Causelink for EDU expanding in 2019

For years, our root cause analysis (RCA) students have asked us: “Is this taught in schools?  If not, it should be!”  In the spring of 2018 we decided to take action by starting a pilot program called Causelink for EDU.  The new program provides universities with free access to Causelink RCA software and eRCA Fundamentals online learning.  The goals for the program are to expose students to software that they can expect to use after graduation, provide instructors with instructional tools and oversight, and receive feedback on Causelink software usability from a diverse group of problem-solvers.

The Environmental Safety & Health department at Murray State and Safety and Health Management program at Central Washington University signed up for the Causelink for EDU program.  Both organizations have an excellent reputation for producing world-class graduates who are placed in safety-related jobs in a wide variety of industries.  This made for a great test case as we kicked off the Causelink for EDU program last year.

During incident investigation courses at both universities, students gained access to the online learning course, eRCA Fundamentals, where they learned how to investigate incidents by following a root cause analysis process.  After completing the online course, students used Causelink to practice what they’ve learned. Causelink software guides an investigator through evidence gathering, problem definition, causal analysis, corrective/preventative actions, and produces a final report.  Each student had an assignment to conduct an RCA for an incident and document their findings within Causelink.  With access to all their students’ data, instructors were able to easily review work and make improvement suggestions.  

We received very positive results from the two universities participating in the pilot program.  Students found Causelink helpful and intuitive and instructors reported that checking student’s work and offering suggestions was easy to do.  “Thought it a GREAT tool for students to learn”, said one of the university program leaders.  Because of these positive results, both universities will continue with the program in 2019.

Sologic plans to expand the program’s reach in 2019.  We have already added a few more universities to the program and are seeking participation from 15 others.  The only requirement from the University is that they conduct courses in incident investigation, problem-solving, and/or root cause analysis and that their students have access to the Internet.  

Get in touch if you are interested in participating