ABSTRACT
This paper is a based on the author’s experience of coordinating the fieldwork programme in one of the pioneer institutions of social work in the country. The paper delineates the changes in fieldwork during the shift from annual mode to semester mode, a period which coincided with the author’s tenure as Director Field Work and Placements. The period witnessed the entry of a large number of students to the course, and changes introduced mid-semester in the fieldwork curricula to keep pace with the so called ‘changing times’, implying the shift from annual to semester mode. The paper is divided into two sections. Section I examines fieldwork in the context of the Department of Social Work, University of Delhi (DSW), followed by the profiling of the various components as practiced at the DSW. Section II is specific and unique as it traces the author’s experiences with coordination while heading the fieldwork unit of the Department. This section is dealt with in two parts, the first being the ‘transitional period’ which reflects on the coordination skills used during the mid-semester syllabus revision in fieldwork, and the second, detailing the linkages developed during the process among the various stakeholders/partners for effective management of fieldwork practice, the challenges faced and the learning that ensued, given the existing political climate of the workplace.
