Evaluation of a Financial Capability and Asset Building Training for Social Work Students

Progress toward the Grand Challenge of Financial Capability and Asset Building (FCAB) is strong in policy and intervention development, but weaker in infusion in social work education. Although FCAB materials are plentiful, faculty need time to develop expertise before they can teach FCAB with them. The complexity of this task in an environment of time scarcity means even motivated faculty would likely delay actual implementation. The financial first responder (FFR) training is the first stand-alone online asynchronous service-learning training designed to add to courses without requiring faculty FCAB expertise. This study aims to determine if the FFR program is feasible, practical, and accessible to participants in social work education programs. We used an instrumental case study design and guidelines for emerging interventions. The FFR was assigned in multiple sections of a required undergraduate class in a Hispanic-serving university. Data were collected through participant surveys and open-ended questions, and focused on the likelihood of completion, perceived ease of use, and utility of the training (N=143). We also tested if faculty expertise mattered for program completion (N=100). Our analysis showed FFR to be acceptable and practical, warranting further study.