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Security Access to System Data and Function

Security Access to System Data and Function

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Security Access to System Data and Function

It is no surprise that enterprise-level systems with hundreds of different functions present many complicated challenges. Managing various levels of access to data and functions within the system for different types of users is one of these challenges, and one that people outside the field may not have given much consideration. There are thousands, maybe hundreds of thousands, of users that could be using a system . This can lead to potentially hundreds of groups of users, each needing to be able to only access different sets of functions and data. It could easily take hundreds of hours to set up a system’s security if one had to approve each point of access for each individual user of the system. A high-quality solution to this challenge is non-negotiable; sensitive information is often stored somewhere in these systems, making security a top priority. 

 

Security access generally happens at two levels: functions and data. Having access to certain functions means that a user is able to perform certain actions within the system. For example, an administrator may be able to add a new faculty member, while a student would not have access to that function. This seems simple enough, but consider eMedley: this is a comprehensive platform comprising a myriad of different products and subsystems.  Each of these has hundreds of interfaces but let us consider just one of  the subsystems: eduCATE, the learning management system. Some of its functionality includes the course feed, the gradebook, the attendance tracker and a vast multitude of  reports.  Each of these interfaces has several functions: in the gradebook, users might be able to add grades, edit grades, delete grades, curve grades, create new columns, etc. For each of these functions on each interface, different users need to have different levels of access so that, for example, students cannot go in and edit their own grades. One can imagine the level of complexity when this is extrapolated to all the subsystems/products.

 

Which functions a user has access to are determined by their “access level.” Access levels are generally defined based on a user’s job function or role. Thus administrators have a certain access level, instructors have one, and students have one. Assigning access levels to  a relatively small number of groups such as this makes it easier to manage. Of course, custom access levels based on specific job groups can then be built on a needs basis. 

 

Access to data is generally managed through the concept of “permissions.” This comes into play where a user has access to a function such as “manage students” but needs to only have the ability to manage just some of those students. Continuing with the example of eduCATE, instructors would need the ability to view and grade data for all students, while schools would want students to only have access to view their own grades but not each other’s grade data. So, if a user has access to some students, they may only have a set of approved functions that they can perform on the data for those systems (e.g. a user may have access to view and edit but not delete). 

 

This obviously introduces another level of complexity as the administrators need to have intuitive interfaces where they can not only manage access to certain data for certain users but also designate the specific functions that they can perform on that data. The considerations for  evaluating a system in terms of its user access management capabilities are as follows:

  • What level of granularity and control is  offered to system administrators to manage different levels of access to functionality and data?
  • How intuitive are the interfaces to manage permissions and levels?
  • Can system administrators set up access for a large user base quickly and efficiently?
  • Does the system have built in intelligence to determine inheritance of access ?
  • Does the system have default access levels that can handle the vast majority of requirements thus keeping security management work cost efficient? 
  • Can the system handle complex security checking for a user without negatively impacting system performance?



Curriculum Mapping

Curriculum Mapping

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Curriculum Mapping

Curriculum mapping is exactly what it sounds like: it involves mapping out your curriculum to gain a better understanding of when everything is being covered and how topics relate to each other. Often, curriculums will have certain goals that exist at different levels. For example, a medical curriculum might have the overarching goals of instilling medical knowledge of the human body, cultural competency, and professionalism in its students. Each of these goals will then have subgoals – medical knowledge of the human body might include mastery of human anatomy, human diseases and ailments, and the basics of nutrition, for example. These will often then break down further, and so on. Curriculum mapping allows schools to trace not only how these topics relate to each other, but where they are being taught. Certain objectives will be assigned to certain classes, forming the “class objectives,” and these then align with overarching program objectives. Sometimes curriculum mapping goes a level further and maps specific session objectives that then relate to the course objectives and the overall program objectives. By creating this detailed record of where each objective is included in actual class time, programs are better able to understand exactly how their curriculum is being covered. 

Curriculum mapping is a great way to identify gaps in your curriculum. If you have established in your curriculum that you want to teach students about the impact of being low-income on health, but you realize that it is not actually being covered in any classes, you have identified a gap. It is also helpful to identify overlays; if you realize that a certain topic is being covered more often that you intended, you have an overlay and can use one of those classes as a place to correct a gap. In this way, curriculum mapping makes programs more well-rounded and organized, and students and faculty can both rest easy knowing that everything in the curriculum is definitely being covered. 

Having a more organized curriculum is not only helpful for improving your program’s outcomes, but can also make the administrative side of education much less stressful in the long run. Having a well-done, up-to-date curriculum mapping system can make the accreditation process much less daunting because it is easy to show exactly where everything in your curriculum is being taught. Many programs map onto existing curriculum standards as established by accreditation agencies, such as the LCME standards. This allows them to prepare for accreditation the entire time they are building their curriculum and doing their curriculum mapping, and when the committee visits, they know they are prepared and the process goes smoothly. 

While curriculum mapping can initially be a bit daunting to faculty, it creates peace of mind and saves time down the road. eCurriculum is a comprehensive curriculum-mapping system that makes the process of mapping more organized and offers gap and overlay analysis to help guide improvements in your curriculum. This type of system, along with the expertise of the eMedley product team, makes curriculum mapping much easier and more approachable. Curriculum mapping improves the quality of programs and peace of mind for students and faculty, making it more than worth the initial push to get the ball rolling. 

Curriculum Calendar

Curriculum Calendar

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Curriculum Calendar

As a program, it is critical to schedule courses properly and efficiently manage time. With the curriculum calendar in eCurriculum, learning is consistent and well organized. In eCurriculum’s calendar, administrations can schedule course sessions, general events, and associated student cohorts, groups, and faculty into a calendar. Integrated with Canvas, Google, and Office 365, the curriculum calendar is a useful, advanced tool within the eCurriculum application module.

Curriculum calendars are really “systems by which you define the landmark dates that drive much of the day-to-day business” at an academic institution. Calendars allow faculty and staff to stay up to date in regards to program courses, sessions, events, and among other things, making the curriculum calendars the hub of everything going on at an institution. 

With a curriculum calendar, it keeps programs honest about what is being taught and where, ensuring everything is being covered academically. With a curriculum calendar, such as the one in eCurriculum, faculty and staff are more aware of what is going on in the program regarding the scheduling of course sessions and general events. This makes faculty and staff more confident when teaching or speaking to other faculty members and students, as they are aware of what is upcoming.

Curriculum Mapping ties in well with the curriculum calendar as “curriculum mapping amplifies the possibilities for long-range planning, short-term preparation, and clear communication.” When effective mapping and planning takes place, what is being taught is actually recorded and gives insight into what needs to be improved or changed. When building a curriculum calendar it is important to keep four key steps in mind:

  1. Organize – Effectively plan where and when specific sessions and events are taking place that are associated to students, groups, and faculty members.
  2. Collaborate – Work together to determine what the best schedule would be for the students and faculty members
  3. Align – Align scheduling to what best fits the curriculum
  4. Evaluate – Evaluate the calendar based on the course sessions, general events, students, and faculty members. Go back and revise if necessary

Using eCurriculum’s curriculum calendar effectively saves administrators immense time planning their schedules. It is automated as in all the sessions events created or imported into eCurriculum will auto appear in the calendar. Events can even be rolled over from previous years automatically. Learning becomes incredibly consistent and well organized when built into a calendar format.

Interested in learning more? Check out eCurriculum.

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Grading Discrepancies

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Grading Discrepancies

Much of modern medical education is highly standardized; medical students at schools across the USA and Canada, regardless of their institution, can expect to be trained in the same core scientific knowledge and clinical experience. They will all be expected to demonstrate skill in three areas: medical knowledge, medical skill, and professionalism and cultural competency. Grading across schools has proven harder to standardize.

Instructors and administrators have recently been asking the question “how many students should receive honors?”  Their search for a standard instead uncovers significant variation with regards to the percentage of students receiving top marks in their clerkship programs.

While the AAMC took action to standardize competency assessments across schools from 2000 to 2002, a 2012 study revealed lingering discrepancies: from school to school, anywhere from 2% to 93% of students might be awarded the top grade in any clerkship. Even within schools, students earning this mark ranged from 18% to 81% depending on their clerkship (Dr. Alexander et al, 2012). 

In another study of 137 MD programs across the U.S., similar variety was demonstrated: the percentage of students receiving top marks ranged from 5% to 97%. The median percentage was 34%, which can offer some guidance for educators seeking answers (Dr. Westerman et al, 2019). 

Grading standardization is complicated; removing subjectivity from grading is a challenge all educators must consider. In addition, the clinical phase of education is inherently more subjective and personal. Students are less often taking written tests or completing assignments and are instead demonstrating their learned knowledge while treating real patients in a variety of settings. Additionally, schools have different philosophies on how these experiences should be graded; some follow a pass/fail system, closely adhering to the concept of competency-based grading, while others use several more grading categories in order to distinguish different levels of student performance. Regardless of grading system, the vast majority of students pass their required clerkship, and 97% perform in the top three categories of whatever grading system their school uses (Dr. Alexander et al, 2012).

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E-Learning and Health Science Education

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E-Learning and Health Science Education

E-learning has become a more common method of education as technology has grown increasingly commonplace. As technology has advanced and a greater focus has been placed on e-learning, it has become a rich, interactive pedagogical tool that can increase access to education. Virtual classrooms allow students to do more work from home, decreasing the need for transportation, childcare. It also decreases the effect of physical and mental health conditions that may prevent students from making it to campus every day. The COVID-19 pandemic made virtual learning more necessary than ever before as schools across the country transitioned to online learning. Health science education is no exception to all of these challenges and barriers; are virtual classrooms effective for health science programs, and how can they be implemented for optimal results?

Most health science programs are divided into didactic and clinical phases; the first half of the program will be spent focused on classroom instruction, while the second half focuses on supervised implementation of the learned skills. Virtual learning is generally used for the didactic phase, because the clinical phase will take place in real healthcare settings. For the didactic phase, virtual learning can be a highly effective tool. It is often preferred as a part of blended learning, i.e. a mix of in-person education and virtual learning. Technology can provide new methods of collaboration (discussion boards, blog posts, co-editing a wikipedia page, etc.), new ways of transmitting information (recorded lectures, video conferences with guests from another state or country), and a greater variety of assignment-types. It can also involve automated grading, which can lessen the administrative burden on instructors. Even during the clinical phase, e-learning can help remind students of skills they are working on or enhance their experience. Virtual learning allows for what is sometimes referred to as “just-for-me” learning or asynchronous learning, when students can complete work on their own time, and for synchronous learning, where, for example, students might have a virtual class via video conferencing. E-learning offers more variety and flexibility. 

As mentioned above, e-learning is often implemented alongside in-person instruction for a “blended” learning environment. This is beneficial largely because of the variety and flexibility it can offer, and because it can streamline some of the work of instructors. When thinking about transitioning to a virtual classroom, it is important to consider what might be lost. Interactions between students and faculty are known to be important for student success (https://muse.jhu.edu/article/636338/summary; https://muse.jhu.edu/article/381964/summary). Such interactions occur less naturally in a virtual environment, so it is important for instructors to consider how they will incorporate them into their e-classroom. Of course, there are also benefits to virtual learning that are lost in an in-person classroom; in addition to the accessibility benefits mentioned above, technical competency is a more natural component of virtual learning because it involves more use of technology (for more pros and cons of online learning, see https://tomprof.stanford.edu/posting/1385). This is why incorporating technology into the traditional classroom is often beneficial. For ideas on how to do this incorporation, such as virtual patients or virtual tutorial groups, check out https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2600032/. 

Having an idea of effective virtual pedagogy is vital; when the COVID-19 pandemic struck, many instructors were left scrambling to transition their classes online mid-semester without any experience teaching online. Familiarity with the basics of online teaching can not only help instructors be prepared for future crises, but can help add variety and flexibility to classes.

Faculty Evaluations

Faculty Evaluations

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Faculty Evaluations

As we see with student evaluations, faculty evaluations provide constructive feedback as well. Student faculty evaluations have been popular among colleges for quite a long time and for good reason. Through eValuate+, faculty members can be evaluated by students in order to maintain a strong program.

By evaluating professors, students will feel more engaged in their academics and be able to provide insight in how to make their learning experience better. By taking evaluations seriously, both on the professor and student side, teaching quality and student achievement will improve.

Throughout the years, students do not stay the same. What worked in previous years may not work for the current class. When students complete professor evaluations in thoughtful ways, they are not only strengthening their potential experience, but their peers’ experience as well. 

When writing evaluations regarding professors, it is important for students to be respectful and provide specific examples. Students want to focus on behaviors they have observed. For example, putting lecture notes on a screen for a visual while they talk through the lesson. 

While it is important for students to focus on observable behaviors, students want to avoid making emotional and/or personal comments. Rather than making emotional comments, it is more beneficial to professors and students themselves to describe specific events. This in turn will highlight specific weaknesses the professor may be exhibiting and can improve on in the future. Other good evaluation practices include making alternative suggestions for professors based on critiques. This will give professors insight into what students are looking for in their courses. 

According to McGill, it is a good idea for students to think of the following categories when completing instructor evaluations:

  1. Overall (Course and Instructor)
  2. Clarity and Difficulty
  3. Organization and Structure
  4. Teaching Strategies
  5. Assignments
  6. Interest or Motivation
  7. Outside of Classroom Communication
  8. Personal Traits
  9. Physical Environment

Having students evaluate their professors encourages them to be responsible for their education, while also improving their college experience. When professors improve, so does student performance.

Interested in Faculty Evaluations? Check out eValuate+.

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Feedback and Student Success

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Feedback and Student Success

The question at the heart of many pedagogical approaches is: what can teachers do to improve student success? More often than not, one component of the answer to this question is feedback. In his 2012 study, Vincent Tinto identifies the following “attributes of effective classrooms:” expectations, support, assessment and feedback, and involvement. Interactions between students and faculty are also closely linked with student success, and regular feedback is one way to increase frequent interactions. Information on their current progress allows students to adjust their behavior to improve weak spots and to identify their strengths. Frequent assessment and feedback similarly allows instructors to know what students need help with and what existing methods are working well. 

Professional schools are, by nature, focused on developing skills and preparing students for a specific work environment. This environment naturally fosters regular feedback. Because health science programs are generally professional schools, this means that feedback often plays an important role in health science education. This feedback can be incredibly helpful, but the way that it is delivered and understood is vital for optimum success. 

Students entering a professional school may notice an increase in the amount of feedback they are receiving, which can make them uncomfortable. For example, there is often a gap in dental schools between student and faculty expectations in regards to feedback. In this study, researchers implemented a student feedback workshop to help students understand the reasoning for feedback and increase their receptiveness. The resulting data reflected student satisfaction with the activity as a part of their orientation, and this reaction was positive. Jack Ende provides a helpful framework for how feedback practices from business, psychology, and education can be understood and implemented in clinical medicine education. 

An important consideration when incorporating feedback and evaluation into the classroom is choosing a variety of kinds of feedback for a variety of benefits. Feedback and evaluation can be between faculty and students, students and their peers, or students and themselves. All three have unique benefits and limitations, and all are important as students enter the workforce as well. Learning more about how to implement feedback and evaluation effectively and consciously incorporating them into your classes and curriculum can have a significant impact on student success, whether it be academic, skill-based, or in regards to their confidence in their skills.

Evaluating Students

Evaluating Students

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Giving Evaluations

Evaluating Students

As noted in previous blog posts, evaluations are critical to a students growth and success. As an administrator or faculty member, it is incredibly important to know how to write up beneficial evaluations. Evaluations are a good way to give students constructive criticism, but also point out the things they did well. 

After a relatively critical event, experience, or course, it is a good time to evaluate a student. For example, this could be after an experience at a specific clinical site. Another good time to evaluate a student would be when their actions are affecting other students or themselves.

The amount of evaluations that can be completed are limitless. What is most important though is that students are evaluated during an appropriate time frame. When completed right away, evaluations are the most fresh and give detailed constructive criticism. 

When filling out an evaluation, like in eValuate+, evaluators should keep four questions in mind:

  1. What was the student able to do well?
  2. What wasn’t the student able to do well?
  3. How does the student’s performance compare to that of other students?
  4. How can the student improve?

By answering these questions, students receive meaningful feedback that can greatly influence their performance in the future. As an evaluator, it is necessary to be as specific as possible. Personalized language within evaluations will get better responses from students. For example, stay away from phrases such as “you didn’t, “you failed to,” “you shouldn’t” and so on as it may discourage them.

In contrast, using encouraging phrases such as “I believe that,” “I suggest that,” “I recommend that,” and so on will motivate students to do better rather than not. Promote self-esteem and inspire the person while giving beneficial critiques.

In order to remove bias from an evaluation, evaluate the person’s actions and behaviors rather than the person themselves. Evaluations should be based on what is being seen, heard, and felt, not who the individual is.

Finally, present the evaluation feedback carefully. Fully explain any criticisms or praises so that the student can take that information and run with it. This gives students the opportunity to grow as professionals and increase their performance level.

Evaluations are critical to the success of a student. Interested in evaluating students in your specific program? Check out eValuate+.

Attendance and Student Performance

Attendance and Student Performance

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Attendance and Student Performance

Attendance and Student Performance

Does better attendance improve student performance? According to NCBI, students who attend class are more likely to perform better on homework and exams compared to students who do not attend class as often. With the implementation of eduCATE’s Attendance Tracker, student attendance and performance is likely to increase significantly.

Through eduCATE’s Attendance Tracker, professors are able to report on the attendance of a specific student or section. Customizable to the program’s needs, attendance can be tracked either by day or section. 

By requiring attendance or having an attendance policy, the amount of absentee students decreases. According to a NCBI study, when an attendance policy was removed, attendance fell from 85 to 76 percent which is reported to affect students’ overall grades and GPAs.

By showing up to class, students have the chance to ask their professors and/or peers questions. This gives them the ability to understand material at a deeper, more complex level. While students may be more distracted at home or not fully paying attention, being present in class gives them the opportunity to “think more clearly about course topics.” 

Not only do students simply perform better on homework and exams, they are also able to be part of a classroom community. They will be more exposed to other resources and connections that can impact their performance. As students build relationships with their peers, they are more willing to be part of conversations and active learning.

Attending class also gives students the opportunity to build connections with faculty such as their professors. By communicating with faculty, students may have a better idea of their specific strengths and weaknesses in understanding the course material. Professors are also aware of many different opportunities for students, such as internships, and may be beneficial to the students in finding success after college.

A student’s grade heavily reflects their attendance and classroom participation. With the Attendance Tracker in eduCATE, faculty members are able to run reports regarding a specific student’s attendance. Taking those reports, faculty members are then able to determine a final grade or attendance policy. eduCATE and its Attendance Tracker sets students up for success.

Interested in learning more? Check out eMedley’s eduCATE.

Evaluations

Evaluations

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Evaluations

Gauging how material is being taught or how well students are doing in a course or session can be difficult. With evaluations, all parties involved are given an opportunity to understand how a semester is going.

Through evaluations such as those completed through eMedley’s product eValuate, individuals are able to discuss what is being modeled. Student Faculty Evaluations,  Preceptor Student Evaluations, Faculty Course Evaluations and many others heavily contribute to tracking a student’s mastery and their future success.  

Evaluations are able to give deliberate positive and negative feedback to an individual. No matter the type of evaluation or who is evaluating whom, evaluation feedback provides different perspectives and an opportunity to grow as a professional. With evaluations, schools are able to pick out unprofessional behavior and guide the student in a better direction.

Studies have also found that an emphasis on self assessment provides great opportunity for growth and learning how to work alone. Faculty members may learn a more beneficial way to teach, a student may find they are lacking skills in a specific area of the curriculum or may find they don’t fully understand a concept.

According to NCBI, students tend to overestimate their knowledge of specific topics. Along with overestimation, students also show a disconnect between said knowledge and actual demonstrated skills. With observations and evaluations, this disconnect can be reduced. 

Feedback-oriented learning is critical to a student’s success as they are more likely to focus on growth and potential in contrast to just receiving a letter grade. Students will in turn understand what a quality performance looks like and how to set a good goal for themselves. Feedback is meant to “close the gap between current and desired performance.”

With eValuate, administrators are able to create, assign and analyze reports within the system. A wide variety of evaluation types to choose from offer immense opportunities for all included parties and are intended to close that gap between current and desired performances. Form types are easily customizable to fit every need of the evaluation.

eValuate+ is beneficial for students in the didactic and clinical phase and provides great opportunities for growth.

Interested in learning more? Check out eValuate.

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