Streamlining the Evaluation Lifecycle

For clinical administrators, the logistical burden of assigning and tracking evaluations can outweigh the pedagogical value of the data collected if the process requires a large amount of manual input. A primary goal of this implementation was to reduce friction in the evaluation process.

Traditionally, re-assigning evaluations due to schedule changes or faculty availability was a manual, one-by-one process. eMedley was implemented to allow both administrators and faculty to multi-select evaluations for re-assigning. This batch-processing capability significantly reduces administrative overhead.

Furthermore, the introduction of a specialized form type, “Course Coordinator Evaluating Student,” acknowledges the hierarchical nature of clinical training. New logic allows a Course Coordinator to reassign an evaluation, seamlessly delegating it to another faculty member or instructor. This ensures the right eyes are on the student without creating a bottleneck in the coordinator’s workflow.

Customizing the Gradebook: Terminology and Weighting

Generic gradebooks often fail to capture the nuance of clinical credit. For many programs, “Credit Hours” is an arbitrary metric that doesn’t reflect the time spent in a rotation. To align the software with the program’s vernacular, the interface was customized to replace “Credit Hours” with “Weeks” across the Didactic and Clinical scheduling interfaces.

The project also introduced sophisticated Rubric Weights Management. Faculty can now choose between “Score by points” or “Score by weight.” When scoring by weight, individual rubrics within a form are assigned specific percentage values that roll up to a weighted overall score. This granular control allows programs to emphasize specific competencies—such as professionalism or clinical reasoning—over others within the same evaluation.

To support this, a comprehensive “Year 4 Course Grades” report was developed. This custom reporting tool aggregates data across the cohort, pulling in Student IDs, Streams, and Overall Weighted Grades. It calculates weighted grades based on rotation length (Weeks) and automatically filters for published grades, providing a clear, exportable snapshot of student performance across the curriculum.

Closing the Loop: Alignment with Program Objectives

One of the most critical aspects of health science education is proving that student assessment aligns with broader accreditation standards.

This customization bridged the gap between eValuate (assessments) and eCurriculum (curriculum mapping). A new alignment interface was built within the “Shared Questions” bank, allowing administrators to align specific rubric question criteria directly to Program Objectives.

By linking evaluation questions to high-level objectives, the institution can move beyond simple grade tracking to true competency-based assessment. This feature ensures that every data point collected during a clinical rotation contributes to the longitudinal tracking of accreditation standards.

Automating Complexity

Finally, the project addressed the dynamic nature of student schedules. Students frequently request “External Activities” or externships that fall outside standard rotations.

New logic was implemented to ensure that when a student’s schedule changes via an External Activity Request, the associated evaluations are automatically added or removed. This automation prevents “ghost” evaluations—forms assigned for rotations a student never attended—and ensures that the correct evaluation forms (like pre-placement forms) are triggered instantly.

The eMedley Difference

This blog illustrates that an academic management platform cannot be a static product. It must be a flexible ecosystem that evolves with the needs of the institution. By integrating complex grading weights, role-specific evaluation workflows, and objective alignment, eMedley provides the infrastructure health science programs need to maintain academic rigor and operational efficiency.