Dr. Tara Kaczorowski
Executive Director of Education Programs
Daemen University
From Spreadsheets to a Connected System: How Daemen University Simplified Field Experience Management
Learn how Daemen University centralized placements, communication, and evaluation data, reducing manual processes and improving visibility across programs, campuses, and accreditation reporting.
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Use Case
Leveraging CORE ELMS for Field Experience Management and Accreditation Reporting
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Institution Type
Private, Non-Profit
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Location
Amherst & Brooklyn, NY
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Academic Programs
Undergraduate and Graduate Teacher Preparation Programs
The Setting
Managing Field Experiences Across Campuses and Programs
Daemen University’s education programs span undergraduate and graduate pathways, serving students across two campuses with distinct populations and academic structures.
While the institution is smaller in size, the complexity of its programs is significant. Multiple certification tracks, varied placement models, and a distributed campus structure require coordination across teams, locations, and student experiences.
Dr. Tara Kaczorowski, Executive Director of Education Programs, brings experience from both large and small institutions, having previously worked at Illinois State University before joining Daemen University. That perspective informs how she approaches systems that support scale, structure, and visibility.
The Challenge
Managing Fieldwork Without a Centralized System
When Dr. Kaczorowski joined Daemen University, field experience management was not centralized.
Fieldwork had been coordinated through paper-based processes and managed by a part-time staff member. When that structure changed, information became difficult to track and maintain across documents and files.
At the same time, the program was preparing for its next accreditation report.
Without a centralized system, answering key questions about placements, hours, and candidate progress required pulling information from multiple sources and verifying its accuracy.
“I felt like I was constantly chasing things down.” Dr. Kaczorowski said.
The program needed a more structured way to manage field experiences across campuses and pathways, with better visibility into data and processes.
The Solution
Connecting Placements, Communication, and Evaluation Data in One System
Daemen University selected CORE by PeopleGrove and approached implementation with a goal to bring structure and visibility to how field experiences are managed across programs and campuses.
“We took a step back and recognized that our undergraduate programs and our graduate programs operated very differently.”
The team configured CORE to reflect that complexity:
- Separate program paths for undergraduate and graduate programs
- A third structure for the Brooklyn campus with alternate certification pathways
“So right in CORE, we started from the beginning by saying, let’s organize our field placements based on these very different use cases.”
With CORE ELMS, Daemen University:
- Centralized placements and fieldwork tracking across programs and campuses
- Streamlined communication across faculty, staff, and program stakeholders
- Captured evaluations alongside placement data, connecting candidate performance to field experiences
- Replaced disconnected files and manual processes with a structured system
- Enabled placement, evaluation, and candidate data to be accessed together for reporting
The onboarding process supported this transition.
The onboarding experience was seamless… they really listened to our context and helped us design solutions… thinking outside the box.
The Results
Stronger Insight, More Effective Communication, and Reduced Administrative Burden
With CORE in place, Daemen University improved both how field experiences are managed and how program data is used.
Placements are easier to coordinate across campuses and program pathways.
A consistent structure supports different models and student populations.
Evaluations are now viewed in the context of placements.
Faculty and staff can see how candidates are performing within specific field experiences, making it easier to understand variation across placements and build a clearer picture of candidate progress over time.
Communication with students is more effective and more visible.
Program communications are sent as branded Daemen University emails through CORE, tied directly to placements and field experiences. As a result, student read rates have increased, with messages reaching the right students at the right time, whether sent to a cohort or tailored to individuals.
Administrative coordination has been significantly reduced.
Work that previously required tracking down documents and verifying information across sources is now handled within a shared system.
The program also eliminated the need for a part-time role previously dedicated to managing fieldwork documentation, reflecting a shift away from manual coordination toward a more scalable way of working.
We’ve actually not had the need to replace that position… now we can collaboratively manage that… because it’s all in one place, and we can do it from anywhere.
Dr. Tara Kaczorowski
Executive Director of Education Programs
Daemen University
The Impact
A Scalable Foundation for Field Experience Management
Daemen University’s experience reflects a broader shift across education programs.
As placement models grow more complex and reporting expectations increase, programs need a structured way to manage both operations and data.
By bringing placements, communication, and evaluation data into one system, Daemen University has created a more scalable approach to managing field experiences, with greater confidence in the data that supports both daily coordination and accreditation requirements.
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