FEM Administrator Role Guide

Introduction

This is one of two administrative roles in the Field Experience Management(FEM) module. A member of LiveText’s Implementation Team must provision a LiveText user account with the FEM Administrator role after the institution has decided to implement FEM. When a LiveText user is provisioned with the role of FEM Administrator, a Field Experience tab will appear at the top of the account.

The privileges and responsibilities that come with this role include:

-Importing information into the Field Experience database -Subjects, Site Categories, Sites, Mentors, Time Log Categories, and Placements

-Provisioning other users with the Placement Coordinator and Supervisor roles

-Creating Live Text accounts for Mentors

Imports

Under the Field Experience tab, the FEM administrator has two sub-tabs: Imports and Reports. This section will describe the activities that are performed under the first of these tabs.

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In total, there are four different types of records (Subjects, Sites, Mentors, and Placements) that need to be imported to begin using the Field Experience Module.

For each of these four import categories, there are two ways to add the records to LiveText. One way is to prepare a spreadsheet file that lists one record on each row and includes appropriate column headers for the data points that comprise that record. This is the most efficient method if you are adding multiple records at one time, particularly if you already have the records in a spreadsheet format.

The other way is to add a single record at a time. Do this by clicking the “Add” button on the corresponding import page. You will key in and save the text fields that populate on the screen. Site and Time Log Categories can only be added by using the “Add” button.

Import Subjects

The first import defines the subjects that a student will participate in the field.

Later in the Field Experience process, when Interns are placed at a site location, one or more of these subjects can be associated with the placement.

Subjects that are in the system can be marked as Active or Inactive, and only active subjects will be available in subsequent steps.

BEST PRACTICE: When importing Subjects, consider the designations that your state uses to license or certify educators. Subjects will be used as one method of searching for Mentors while placing students.

Delete Subjects

Delete a Subject:
1) Click on the Subjects tab.
2) Click on the Subject name.
3) Click on the bubble labeled Delete.
4) Click Save.

 

Delete multiple Subjects:
1) Click on the Subjects tab.
2) Click the checkbox next to each Subject to be deleted.
3) Click on Delete Subject(s).

Import Site Categories

Site Categories are an optional descriptor of the Sites that are imported by the FEM Administrator. Site Categories have been designed in FEM for Programs to allow administrators the ability to create and maintain their own unique site category listings.

Delete Site Categories

Delete a Site Categories:
1) Click on the Site Categories tab.
2) Click on the Site Category title.
3) Click on the bubble labeled Delete.
4) Click Save.

 

Delete multiple Site Categories:
1. Click on the Site Categories tab.
2. Click the checkbox next to each Site Categories to be deleted.
3. Click on Delete Categories

Import Sites

Sites are the locations that host Interns during their placements. Along with the basic identifying information about the site, such as its name, address, and district, LiveText is able to accept a number of demographic data points associated with that site, such as: ethnic and gender distributions of the student population, average daily attendance, the number of students who have IEPs or 504 plans, qualify for free or reduced lunch, and/or receive special services.

Sites that are imported are also marked with an Active or Inactive status, and only active
sites will be available when browsing for locations to place students.

Import Mentors

Mentors are the cooperating professionals who work at the site and host Interns during their placements. Uploading or adding a Mentor triggers several automated actions by the system. When Mentors are being added by the Administrator, LiveText automatically checks to see if the Mentor already has an existing account. In situations in which another institution is using that Mentor, the local program can add that Mentor to his/her created Site(s). This replaces the need for Mentors to have multiple LiveText accounts when they work for multiple Institutions at the same time or over the course of time.

When a Mentor is uploaded, LiveText automatically creates a Mentor account.
The username for this account, along with a randomly generated password, are automatically emailed to the primary email address that was identified for the Mentor. This notification is sent when the Mentor is included within a confirmed placement. Administrators can search the entire LiveText database for any current Mentor accounts and add them to their institutions. Adding Mentors can be done manually or through a batch import using Excel or.csv files.

NOTE: When assigning a LiveText username to a Mentor, the system will attempt to follow the
convention of first initial of first name and the entire last name (e.g. Alex Brown = abrown) If this
username already exists, then the username will be composed of the first three letters of the Mentor’s first name followed by the first three letters of their last name followed by a randomly generated four digit number). Alphanumeric passwords are generated at random. If the Mentor has an existing LiveText account, a different email address will be needed in order to create the new Mentor account within FEM.

Import Placements

Placements represent the “openings” available at a given site. A traditional Placement is represented by a combination of a Site, Grade, and Subject. The system does allow multiple selections for grade and subject within a placement. For example, if you have imported Site A, which is a K-8 school, but only one third grade elementary teacher at this site ever volunteers as a Mentor, then you might only create one Placement for Site A, with a Grade level of 3rd and a Subject of Elementary Education. Placements can also be flagged as active or inactive, and only active placements will be available when browsing for locations to place a student.

Import Categories

FEM now includes a Categories feature that allows students to group activities with a designated listing name. Once a category has been applied to an activity in the Time log, reports can be generated to view the total number of hours Interns have spent on similar activities. Categories have been designed in FEM for Programs to allow administrators the ability to create and maintain their own unique category listings. Types of Categories may include Classroom Management, Lesson Plans, Observations, or Rotation activities.

Delete Categories

Delete a Time Log Category:
1) Click on the Time Log Categories tab.
2) Click on the Time Log Category title.
3) Click on the bubble labeled Delete.
4) Click Save.

Delete multiple Time Log Categories:
1. Click on the Time Log Categories tab.
2. Click the checkbox next to each Time Log Categories to be deleted.
3. Click on Delete Categories.

Assign Placement Coordinator and Supervisor Roles

The Faculty page under the Imports sub-tab is where the FEM Admin assigns the roles of Placement Coordinator and Supervisor to other users. This page displays a list of all faculty users at the institution. Selecting the Placement Coordinator or Supervisor radio button for any user will assign the corresponding role to that account and cause the Field Experience tab to appear within the account. This action cannot be undone by the FEM Administrator.

NOTE: If you do not find a particular user on the Faculty page, but you know that they have registered for LiveText, it is likely that the individual is not listed as an instructor of any course. LiveText Implementation can help you import a training course for any individual who requires an FEM role but do not teach courses.

Customized Labels

The Customized Labels feature allows users to modify FEM’s labels of key objects. This is designed to reflect an institution’s preferred terminology in order to enhance communication and clarity with all team members that are involved in the placement.

The FEM Administrator now has the ability to change the display value for seven key objects: Intern, Internship, Mentor, Placement, Site, Subject, Supervisor. This will update the labels that appear on screen to the FEM user. The Customize Label will also follow the principles of Domain Hierarchy if this is being utilized by the institution.

Label Customization

To use Label Customization, follow these steps:

1. Log into the FEM Administrator account.

2. Click on Label Customization and then Customize Labels.

3. Set the appropriate language (English, Spanish, or Arabic).

4. Find the desired System Label and enter the Customized
Label in the corresponding field.

5. Once all Customized Labels have been entered click on Save

Edit or Update a Customized Label

1. Log into the FEM Administrator account.

2. Click on Label Customization and then Customize Labels.

3. Locate the Customized Label and make the desired change or click Reset which will revert
the Customized Label back to default which is the System Label.

FEM Domain Hierarchy

Field Experience Management (FEM) Domain Hierarchy offers a flexible solution for managing field experiences across multiple colleges and departments. Administrators can manage FEM information at the individual college and/or department level, including students, mentors, supervisors, placements, subjects, sites, and Time Log categories. Similar to the Manage User Privileges (MUP) feature, FEM Domain Hierarchy system relies on the alignment of LiveText user accounts to Colleges and Departments (which are imported into the LiveText domain).

Once user accounts are assigned to a College, users then can create and access all ‘objects’ (students, mentors, supervisors, placements, subjects, sites, and Time Log categories,) within that College and all associated Departments.

Step Up Steps

1) The Primary FEM Admin can delegate administrative access to other faculty/staff at the tier
level—institution, college, and/or department. Please complete the Tiered Account table
below and send to your LiveText Implementation

Username  College (Tier)  Department (Tier)
Primary FEM Administrator Username: StateUnivFEMAdmin    
StateUniv_FEM_ED Education Elementary Education
StateUniv_FEM_ED_ELED   Counseling Psychology
StateUniv_FEM_ED    
StateUniv_FEM_HS Health Sciences  
StateUniv_FEM_HS_DDS   Dentistry
StateUniv_FEM_HS_NUR   Nursing

2) It is recommended that Placement Coordinator accounts are created using a general
naming convention (i.e., not tied directly to an individual faculty account). Within the “faculty”
tab of the FEM Admin account, the Primary FEM Admin will designate role assignments for
both Placement Coordinator and Supervisors for the different tiers.

3) Each Admin with designated responsibility for a Tiered Account(s), then imports and/or manually enters information representing, Mentors, Placements, Subjects, Sites, and Time Log Categories.

4) Once this set up is completed, the Placement Coordinator(s) for each college/department will place students as they always have and will only see FEM data that is relevant to their college/department.

 

Import Maintenance FAQ

Q: How extensive are data clean up functions? (i.e. deletion of subjects, site categories, and time log categories)

A: The data maintenance functionality allows simple clean up tasks, e.g. hide but keep; remove to no longer use. It does not extend beyond that. For example, if over the course of using the Field Experience module, one has accumulated similar entries, either in spelling, reference, or changing terminology, these items cannot be merged into a singular entry. Each exists individually. The FEM Admin has the ability to retire the entries no longer desired, by either setting it to inactive, which retains the entry in the system but prevents further use. Or the FEM Admin can completely remove it from the list because it is no longer wanted.

It is important to note that active placements can be modified; completed placements cannot. If the placement has not passed its end date, it is possible to edit it and reassign most attributes, e.g. associated subjects or time log categories. If the placement has ended, its attributes are locked and cannot be edited. When running reports, it is necessary to select the previous values along with the new value.

Q: Why would an Administrator set an entry to an inactive status instead of delete it?

A: Inactive statuses and Deleted statuses work similarly in their system roles. When an entry is set to either value, they are both prevented from being used in system “create” and “edit” functions and fields. An Inactive entry is still listed in the Inactive display, while a deleted entry is completely removed. 

They key difference between the two is its visibility to the FEM Admin, which can be influenced by its intended future use. An entry set to inactive can still be displayed, when choosing to see values with this status. It allows the end user to archive entries that should not be used currently, but may be used again in the future. The end user can go back and review a list of values that are set as inactive.

To delete the entry entirely removes it from view. There is no visibility of entries that have been deleted. There is no history of entries that have been deleted. An end user would delete an entry when it is determined that it is no longer needed, with no plans to use it in the future. Either status can be used to declutter the FEM Admin screen.

Q: Why do I still see deleted entries throughout the application?

A: While the delete function prevents the current use of the entry, it does not impact historical data. Historical data does include existing, active use. At any point within the application where data can be created and saved, the status of the entry at the time of creation “remains.” The existing entry will be visible when displaying the data, and it will remain on the data object as it moves forward in its lifecycle. If the data object is editable (i.e. editing an existing placement containing a deleted entry), any edit will require the use of active entries only and the now deleted entry will be removed.

For this reason, the reporting function will display deleted entries, because they “remain” in the data object from when it was created. Therefore, when running reports, it is necessary to select any previous deleted values along with current values to generate a full dataset.

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