Unlocking the Complexity of Student Evaluations in Medical Schools with Explorance Blue

Challenge: Transforming Student Feedback in Medical Institutions

Embarking on a mission to enhance the efficacy of student feedback mechanisms, Batterjee Medical College (BMC), Dubai Medical College for Girls (DMCG), and Mohammed Bin Rashid University of Medicine and Health Sciences (MBRU) found themselves at a critical juncture. They faced a confluence of nuanced challenges that became vital to improving the learning experience in medical institutions.

Despite previous attempts utilizing limited solutions, the institutions fell short. These solutions were unable to adequately address the intricate demands unique to medical education, such as clinical rotations and residencies. Furthermore, compounded by limited reporting capabilities and a lack of integration with existing IT systems, stakeholders voiced a collective frustration. This underscored the urgent necessity for a more robust solution.

Amidst technological barriers, another challenge emerged: students began to feel apprehensive about sharing feedback, questioning the true value of their voices. This sentiment posed a significant obstacle to gathering candid and constructive input, which is essential for driving meaningful improvements.

“We need to set the culture and guide students towards how to provide constructive feedback, feeding back info and closing the loop is very important.” – Dr. Adrian Stanley, Mohammed Bin Rashid University of Medicine and Health Sciences

Solution: One Streamlined Feedback Process

Implementing Explorance Blue was a pivotal step in addressing the challenges faced by these medical institutions in enhancing their student feedback mechanisms. The decision to adopt this platform was driven by its unparalleled flexibility, notably evident in its setup and reporting capabilities.

“For each survey we should have a goal and clear vision of what the benefit of the survey is, we need to set KPIs.” – Dr. Maher Alandiyjany, Batterjee Medical College

• Seamless Integration: With the institutions’ Learning Management Systems (LMS) and Student Information Systems (SIS).
• Institutional Survey Calendar: A shared calendar system for scheduling evaluations across rotations and modules.
• Email Notifications and Automated Reminders: Automated notification and reminder system to encourage student participation.
• Course Block: Implemented mandatory surveys to unlock grade access, strategically integrated within designated courses or modules.
• Multi-Instructor Evaluation: One, single user-friendly interface for students to evaluate multiple instructors within the same course.
• Enhanced Reporting Capabilities: Customizable reporting options for different stakeholders tailored to the specific needs of their role.
• SIS Integration: Smooth data synchronization and minimal manual input for robust evaluation creation and data augmentation.
• Data Discovery: A centralized dashboard for student feedback data analysis with role-based access and smart confidentiality.

Outcome: Addressing Survey Fatigue & Enhancing Reporting

BMC, DMCG, and MBRU experienced remarkable improvements in student feedback engagement through their strategic implementation of Explorance Blue. By introducing a shared institutional evaluation calendar, they bolstered response rates, keeping students actively involved in the feedback process with automated reminders and emails. This seamless integration with Learning Management Systems (LMS) allowed for the implementation of a course block option, providing students with another avenue to participate in evaluations. Furthermore, leveraging Blue’s multi-instructor evaluation feature, the schools simplified the evaluation process, enhancing the user experience for students.

Explorance Blue’s revolutionary reporting capabilities tailored to the institutions’ needs marked a significant shift in feedback processing. Its dynamic report access enabled customization based on recipients’ distinct requirements, ensuring relevance for faculty and high-level management. Integration with the Student Information System (SIS) facilitated seamless breakdowns of reports, aligning information with institutional structure and key demographic data. The Blue Dashboard served as a central hub for stakeholders, offering an interactive space to explore results and drive data-driven decision-making, ultimately closing the feedback loop effectively.

The impactful integration of Explorance Blue at the three medical schools highlights the transformative potential of selecting the right solution for student feedback processing.

“There are 2 aspects to this: participation and engagement, when students participate, they just tick and submit, but when they feel engaged, it makes a huge difference, feeling engaged and feeling like a part of the process is so important and changes a lot.” – Dr. Heba Ismail, Dubai Medical College for Girls

This underscores the critical importance of closing the feedback loop within Higher Education Institutions, prioritizing student engagement and tangible change.