Student Services Field Experience Clinical Experiences Mentors & SITE Supervisors

Mentors & SITE Supervisors

Roles and Responsibilities

The role of the mentor/site supervisor is to work together with the intern/practicum student, university faculty/supervisor(s), and a site host (or school principal) to guide and assist the intern in developing knowledge, skills, and competencies essential to the student’s program profession and required state and/or national standards. This collaboration should emphasize the application of understanding developed in university coursework and pre-internship/practicum clinical experiences. The mentor/site supervisor is responsible for providing opportunities through in-field clinical experiences with the intern.

The mentor/site supervisors responsibilities also include observing and evaluating the effectiveness of the intern/practicum student’s practice. Review and providing appropriate discussions that reflect the results of observations is essential to the development of the intern/practicum student’s knowledge, skills, and program competencies. It is recommended that a documented log of communication is kept to demonstrate patterns of progress.

Criteria to serve as a mentor/site supervisor and expectations/guidelines for this role vary by program and state/national certification requirements. Always refer to program handbooks, guides, and faculty for program specific details.

All Mentors/Site Supervisors are required to do TWO CORE TASKS for every intern/practicum student they supervise.

These core tasks are to complete:

all Intern/Practicum Evaluations (mid-term and/or final evaluation) in either Student Learning and Licensure (SLL) or LiveText, depending on the platform of which your placement is assigned.
a Placement Satisfaction Survey for every student the mentor/site supervisor is assigned.

Intern & Practicum Evaluations

For graduation clearance, your intern/practicum student(s) must have a final intern/practicum evaluation completed by you in either Student Learning and Licensure (SLL) or LiveText, depending on the platform that your placement is assigned.

Midterm and Final Evaluations are assigned a due date. It important that you log into your SLL or LiveText account to access your assigned student evaluation and mark this due date down on your calendar.

How to Access Midterm/Final Evaluations

Evaluations in SLL:

Click HERE for detailed instructions on how to access midterm/final evaluations.

Evaluations in LiveText:

Log into LiveText
Go to the Placements tab
To fill out your assessment rubric(s), click on the “Begin Assessment” or “Continue Assessment” link.
Click the cells to highlight the level of performance achieved in each area.
Add comments to any row of the rating guide by clicking the Add Comment icon and typing in the text box.
Add overall comments using the text box at the top of the form.
IMPORTANT NOTES for LiveText:
The option N/A is a built in feature and cannot be deleted from the evaluations.
Please make sure you choose a level of performance for each element and do not use N/A.
Provide a rationale for each indicator rated as “Unsatisfactory”.

How to Undo or Redo an Evaluation in SLL or LiveText

Undoing/Redoing an Evaluation in SLL:

If you submit an evaluation and determine you made a rating in error and want to correct it, just click the UNDO bottom (top right of evaluation rubrics). The UNDO button is found in the same position as the SUBMIT button, as the SUBMIT button converts to an UNDO button once an evaluation is submitted.

Undoing/Redoing an Evaluation LiveText:

From the Field Experience tab in your account you can see the completed assessment.
Click on the assessment and it will bring up the completed assessment.
Scroll all the way down and there is an “Undo Assessment” option on the bottom right.
If you undo it, then you can make any changes.

Placement Satisfaction Surveys

A feature of a high quality certification program is gathering information from stakeholders on their experiences in clinical experiences that can be put in aggregate form with other surveys to evaluate and improve programs and placements. This information is gathered through a Placement Satisfaction Survey that provides feedback from mentors/site supervisors regarding their experiences with a university supervisor, the intern, and the University of Florida’s College of Education.

You should anticipate to receive a prompt to complete a Placement Satisfaction Survey when a placement is near completion. This prompt will be are sent to your work email from a @coe.ufl.edu email and will contain information on how to access the survey.
The survey will take approximately 15 minutes to complete and the responses will be kept confidential.
If you hosted more than one intern/practicum student, then you will need to complete an individual survey for each intern that you host, as prompted by the survey.

Online Placement & Evaluation Platforms

NOTICE: The University of Florida’s College of Education is transitioning from LiveText to Student Learning and Licensure (SLL) to house clinical experience placements. Any student that is entering their first set of courses in a certification program must register for SLL to receive ratings for courses that are tracked toward certification. Students who already registered for LIVETEXT and are entering additional courses in their program or their final placements, will remain using the LIVETEXT platform through graduation. Mentors and Supervisors will utilize the platform(s) of the students they are assigned, which may be both platforms until LIVETEXT is officially phased out. For any questions regarding accessing either of these platforms, please contact Kim Roberts.

Student Learning and LIcensure (SLL)

What is Student Learning and Licensure (SLL)?

Student Learning and Licensure (SLL) by Watermark is the web-based platform used by the College of Education to manage clinical experiences, track mastery of standards of professional knowledge, and to develop portfolios. It is an important part of the student academic journey, as it helps ensure successful progression, completion and documentation of student work towards professional goals.
Students in certification programs are required to purchase a membership with the SLL platform during their first term of enrollment to received ratings for courses required for certification. Students should think of this purchase as they would a textbook purchase.
New accounts cost $139 and are valid for 7 years.
FireFox or Google Chrome are the recommended browsers for SLL.

How Activate and Purchase Your SLL Account

Visit sll.watermarkinsights.com and log in with your gatorlink email (@ufl.edu) address. You will create your own password, so use the Forgot Password Link to do so.

Follow the instructions for credit/debit card purchase. Students are not provided a key code for this purchase, as it is based on your enrollment in the course for your clinical experience.
Note: If you already have an active membership with LiveText by Watermark, then you do not need to pay for Student Learning and Licensure. However, you do still need to follow the steps to register for an account.
For more detailed instructions and answers to common questions, Click Here. This will take you to a page that explains the registration process step-by-step.

Livetext

What is LiveText?

LiveText is a valuable technology tool that will be used for assessment of program competencies aligned with state/national standards, application and evaluation of field experiences for required practicum and internship, and to track and ensure all requirements are met for program completion, graduation clearance, and certification.

How to Purchase LiveText

Visit https://www.livetext.com/purchase_membership/
Enter your personal information (Please use your UF e-mail in all fields)
Create a LiveText Account
Select the Edition that costs – $139 from the drop-down menu (for 7-year license).
Enter payment information and click Submit Billing and Create Account

LiveText FAQ

Certificate of Participation (CoP) – Tuition Waivers

Certificate of Participations (CoPs) are issued to site mentors on behalf of the Florida Board of Governors, in appreciation of services rendered to the State of Florida University System.
The CoP entitles the holder to exempt the tuition fee for up to six hours during one term (1 semester) of instruction, including credit courses offered through continuing education programs, at any state university in Florida. Only one CoP can be used each term. CoPs are non-transferable and expire after 3 years.
To inquire regarding your eligibility or to apply for a Certificate of Participation, email Sarah Nassoiy. Please be sure to include your:
- First and Last Name
- Site of most recent placement(s)
- Name of student/intern mentored
Placements will be verified through the online placement database.

Certificate of Participation Application

In appreciation of one’s supervision and guidance of an EduGator intern, the University of Florida’s College of Education can offer a Certificate of Participation (CoP) for six credit hours of tuition reimbursement upon eligibility.

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How To Apply

To apply for a Certificate of Participation (CoP) or inquire about your eligibility, email Sarah Nassoiy.

Please include your:

First and Last Name
Site of Recent/Current Placement(s)
Name of Intern/Practicum Student(s) – first and last

Placements will be verified through the online placement database and candidates will be informed of their eligibility by email.

Frequently Asked Questions

I've just been informed that a(n) intern/practicum student will be joining me. What do I do first?

Please find the UF Internship/Practicum Handbook for your students program, and review it for the specific information, documents and protocols needed for your success throughout the semester. If you did not receive one yet, please talk to intern about getting one.

Am I doing this "mentor/site supervisor thing" on my own?

No, not at all! You will have a University/Faculty Supervisor on your team to support you in mentoring/supervising and evaluating the intern/practicum student. Talk to each other and set up the procedures everyone is comfortable with as related to lines of communication.

So, I’ve read the handbook, but, what do I really need to know?

Talk to your intern/practicum student, and ask this same question. This is their internship/practicum placement, so they need to take some responsibility to inform you of the essentials needed for their success.

Who needs to meet my intern/practicum student?

Everyone! Introduce your intern to everyone of the team and facility/school site and of course students (or clients). Expose your intern to everyone at the placement site facility/school community that can help them get involved and enrich their growth and experience. The goal is to hopefully have this intern/practicum student as a future colleague.

So much goes into the preparation before the day starts. How do I explain this to my intern/practicum student?

Invite your intern to join you during your planning/preparation time so he/she can be exposed to the “behind the scenes.”

I’m late I’m late for a very important date!

There are a lot of due dates and scheduled activities that occur during the internship/practicum experience. Try to set dates early in the semester so everyone is prepared. No one wants to panic at the end of the experience knowing required items haven’t been fulfilled.

It really bothers me when.....?

Everyone has a set way of doing things. Talk about these items and any “pet peeves” you and your intern/practicum student may have so you can have established procedures.

What is the process?

Talk to your intern/practicum student about specific expectations (e.g., dress code, protocols and processes) so they feel like an integral part of the sites professional community.

Can a phone a friend?

There is an incredible team of people available to support you and your intern/practicum student through this experience. These team members include the University/Faculty Supervisor, Program Coordinator, faculty members, and EduGator staff, just to name a few. Review who is the contact for your specific questions/concerns, and don’t hesitate to reach out at any time.