Hi Tonya,
we have been using Sonia for 6 years now and have been happy with it. The initial training and conceptualization of processes, forms, workflows etc. is a bit cumbersome but once all that is in place it's much easier. Some say it is not as user friendly as Tevera for example and that might be true but I think it is also more affordable. We are using it for a variety of things - students can review active sites and placement options in Sonia, all required forms and paperwork is streamlined through Sonia and we have a lot of automated processes (e.g. when students submit their placement several forms are automatically attached to students and AFIs and an email is sent) that save time and energy. We also use it for correspondence from the field ed office to students and AFIs throughout the semesters and that is nice feature. We have various forms (initial placement forms, MOU, learning agreement and eval, employment based application, site visit summary forms, student support plan etc.) some quite extensive, that we have built and improve on a regular basis and they allow us to run reports and get data for accreditation and more. Overall I would say it is a strong program, with initial growing pains, and if you have a field ed admin who can really get trained up and is responsible for form development and review and ongoing adjustment of processes that would be ideal as you really need somebody who knows the system really well.
Let me know if you have additional questions.
Best
KAT
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Katharina Werner
Director of Field Education
University of Montana
Missoula MT
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Original Message:
Sent: Feb 01, 2023 10:48
From: Tonya Slawinski
Subject: SONIA
Good morning,
I'm interested in connecting with anyone that uses the software SONIA for field. We just had a demo and as with any software, nothing will be perfect. I am really interested in getting feedback as soon as possible!
Thank you so much!
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Tonya Slawinski
Director, Office of Field Education
University of PIttsburgh, School of Social Work
Pittsburgh PA
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