Overview

Programs using "Assigned" Site Placement Processes will be able to generate recommended placement matches for all members of a placement group, according to configurable parameters for defining a high quality match between students and sites. Placement approvers can approve or reject the recommended matches as needed. 

The Placement Matching Recommendation Tool

The Placement Matching Recommendation tool applies to all members of a selected placement group who have completed all required pre-application tasks. Matching can be limited to focus on a specific group at one time if needed. An algorithm will recommend placements for eligible students based on selected matching priority and parameters that can be adjusted to fit your program's needs. Upon generating matches, placements can be approved or rejected until all students in your selected placement group have been matched. To get started click on    at the bottom of the Placement Approval Grid.

Matching Priority

Students will be matched in the order of the matching priority selected.

Priority options include:

• A-Z By Last Name: This will prioritize students alphabetically by last name. This is the fastest method for generating matches.
• Random: This method generates matches at a median speed.
• Pre-App First Completed: This looks at the order in which students first completed all required pre-application tasks and awards placement recommendations in a first-come first-served order. This is the slowest method for generating matches. 

Parameters

Parameters allow you to assign weight to a set of conditions you would like to be considered when generating matches.

Weight: If a parameter's weight is set to 0, the parameter’s condition is ignored. If set to a 5, the parameter’s condition must be met in order for a placement to be recommended. If set from a 1 to a 4, the parameter is considered and weighed against other parameters based on relative weights.

Parameters:

• Consider Student Favorites: Set a weight to prioritize sites that students have marked as a "favorite."
• Consider Openings: Set a weight to prioritize placements that have available openings, if utilizing the site openings feature.
  • NOTE: For this to work, site openings must be linked to the placement group being matched. 
• Match Sub-Program: Set a weight to prioritize matches between students and sites with common sub-program associations, if utilizing the sub-programs feature.
• Prevent Repeat Site Tags: Set a weight to avoid matches between students and sites that have the same site tags as sites that students were previously placed with. This can be used to ensure diverse placement experiences for students. This parameter also requires users to select the specific tags which should not be repeated across placements. Multiple tags can be selected at once.
• Limit student travel radius: Set a weight to prioritize placements within a given travel radius from the student. This parameter also requires users to define the acceptable number of miles.
• Number of matches to display: This can be 25, 50, 75, or 100. If a placement group has more than 100 students eligible for placement, 100 matches will be recommended at a time, in order of the matching priority.

Match Approval

Approve or reject generated matches to tentatively assign students to placements.

Interacting with individual recommendations in the Match Approval table:

• Clicking on a student name opens the Student Dashboard to the student's user record in a new tab
• Clicking on a site name opens the Site Management workspace for the site record in a new tab
• Clicking on a supervisor name opens the Users table to the supervisor’s user record in a new tab
• Clicking on the map link generates Google Maps directions between the student and the site in a new tab, dependent on having both the student's and site’s addresses in the system

Approval: Selecting one or more recommendations and selecting “Approve” will transport these approved recommendations out of the recommendations workspace and on to the placement approval grid as a tentative placement. New recommendations will be loaded for all students whose recommendations were not approved, based on updated availability. Repeat this step until all students have been matched with desirable placements.

Rejection: Selecting one or more recommendations and selecting “Reject” will reload the entire recommendation table and the tool will explicitly avoid matching students whose recommendations were rejected with that placement again.
NOTE: since this reloads the entire table, it’s best to do this step AFTER you’ve approved all desirable recommendations.

Can't Find a Match?

Sometimes generated matches do not result in any appropriate placements for some students. What can you do if no placement recommendation can be made for these students? In this case, it is recommended to return to the matching parameters and adjust parameter weight for one or more parameters. After adjusting parameter weight return to generate matches and try again.

Related Articles

Placement Groups

Placement Approval Grid