. Ten studies were included in the review, seven quantitative and three qualitative studies, written in English and published from January 2017 to February 2022. The data were synthesized using a numerical descriptive summary and qualitative thematic analysis. Two themes: ‘knowledge acquisition’ and ‘strengthening resilience capacity’ emerged. The literature synthesis provides evidence of a vCoP as a digital space that supports knowledge acquisition and strengthens resilience for persons with dementia, and their informal and formal caregivers. Hence, the use of vCoP seems to be useful for dementia care support. Further studies including less developed countries are, however, needed to enable generalizability of the concept of vCoP across countries.

This qualitative study explores student learning progression through reflective writing on a tertiary-level course in social work. The study is based on the content analysis of three sets of data: student reflective writing, instructor formative feedback on this writing, and student end-of-course reflections. Our findings demonstrate that structured, scaffolded reflection and continuous formative feedback stimulated learning progression, increased awareness of one’s own learning strategies, and supported the adoption of an explorative, reflective stance in students. Therefore, the experimental course design with several reflective tasks created the sought-after intersection of the academic and professional literacies. This design stimulated student engagement and resulted in high attendance. This design is particularly suitable in heterogeneous classrooms and promotes student inclusion and active learning.

The aim of this study was to compare perceptions of learning from the COVID-19 pandemic and beliefs in subsequent changes for the future, among care home and home care staff, in four European countries. A 29-item on-line questionnaire was designed in English and later translated into Swedish, Italian, and German on the impact of the pandemic on stress and anxiety. Anonymous data from care staff respondents was collected in four countries between 07.10.2020 and the 17.12.2020: Sweden (n = 212), Italy (n = 103), Germany (n = 120), and the United Kingdom (n = 167). While care staff in all countries reported learning in multiple areas of care practice, Italy reported the highest levels of learning and the most agreement that changes will occur in the future due to the pandemic. Conversely, care staff in Germany reported low levels of learning and reported the least agreement for change in the future. While the pandemic has strained care home and home care staff practices, our study indicates that much learning of new skills and knowledge has taken place within the workforce. Our study has demonstrated the potential of cross-border collaborations and experiences for enhancing knowledge acquisition in relation to societal challenges and needs. The results could be built upon to improve future health care and care service practices.

Higher education institutions (HEIs) have a pivotal role in fulfilling the social dimension of sustainability and contributing to a complex changing society. To meet these challenges, Malmö University has in interdisciplinary groups researched the role of challenge-based learning (CBL) in relation to staff, students, disciplines, and stakeholders. This position paper is based on that work. Malmö University argues that with a CBL approach, HEIs will actively contribute to the building of a sustainable learning society through collaboration in education, research, and innovation. This paper theoretically explores the CBL approach as a collaborative learning exchange within HEIs and society at large. CBL is defined through eight key elements, clustered as entities of three domains: diversity and inclusion, co-creation and collaboration, and change agents and contextual challenges. These are discussed and empirically exemplified with the purpose to support designing, planning, and accomplishing CBL in teaching and learning in HE for a global learning society.

This paper aims to reflect on internationalisation in social work education in a collaborative context. The research question addressed is how collaborative online international learning (COIL) supports the concept of Internationalisation at Home (IaH) to promote glocal knowledge in innovative social work education. The study is case-based, in which a thematic webinar on human rights issues connected students of social work from various countries in an international classroom. It discusses how the concept of Internationalisation at Home can be used effectively in practice through participatory design and participant feedback. The main conclusion of this case-based paper is that social work education should promote innovative learning scenarios that support the glocal approach, so that students are able to ‘act locally and think globally’, supported by a blended learning design.

Straipsnyje siekiama reflektyviai apmąstyti internacionalizaciją socialinio darbo studijose žvelgiant bendradarbiavimo aspektu. Tyrimo klausimas, kaip mokymasis bendradarbiaujant nuotolinių tarptautinių studijų atveju dera su internacionalizacijos namuose sąvoka ir plečia glokalias žinias inovatyvių socialinio darbo studijų atveju. Atvejo analize paremtam tyrimui atlikti pasitelktas nuotolinis seminaras, kuriame studentai iš įvairių šalių susirinkę vienoje auditorijoje mokėsi kartu su nuotoliu prisijungusiais užsienio studentais. Analizuojama, kaip internacionalizacijos namuose sąvoka gali būti veiksmingai vartojama praktiškai, taikant dalyvių įtraukimą ir grįžtamąjį ryšį. Kadangi ypatingų iššūkių kelia migracijos problema, pagrindine išvada teigiama, kad socialinio darbo studijos turėtų taikyti inovatyvaus mokymosi metodus, kurie skatina glokalų požiūrį, ugdo gebėjimą lokaliai veikti ir globaliai mąstyti bei derina, mišrias mokymosi formas.

The COVID-19 pandemic has affected care workers all over the globe, as older and more vulnerable people face a high risk of developing severe symptoms and dying from the virus infection. The aim of this study was to compare staff experiences of stress and anxiety as well as internal and external organizational support in Sweden, Italy, Germany, and the United Kingdom (UK) in order to determine how care staff were affected by the pandemic. A 29-item online questionnaire was used to collect data from care staff respondents: management (n = 136), nurses (n = 132), nursing assistants (n = 195), and other healthcare staff working in these organizations (n = 132). Stress and anxiety levels were highest in the UK and Germany, with Swedish staff showing the least stress. Internal and external support only partially explain the outcomes. Striking discrepancies between different staff groups’ assessment of organizational support as well as a lack of staff voice in the UK and Germany could be key factors in understanding staff’s stress levels during the pandemic. Structural, political, cultural, and economic factors play a significant role, not only factors within the care organization or in the immediate context.

Building on existing research and experiences regarding the use of supportive and assistive technology -- called welfare technology -- in elderly care, we have developed a framework to represent a holistic view of the complex tangle of factors contributing to the sustainable integration of these technologies into the elder care context. The framework is described here for the purpose of initiating a conversation regarding the framework with interested researchers. At the same time discussions are also being conducted with managers, caregivers, and other stakeholders involved in welfare technology deployment in eldercare in Sweden. Our ultimate goal with the framework is to provide general guidelines that municipalities and care organizations can use to improve the quality of life for elderly citizens through the successful selection, rollout and use of welfare technology that meets the needs not only of the elderly citizens needing support but also of the care providers and organizations. 

In this article, we aim to identify and explore possibilities and challenges of academicinterdisciplinary capacities and ethos. The objective is that this knowledge could be used both infuture interdisciplinary research projects and in educational settings. We achieve this through selfreflectivelearning processes among a group of interdisciplinary scholars from four distinctly differentsubjects. The method used is an autoethnographic and empirical self-reflective approach to datacollection, analysis and deconstruction of professional learning processes. This also serves to establishresearch methodological trustworthiness and authenticity. The results show that interdisciplinarityis undervalued by grant-giving institutions and the academic system, in general. It also entailstime-consuming and risky research practices. However, interdisciplinary and collaborative researchcreates a more innovative and stimulating learning environment and enforces new ways of thinkingand doing, in ascertaining each individual’s knowledge and competences. We argue that a long-terminterdisciplinary and collaborative research process could enhance and raise a critical thinking andcreative consciousness among scholars, contributing to a more holistic, sustainable and socially robustlearning in research and higher education. Finally, we conclude that this academic interdisciplinarycapacity and ethos could be framed and enhanced by the notion of Challenge-Based Learning.

This article is based on an international comparative social policy module held annually at MalmöUniversity (Sweden) with partner universities from several countries. Our study examines the results ofintra- and interpersonal dynamics among participants and lecturers, which we call "productive tension", inrelation to overarching questions about knowledge acquisition and the importance of reflexivity andreflectivity in the learning process. Students and faculty create a "community of practice" (CoP) (Lave &Wenger 1991) that benefits from a continuous interactive environment and direct engagement. Our studyuses a mixed method approach. The analysis considers qualitative data from interviews with theparticipating students and quantitative data from questionnaires. In this article, we focus on theproductive tension inherent in the reflective and reflexive processes. Reflective and reflexive processes areidentified that influence the students' experience of cross-border cooperation and their professionalidentity. Our study also demonstrates how the knowledge about "Social Work" as a profession can bebroadened through international comparative teaching and learning. The main conclusion of this work isthat reflective and reflexive learning processes in social work education enable participants to see andunderstand themselves from a broader perspective and strengthen their own professional identity.

Dieser Artikel basiert auf einem internationalen, vergleichenden sozialpolitischen Modul, welches alljährlichan der Universität Malmö (Schweden) mit Partneruniversitäten aus mehreren Ländern abgehalten wird.Unsere Studie untersucht die Resultate einer intra- und interpersonellen Dynamik unter den Teilnehmer/-innen und Dozent/-innen, die wir als „produktive Spannung“ bezeichnen, in Bezug auf übergreifende Fragenzum Wissenserwerb und zur Bedeutung von Reflexivität und Reflektivität im Lernprozess. Studentinn/-enund Dozent/-innen schaffen eine „Community of Practice“ (CoP) (Lave & Wenger 1991), die von einerdauerhaften, interaktiven Umgebung und einer direkten Beteiligung profitiert. Unsere Studie verwendeteinen Ansatz mit gemischten Methoden. Die Analyse berücksichtigt qualitative Daten aus Interviews mit denteilnehmenden Studierenden und quantitative Daten aus Fragebögen. In diesem Artikel wird insbesonderedie produktive Spannung thematisiert, die den reflexiven und reflektierenden Prozessen innewohnt. In dieserStudie werden reflexive und reflektierende Prozesse aufgezeigt, die die Erfahrung der Studierenden imRahmen einer grenzüberschreitenden Zusammenarbeit und ihre berufliche Identität beeinflussen. In unserStudie wird auch demonstriert, wie das Wissen über die Profession „Soziale Arbeit“ durch internationalvergleichendes Lehren und Lernen vergrößert wird. Die Hauptschlussfolgerung dieser Arbeit ist, dassreflexive und reflexive Lernprozesse in der Sozialarbeitspädagogik die Teilnehmenden befähigen, sich selbstaus einer breiteren Perspektive zu sehen und zu verstehen und ihre eigene berufliche Identität zu stärken.

This chapter reflects on internationalization in Social work education out of a national and local context. The content of Social Work Education in Sweden is, to a large extent, governed by national guidelines, due to the professional title of Socionom. The concepts of social work and social care are integrated in the degree. Only around one out of ten of all social workers have a Master degree. There is an ongoing process of professionalization in Social work with a strong connection between research, education and practice. The aim of this chapter is to give a contribution to Social Work education out of a swedish context.