From chalkboards to chatbots: Reclaiming connection in social work education

Fifteen years ago, I was a student in a social work classroom that shaped by traditional, top-down pedagogies. Knowledge flowed in one direction, from lecturer to student, through lectures, standardised texts, and tightly controlled assessments. Technology, where it was present, was limited and largely impersonal, mirroring a learning environment where experiences and cultural identities were disconnected from the relational and cultural dimensions that now define my current approach as an educator. Today, the educational landscape has dramatically shifted. As a lecturer, I teach in a digitally saturated landscape where artificial intelligence, online platforms, and learning analytics increasingly influence how students engage, learn and are assessed (Aktan, 2026; Bratoeva & Venelinova, 2025) . These tools offer opportunities for access and innovation, yet they also pose critical challenges to the core values of social work education (Ottmann & Noble, 2026; Racovita et al., 2024). The speed and scale at which technology is transforming our classrooms are unprecedented. Yet, despite this transformation, one thing remains clear to me: the importance of authentic, human connection in social work education cannot be replaced by even the most sophisticated technologies. This viewpoint draws on my dual experiences as a student in a traditional pedagogical context and as a contemporary educator who is actively reimagining teaching through interaction, connection, and the integration of experiences. My reflections are situated within the broader discourse on the critical implications of technology in social work. I argue that, while technology offers significant benefits, it also risks diluting the relational, ethical, and culturally grounded dimensions of social work education. As social work educators, we must critically interrogate how these technologies align with our commitments to justice, relationality, and transformative pedagogy.