The Meaning of Online Social Work Education for Students and Faculty during COVID-19: Between Preservation and Change.

This article examines the experiences and meanings of online social work (SW) education for faculty and students in Israel following the COVID-19 pandemic. Using qualitative thematic analysis of interviews with fifteen SW students and fifteen faculty members, two main themes emerged: (1) the paradoxical experience of "the illusion of intimacy and the illusion of anonymity" in online interactions, highlighting complex feelings of closeness, exposure, invisibility, and alienation; and (2) a continuum of responses to online education ranging from difficulty and loss of informal social interaction to acceptance and active choice of the online format. The study emphasizes the importance of interpersonal relationships in SW education and suggests developing hybrid programs that balance traditional face-to-face and online methods, while critically addressing ethical and relational dynamics unique to virtual learning environments.