IT Innovations for Field Education Administration, Assessment and Collaboration Rebecca B. Brigham, MSW Assistant Dean for Field Education Larry J. Rosenfeld, MSW Applications Analyst

Presentation Objectives FE administration, assessment and collaboration Goals of Automation Solutions Features Quality Implementation Lessons Learned

FE Administration, Assessment and Collaboration Develop and vet field placements Match students to appropriate placements based on various criteria Communicate with instructors and students critical information On-going refinement of field education practices Assessment / Monitoring Monitor and evaluate student performance in placement Monitor instructor completion of critical tasks, such as student assessments Collaboration / Empowerment Create environment that maximizes student/instructor/school engagement Enable students to review potential future instructors’ resumes and agency statements

Goals of Field Office Automation Speed / Efficiency Remove unnecessary congestion to workflows Automate labor-intensive processes Reliability / Accuracy Source of information can enter their own information from virtually anywhere Validate data as close to data source as possible; instantaneous updates Accountability / Access On-demand reporting Information archive & retrieval (less storage, faster multi-site access, on-demand printing)

Solutions Off-the-Shelf Custom Software Examples Benefits Considerations Off-the-Shelf Alcea IPT Sonia Taskstream-Tk20 & LiveText others No development cost or cycle Broad user community Professional Help Desk Features Customization Integration Data storage Support, training Branding Maintenance Custom Software Flying Bridge SSWiS Highly tailored to school’s needs Full featured On-site support Project management Staffing 5

Features

Feature Highlights Student tracking Student assessment Placement planning Student-placement matching Program analysis Student and agency data entry / migration

Feature example 1: Student tracking form monthly hours, activities, goals notification signature student field instructor compliance Student tracking workflow: Student completes form Instructor notified Instructor signs off Admin & faculty searches report (asynchronously) admin, field faculty report database

Feature example 2: Matching (start) form placement type, time of year notification verification field instructor admin, field faculty placements Initial matching workflow: Instructor completes form Admin, faculty notified Admin, faculty verifies Student searches report (asynchronously) student report database

Quality

Quality attribute 1: Reliability Security Usability System availability (outages, downtime) Backups (data recovery) Crisis management (response to crises) Maintenance procedures Scalability (heavy loads)

Quality attribute 2: Usability / Accessibility Field requirements: reliable internet access; browsers Browsers (compatibility) vs. apps (platforms) Software dependencies (e.g., Flash, Java) Accessible for screen readers Ease of Use Navigation (especially by different roles) Report filters, columns, sorting, downloading Help support: on-line, email, phone Mobile friendliness Integration Interoperability with other software (email, Excel) Integration with other School units (Student Services) Reliability Security Usability

Usability example 1: Student view

Usability example 2: Administrator view

Quality attribute 3: Security / Privacy Login portals Defend against hackers & spammers Abide by university policies & services Require registration/authorization process   FERPA compliance Protected: directory info, courses, grades. Instructors require need-to-know basis Permissions based on roles & dates Trans-inclusivity Legal vs. preferred names Reliability Security Usability

Implementation

Implementation: Project Management Specification Design & Code Test Release Maintenance

Implementation: Product Rollout Verifying completion of essential product features & quality Providing on-line help Institutionalizing Help Desk, bug reports, upgrades Training staff and other end users Multi-phased rollout among different cohorts

Implementation: Project Life Cycle Specification Design & Code Test Release Maintenance

Lessons Learned Manage constraints (costs/resources, time/schedule, scope/features)​ Goal fidelity (maintain voice of customer)​ Complexity breeds complexity​ Features Schedule Resources

Discussion/Questions

Contact Information Rebecca Brigham Brigham@email.unc.edu Larry J. Rosenfeld ljr@unc.edu PowerPoint Presentation http://ssw.unc.edu/programs/masters/fieldeducation