This is a case study based on a current Tevera customer. Due to this university’s policies regarding promoting vendors, we have not identified the customer.
Executive Summary
“Program X,” a well-respected social work program, had a problem. They were still using faxes and paper to manage their students’ field experiences, among other administrative tasks. These inefficient and frankly, cumbersome, processes were barriers to their students’ learning experience. The program’s field director knew something had to change.
“Program X” wanted a digital tool that would enhance student learning outcomes, make field placements and management easier, and most importantly, be able to grow with them into the future of social work. They hoped to find one that was the whole package, and were unwilling to compromise on the quality of partnership into which they were entering.
When they heard about Tevera, they were immediately attracted to how intuitive its interface was. But they vetted multiple programs, just to be sure and thorough.
In the end, the team decided on Tevera because it made field easier, saved time for their administrators, provided a life-long asset to their students, and was easily configurable to the unique needs of their program.
The Challenge
“Program X’s” field education director was fed up with using paper, faxes, and spreadsheets to manage their social work program’s data. From field to accreditation, data was hard to get and harder to generate reports from.
They knew that they needed to upgrade their processes by finding a software solution that could:
- Facilitate communication between students and field supervisors
- Simplify field placements
- Streamline data management in support of accreditation
Mostly, they knew they needed a system that was customizable and could grow with their program and accommodate future changes.
If they didn’t adopt a digital solution, and soon, this university risked losing field site partnerships and declining enrollment in their social work program. The field director said, “we had supervisors who in the past had stopped supervising students because the paperwork was so onerous.”
So, they began looking at online solutions and talked to a different program that had started using Tevera and told them that “The support has been terrific and just wonderful. It has really created a lot of time saving in certain parts of the process. We’ve been very happy.” When she heard that, this doctor of social work decided to explore Tevera further.
Why this Social Work Program Chose Tevera
“Program X” ultimately chose Tevera because of how easy it was to use, its customization capabilities, and its features.
Field Placement: More Options for Students, More Time Saved by Field Educators
First, they loved how it simplified field management by allowing students to explore all of their placement options to find the best fit for them.
“Tevera is changing the way that our field program has run from before.”
Enhanced Collaboration between Students, Faculty, and Field Educators
The good news for field doesn’t stop with students. They also chose Tevera because it gives them greater insight into their agencies and allows them to run easy-to-use reports and look at where they’re missing different practice areas. This ability to perform an analysis of their agencies in a few seconds allows them to have greater control over their students’ field experiences and ensure they’re receiving the best possible outcome.
This documentation management for field also enhances collaboration between students, faculty, and site supervisors because it’s all in one spot and the assessment data spits out in one report. Before Tevera, their assessment coordinator would come into their office with boxes of reports and data. Now, it’s a few clicks of a button.
Dozens of hours have been saved by professors, supervisors, and assessment coordinators by using Tevera’s assessment management feature while giving them more insight into how different sites perform and their students’ learning outcomes.
“These aren’t questions that we have to put on a shelf any longer, these are things that we can go and run quickly.”
Configuring a Digital Future: Easy-to-Use and Meeting Student Expectations
When this field program director first came on board, original signatures were required on everything and faxing was the name of the game. They remember teaching a capstone class in their first year when a student raised her hand and asked, “is there a portal we could put this into?”
At that time, there wasn’t. But it was a wake up call. The students were there. They were expecting technology in their classrooms and to make their academic career easier. Looking into software became a necessity to remain competitive and continue attracting students. But technology changes fast, so they wanted a software that was easily configurable and could grow with them. Fortunately, Tevera met that and more.
“Tevera is going to play a really important role in our future. Its technology is very valid, it serves as an asset for our program and our university, and we’re going to use it to all of its capabilities.”
“What I really appreciated about Tevera was that it was so configurable. The options were so robust and you could turn on and off just about everything. And so what I quickly realized is that it was built the right way.”
A True Partnership
It wasn’t just about the software for the team. They wanted a team behind the software that would be accessible, responsive, and prioritize the customer-vendor relationship. Because Tevera is specifically designed to help social work programs thrive, this piqued their interest.
And on Tevera’s side, this program has been an invaluable partner, giving feedback, making suggestions, and helping shape the future of the software. Both of us are working towards the same goal – shaping the future of social work and to be able to collaborate on the software is a unique opportunity for both.
“We’ve had great support. We really appreciate the insight and the responsiveness of the team.”
“Tevera is really changing the way that our students and our field instructors are able to engage with one another and with their faculty liaisons.”
Interested in learning more about how Tevera can enhance your institution’s field-based program? Request a demo or reach out today to discover its full potential.