Import Contextual Variable Responses

Warning: Do not delete any contextual variables from the original list within Manage Curriculum or the CBE auto-setup feature will prompt you to re-add them the next time you use CBE.

Contextual Variable Responses are used to describe the context in which a learner completes something. Examples of contextual variables include diagnosis, clinical presentation, clinical setting, case complexity, patient demographics, etc. For each variable, courses must define a list of response options. For example, under clinical presentation, a course might include cough, dyspnea, hemoptysis, etc.

Elentra will autosetup a list of contextual variables in the Manage Curriculum interface. Institutions can also add contextual variables (e.g., assessor's role) to this list before uploading contextual variable responses (e.g., nurse, physician, senior resident) via each course CBE tab. Elentra provides access to the same Contextual Variables for all courses. Courses can customize their list of contextual variable responses, but all courses will all see the same list of contextual variables. For this reason we strongly recommend that you work with your courses to standardize the list of contextual variables loaded into Elentra. If you do not, you risk eventually have hundreds of contextual variables that all course administrative staff have to sort through, whether they apply to their course or not.

Elentra will auto-create the following Contextual Variables for a CBE-enabled organization. Do not delete any of these or your users will be prompted to run the auto-setup tool again.

Add Additional Contextual Variables to an Organization

Institutions can add additional contextual variables to make available to their programs through Admin > Manage Curriculum. Group and role permissions of medtech:admin or staff:admin are required to do this. If you add a contextual variable to the organization wide tag set, courses will be able to upload their own contextual variable responses for the tag.

  • Navigate to Admin > Manage Curriculum.

  • Click on 'Curriculum Tags' from the Manage Curriculum Card on the left sidebar.

  • Click on the Contextual Variables tag set.

  • Click 'Add Tag' or 'Import from CSV' to add additional tags (more detail regarding managing curriculum tags is available here).

  • Any new tags you add to the Contextual Variable tag set (e.g. observer role, consult type, domain) will be visible to and useable by all programs within your organization.

  • When you add new tags to the tag set, you'll be required to provide a code and title. It is recommended that you make the code and title the same, but separate the words in the code with underscores. For example: Title: Observer Role Code: observer_role

  • Note that there is a 24 character limit for curriculum tag codes and a 240 character limit for curriculum tag titles. If you enter more characters than the limit, the system will automatically cut off your entry at the maximum characters.

  • After you have added Contextual Variables to the existing tag set, programs will be able to add the new response codes (and responses) to the contextual variable response template and successfully import them.

Import Contextual Variable Responses per Course

Once you have built out the list of all contextual variables you want included in the system you can import specific contextual variable responses for each course.

First, build a spreadsheet that includes the CV response category and individual CV responses. You can use this file as a starting place:

Note that responses will display in the order they are in in the csv file you upload. You can reorder the responses later but you may save time by inputting them in the order you want users to see them.

The contextual variable response spreadsheet should have the following information:

  • Response Code: This column should include all contextual variables applicable to the course/program (e.g., assessor’s role, basis of assessment, case complexity, case type). Make sure to use the exact response code all contextual variable tags in the response_code column.

  • Response: In this column, you can add the response variables required for a course (e.g. Case complexity response variables: low, medium, high). To add more than one response variable per response code, simply insert another line and fill in both the response code and response columns.

  • Description (optional): This field is not seen by users at this point and simply serves as metadata.

  • Save as a CSV file.

Upload A Completed Contextual Variable Response Spreadsheet

  • Navigate to Admin > Manage Courses.

  • From the cog menu beside the course name, select 'CBE.'

  • From the tab menu below the Competency-Based Education header, click 'CV Responses'.

  • Click 'Upload CV Responses'.

  • Drag and drop or search your computer for the appropriate file.

  • Click 'Save and upload Contextual Variable Responses'.

  • When the upload is complete you'll be able to click on any contextual variable and view the responses you've added.

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