Fayetteville State University is planning to incorporate virtual simulation AI technology into its social work department. The technology was made available through a partnership between FSU, the University of Utah, and the Cumberland County Department of Social Services.
Social work students use the tech on their laptops. Michelle Bates, an associate professor and interim Master of Social Work program director at FSU, said the virtual simulation takes the student through various stages of disarray in a home.
“What we do is go through the home and identify what might be a concern," she said. “For example, if there are children living in the home, what might we want to say to the family that, 'hey, this might be something that we may need to discuss, to put away like a gun being left out on a table, right? That's a big issue. Maybe there's an open bottle of Tylenol.'”
Students in the social work department can participate in using the virtual simulated AI technology at different stages of their degree programs. Undergraduate students get the training during their final semester, and graduate students receive it during their first year of their master’s degree program.
Bates said adding this type of training to the program ensures social workers are more prepared. She added that she hopes it helps reduce turnover among social workers in North Carolina.
“So, right now, the turnover is anywhere between 30-50% here in North Carolina, which our rural, smaller counties are experiencing more than 50% for various reasons,” she said.
Bates said those reasons include improper training and low salaries. The simulated artificial intelligence technology will be implemented within FSU’s social work department starting in January.
According to a release, Fayetteville State University is the first Historically Black College and University in North Carolina to include virtual simulation AI technology in its social work program.
