Academic Affairs

The Academic Affairs Committee ensures that academic programs, practicum education and curriculum are aligned with the mission of the Boston University School of Social Work and the Council on Social Work Education; are rigorous and represent a high standard of excellence; and uphold values of academic freedom. The AAC is charged with the critical responsibility of reviewing and approving academic programs, new and revised curriculum, including courses and practicum education, and developing or revising policy governing academic standing, code of ethics, and code of conduct.

Functions  

The Academic Affairs Committee ensures the quality and coherence of academic programs and practicum education within the BU School of Social Work through systematic and rigorous review. The AAC develops, reviews, and recommends (as appropriate) new and revised policies relevant to academic standing, code of ethics, and code of professional conduct. 

1. Reviews program and certificate proposals and advances approved proposals to Faculty for discussion and vote. If approved, advance to the Graduate Academic Programs and Policies (GAPP) Committee via eCAP.  
2. Reviews course proposals and advance approved proposals to the Registrar, Office of Academic Affairs, and eCAP as required. This includes analysis and alignment of courses across program platforms (CRC, Hybrid, OLP). 
3. Reviews proposals for dissolution of existing courses, specializations, and programs and recommends approved dissolutions to the faculty.  
4. Develops new policy, reviews existing academic standards and policies, revises the Handbook on Policies & Procedures on an annual basis, and makes recommendations for additions and changes to the faculty.  
5. Collaborates with the Department Chairs & Coordinators, Program Assessment Committee, and the Office of Career Development and Alumni Relations to effect regular, systematic academic program review and to promote continuous program innovation. 
6. Collaborates with the Office of Data & Enrollment Management to ensure that approved changes to courses and programs are reflected in relevant University systems, such as the course inventory and the Academic Bulletin. 
7. Communicates major programmatic and policy changes to the SSW community (faculty, staff, administrators, admissions, and students). 

Membership 

Committee Composition (co-chaired by ADAA and Staff/Administrator): 

• Associate Dean for Academic Affairs  
• Associate Dean for Doctoral Education 
• Associate Dean of Equity & Inclusion  
• Assistant Dean of Student Experience (or designated representative)
• Program Assessment Chair 
• Assistant Dean of Practicum Education (or designated representative) 
• Director of Data and Enrollment Management & Registrar 
• MSW Director of Inclusive Pedagogy 
• Academic Affairs Staff/Administrator 
• 1 Department Chair (rotating 2-year appointment)
• 1 faculty member (elected, 2-year appointment) 
• 2 Student representatives (via application process)

Meetings are held on Tuesdays from 10:00-11:30. Submit materials for review to acadssw@bu.edu at least one week prior to the meeting.

Fall Semester

• September 16 (submit materials by September 9)
• October 7 (submit materials by September 30)
• November 4 (submit materials by October 28)
• December 2 (submit materials by November 25)

Spring Semester

• January 20 (submit materials by January 13)
• February 17 (submit materials by February 10)
• March 24 (submit materials by March 17)
• April 21 (submit materials by April 14)
• May 26 (submit materials by May 19)

Note: The Dean approved faculty compensation for developing new courses or revising existing ones to align with the 2022 CSWE competencies (through August 2025). Continued compensation will be contingent upon the school’s budget.

Approval Flow: Chair > Department > AAC > eCAP (if the new course will be required in an existing degree program)

1. Pre-Approval must be obtained before developing a new course. Proposer completes the Pre-Approval to Develop or Revise a Course form. For in-person instruction, the form will be forwarded to the appropriate Department Chair. For online instruction, the BUSSW’s Assistant Dean of Teaching and Innovation will bring it to the Department Chair and the BUV Instructional Design team.
2. After receiving approval from the Department Chair, the proposer prepares and submits a Comprehensive Course Syllabus MS Word document to the Department Chair for discussion and review by departmental faculty. Allow time for any revisions the department may suggest.
3. If approved by the department, the Department Chair submits the Comprehensive Course Syllabus (and Change to an Existing Degree proposal, when required) to the Academic Affairs Committee at acadssw@bu.edu. The Academic Affairs Manager pairs the syllabus with the previously submitted Pre-Approval to Develop or Revise a Course From for review by the AAC. Please note that materials are due one week before the posted AAC meeting date. Allow time for any revisions requested by the AAC.
4. If approved by the ACC, the Office of Academic Affairs submits an eCAP for review (if necessary). If approved by the Provost’s Office,
5. If approved by the Provost’s Office, the Director for the Data & Enrollment Management Office/Registrar and the Academic Affairs Manager will add the course to the official University inventory and Bulletin, respectively.

Note: The Dean approved faculty compensation for developing new courses or revising existing ones to align with the 2022 CSWE competencies (through August 2025). Continued compensation will be contingent upon the school’s budget.

Approval Flow: Chair > Department > AAC

1. Pre-Approval must be obtained before revising an existing course. Proposer completes the Pre-Approval to Develop or Revise a Course Form. For in-person instruction, the form will be forwarded to the appropriate Department Chair. For online instruction, the BUSSW’s Assistant Dean of Teaching and Innovation will bring it to the Department Chair and the BUV Instructional Design team.
2. After receiving approval from the Department Chair, the proposer prepares and submits an Updated Course Syllabus MS Word document to the Department Chair for discussion and review by departmental faculty. Allow time for any revisions the department may suggest.
3. If approved by the department, the Department Chair submits the form to Academic Affairs via email at acadssw@bu.edu. Note: The AAC does not need to review the changes unless the course description, learning objectives, and/or competencies have been significantly updated. Minor course changes may be submitted to acadssw@bu.edu at any time and do not require a submission a week in advance. Submissions to the Academic Affairs email address serve as a centralized repository for all curricular changes.
4. When applicable, the Director for the Data & Enrollment Management Office/Registrar and the Academic Affairs Manager will add the course to the official University inventory and Bulletin, respectively.

Submitting Transfer Credits as an Incoming Transfer Student

Incoming Transfer Students should follow the steps outlined here.

Requesting Pre-Approval for Transfer Credits as a Current Student

It may be possible to obtain permission to take a graduate level course at a college or university that is not part of the Consortium (see more about the Consortium below). Students must submit materials via the transfer credit request form before the beginning of the class. After the completion of the course, the student must submit an official transcript to the SSW Registrar to receive transfer credit. The grade for a transfer course must be a B or above, and will not be factored in to determine a student’s grade point average. 

Cross Registration within another BU Graduate School

SSW students are eligible to cross-register for graduate courses in other graduate schools and programs within Boston University. The student must obtain the course description for the course they wish to enroll in and apply for approval from the Office of Academic Affairs via this form. Approval letters are sent by the Office of Academic Affairs to the student, their SSA/advisor, and the SSW Registrar. Although the number of credits per course varies from school-to-school, the student will receive credit for one SSW course (3 credits), for each approved course taken elsewhere at Boston University. Once the course has been approved, students should use the MyBU Student Portal to register prior to the University start date. After the University start date, students should follow regular registration procedures. 

Cross Registration with Consortium Colleges and Universities  

The cross-registration privilege applies for the following Consortium members: Boston College, Hebrew College, Tufts University, and Brandeis University. Students will be charged BUSSW tuition. Students wishing to cross register at a consortium school can obtain information here. SSW students are allowed to take one Consortium class per semester. A Consortium class will automatically appear on the BU transcript, and no additional tuition charges will be added for full time students. After completion of an approved course taken at a Consortium School, grades will be submitted by the Consortium School. 

• MSW Handbook
• PhD Handbook
• Research Waiver Exam 

Teaching Handbook

The Boston University School of Social Work Faculty Handbook provides comprehensive guidance for part-time faculty across all teaching modalities and campuses. It outlines academic policies, instructional expectations, teaching resources, and important procedures to support faculty in delivering a high-quality, inclusive educational experience. All instructors are encouraged to review the handbook thoroughly and reference it throughout the academic year.

Training Opportunities

At BUSSW, we are committed to fostering excellence and equity in teaching across all modalities. Faculty have access to a robust array of teaching resources designed to support inclusive, anti-oppressive, and student-centered learning environments.

Our Inclusive Pedagogy Training Series offers eight distinct sessions throughout the academic year, providing practical tools and frameworks for advancing equity and belonging in the classroom.

In addition, we host two Teaching Colloquia each year, which create space learning of new topics, peer exchange, and reflection on pedagogical innovation.

These resources are designed to support continuous learning and to affirm our collective commitment to anti-oppressive social work education. Therefore, we try to make continuing education credits available for our workshops and colloquia.

If you’d like recordings of previous trainings and colloquia, please reach out to Lyndsey McMahan. Examples of past training topics include Introduction to Inclusive Pedagogy, Building Community in the Classroom, Integrating Anti-Oppressive Practice into Teaching, and Utilizing Technology for Inclusive Education.

Teaching Observations

In alignment with our school’s commitment to inclusive, high-quality instruction, we have implemented a formative, developmental peer review of teaching process for part-time faculty. The process includes a brief pre-observation consultation, a structured in-class observation, and a post-observation feedback session. Observers focus on five core areas of instructional practice aligned with our educational mission, with particular attention to accessibility, student engagement, and integration of anti-oppressive frameworks. Faculty participants also are encouraged to reflect on the experience through suggested prompts on the shared form. The approach is designed to support instructional growth, fulfill union obligations, and elevate teaching as a collective and reflective practice. If you are currently teaching at BUSSW and would like to have your class observed, please email Lyndsey McMahan.

Teaching at BUSSW

If you are interested in teaching at BUSSW, please fill out this form.

Boston University’s course evaluation policies, effective Fall 2023, introduce a standardized, university-wide online platform called Blue, aimed at enhancing the consistency and effectiveness of course assessments across all academic units.

BU Course Evaluations Offer the Following:

• Standardized Evaluation Questions: All BU courses utilize a core set of questions designed to assess course organization, learning objectives, student learning outcomes, and inclusivity. Schools and colleges may add additional questions at the college level, subject to approval by the Assistant Provost for Academic Assessment. Individual departments or faculty cannot add questions.
• Confidentiality and Response Thresholds: To protect student privacy, evaluation reports are only accessible when at least four students have responded. Evaluations are conducted for all courses, regardless of enrollment size, ensuring broad student participation. Faculty should not enter grades for
  any course until after the evaluation window has closed.
• Automated Reporting: Evaluation results are released automatically in accordance with BU’s grading policies, typically becoming available three days after final grades are posted. In periods of high usage, such as the end of the semester, this may take additional time. are notified via email when reports are
  ready for viewing.
• Evaluation Duration and Reminders: The evaluation period varies based on course length, ranging from 2 to 14 days. Students receive automated reminders throughout the evaluation period to encourage participation.

Implications for Social Work Faculty

For faculty within the BUSSW, the Office of Academic Affairs serves as the primary contact for course evaluation-related inquiries. Faculty are encouraged to familiarize themselves with the standardized evaluation questions and utilize the feedback to inform course improvements and enhance teaching effectiveness.

• You and your students will receive an automated email from Blue when your class’ evaluations open. This will link give you the availability to track response rates (and encourage participation when needed).
• Students will receive periodic before the evaluation closes. While the evaluations are open, they will also receive a pop-up reminder each time they log into Blackboard.
• If an evaluation has less than 4 respondents, the data will not be released. This is another reason that high student engagement is important.
• Instructors should not enter grades until AFTER the evaluation has closed. If grades are entered while the evaluation is still open, any feedback given after grades were submitted will be deleted from the evaluation.
• Instructors will be notified by email when the reports are ready for viewing. Reports are generally available three (3) days after final grades are posted. In periods of high usage, such as the end of the semester, this may take additional time.
• For more detailed information, faculty can refer to the official course evaluation policies page.

As part of BU’s Campus LX Transformation Initiative, we are preparing for the university-wide transition from Blackboard Original to Blackboard Ultra. This isn’t just a platform upgrade, it’s a teaching and learning opportunity. Blackboard Ultra offers a cleaner, single-page layout, easier navigation, and built-in accessibility features that support inclusive teaching practices. For students, this means more clarity and less confusion. For faculty, it means streamlined grading, more intuitive design, and fewer barriers to delivering high-quality instruction. For more information about the Blackboard Ultra transition, please visit https://www.bu.edu/excellence/ultra/.

The Council on Social Work Education (CSWE) is the accrediting body for baccalaureate and master’s social work programs in the U.S. Accreditation by the CSWE’s Commission on Accreditation (COA) signifies that the program meets or surpasses the standards for quality, as determined through a peer-review process. BUSSW is a nationally accredited social work program.

MSW students are evaluated on their mastery of the competencies outlined in the CSWE accreditation standards. These competencies cover critical areas of social work practice that all social workers are expected to master during their training. The social work programs set benchmarks for each competency. An assessment score at or above that benchmark demonstrates that the student has achieved mastery of that particular competency. Our most recent Learning Outcome Results can be found here.

BUSSW Accreditation Documents:

• Form AS 4(M) Aggregate Findings on Student Learning Outcomes (2023-2024)
• Form AS 4(M) Student Learning Outcomes per Program (2023-2024)

• Registration & Student Accounting
• Student Services
• Practicum Education 

Click on a team member’s name to view their website profile and contact information.

• Ellen R. DeVoe, PhD, LICSW – Professor and Associate Dean for Academic Affairs
• Lyndsey McMahan, PhD, LCSW, MSW – Assistant Dean, Teaching and Innovation
• Liz Marino – Academic Affairs Manager
• Kanako Okuda, DSW, MSW, LCSW – Assistant Dean of Practicum Education & Clinical Associate Professor
• S. Wade Taylor, PhD – Clinical Associate Professor of Social Work, Program Assessment Chair
• Jennifer Warner – Director of Data & Enrollment Management and Registrar