by: Jo Schneider

Across higher education, there is some movement in the enterprise system space. Sonia users have been advised that Lumivero is moving Sonia users over to their Experiential Learning Cloud (ELC) as their experiential learning platform. The goal being to bring together Sonia’s placement capabilities with Tevera’s assessment functionality. Lumivero have agreed to continue supporting current Sonia users for the short term, but there will be no further development on the platform and support will reduce over the coming years until Sonia is phased out completely. Given user feedback is that the ELC product is not a good fit for the Australian market, this presents a significant shift in the placement software landscape and a platform shift that institutions should be planning around.

This is the right time for institutions to step back and assess their placement technology more strategically. That means looking beyond product names and asking practical questions, such as:

• Will the platform support the institution’s placement model in the years ahead?
• How well does it support integrations, compliance workflows and reporting?
• Does it meet expectations for student experience and supervisor engagement?
• Can it manage process complexity across different faculties, schools or disciplines?
• If migration is required, what effort will be needed to move data, rebuild forms, redesign processes and manage change across stakeholders?

These are the questions that should shape the next decision – and they are also the areas institutions should look at closely when assessing new platforms.

Beyond these practical questions – institutions should take this opportunity to truly reflect on what it is that we should be providing to students through placements and WIL. How can we genuinely add value to students and their future careers. Remembering that Placements are the first taste of our students future – how can we make it the best opportunity for them?

Most institutions are scanning the global landscape to see what options exist. Taking this time in this planning window to evaluate options and determine appropriate timing. Regardless of the stage, it’s definitely a time of change – a sector wide enterprise system change is significant and must not be underestimated.

We are already in conversations with a number of institutions about this change and how we can help support it. With system agnostic support around processes and data through our organisational improvement and student administration teams. And of course working through our Digital Transformation team with our Placements Plus product which is continuing to develop to meet the needs of Australian HE institutions.

Please reach out to me at any time jo.schneider@dvesolutions.com.au