How Central Methodist University modernized counselor fieldwork with Experiential Learning Cloud

Introduction

Central Methodist University (CMU) is a private, liberal arts institution offering a distinctive Master of Science in Clinical Counseling designed to prepare students for licensure in Missouri as a Licensed Professional Counselor (LPC). Delivered entirely online, the program offers a flexible, accredited path to prepare socially conscious, evidence-based counselors through a blend of formal academic knowledge, applicable skills, and clinical learning experiences.

With up to 75 students enrolled each semester, the program balances accessibility with the personal attention of a small school. When CMU transitioned from in-person to digital delivery in March 2020, maintaining consistency and connectivity across field experiences was critical. Experiential Learning Cloud became the cornerstone of that transformation—centralizing communication, streamlining documentation, and supporting the program’s commitment to clinical excellence and accreditation readiness.

The challenge

Before Experiential Learning Cloud, Central Methodist’s counseling program relied entirely on paper processes across four campus locations. Each site operated independently, housing its own files and coordinators. Faculty managed evaluation documents in manila folders, and gathering assessment data meant coordinating across campuses, manually scanning forms, and exchanging countless emails.

These fragmented, manual systems not only created daily inefficiencies—they also made it extremely difficult to meet the demands of accreditation where easily accessible, accurate, and comprehensive documentation is critical. During accreditation cycles, documentation from as far back as a decade earlier was required—often stored away, misplaced, or missing entirely.

With no centralized system, gaps were frequent, student compliance was inconsistent, and the student experience was disrupted. Without standardized digital tools, logs were delayed, feedback was fragmented, and communication between students, supervisors, and instructors required a heavy administrative lift. The inefficiencies slowed down progress at every level.

The solution

Experiential Learning Cloud gave Central Methodist University the digital infrastructure it needed to standardize operations and eliminate manual inefficiencies—allowing them to scale their program and enroll students from across the country.

The platform makes it simple to monitor student progress through an intuitive assignments grid. Everything—site onboarding, evaluations, logs, and affiliation agreements—is centralized.

Central Methodist not only uses Experiential Learning Cloud to streamline how their students apply for placement and fulfil their placement requirements, but also to engage them early. Students are uploaded into the system as soon as their first semester in the program, allowing admins to assign tasks and share information that helps them get a head start on preparing for their placement experience.

Experiential Learning Cloud’s custom form builder became a game-changer for reporting. Forms can be easily tailored to meet evolving accreditation requirements, and when standards shift, creating a new form is all it takes to stay compliant.

The platform’s flexibility also enhances student support. By checking digital progress, faculty can identify students who are struggling—enabling early outreach and improving retention. “It helps us stay connected,” Ream says, “especially in a digital program where we don’t see each other every day.”

The ability to access real-time data not only supports student success but also dramatically improves administrative efficiency.

“It used to take me 15 minutes per student to pull evaluation data—I had to go into each document section, extract the info, and enter it manually. Now, I run a single report for all 35 to 40 students across different tracks and semesters in just 10 minutes. That’s a 98% time savings.”
— Dr. Jessica Brao, Director of Assessment and Counseling Outreach, MSCC Program

The results

Central Methodist’s counseling program is now more connected, accurate, and efficient. With Experiential Learning Cloud, students, faculty, and supervisors all work within the same system—eliminating endless email threads and giving everyone real-time visibility into student progress. As a result, students are better prepared, more confident, and more likely to succeed in their field placements.

Manual, paper-based processes that once took weeks have been replaced by streamlined digital workflows. Logs, evaluations, and site documents are submitted instantly, not tracked down piecemeal. The result is fewer delays, better coordination, and far less room for error.

Accuracy has also improved. With everything centralized, there's no need to input data from paper forms or spreadsheets—reducing mistakes and freeing up time for more meaningful work. Faculty can quickly pull reports, track readiness, and stay on top of accreditation requirements without chasing paperwork.

Experiential Learning Cloud doesn’t just save time—it strengthens the entire student experience from start to finish.

“I'm in Experiential Learning Cloud every day for something,” Ream says. “And I can't imagine going back.”