New MSAR Platform Editor s Guide

Transcription

1 New MSAR Platform Editor s Guide We re pleased to bring you the first phase in our updated MSAR website project: the Editor s module. You ll notice a completely redesigned site based on the latest usability designs and protocals and student focus groups. What s New and Different? Fewer tabs. Working with students, we re-organized the site so that information was structured in a more intuitive fashion. From 13 tabs, we ve reduced to six focus areas. School photo and logo. We ve upload the photo and logo sent by your school. In some cases, the image may not appear as you would expect. If that s the case, please send us a new one. Provide a horizontal jpg image (--not vertical--those don t crop well!) that is 1372 x 372 px at 72 ppi and with a ratio of 3.68 to 1. We will format it and upload it for you. Note: if we didn t receive an image from you, the profile will have a large blank space at the top of the page. An image is required for the profile to be published. Information removed. In some cases, users found some information not useful, duplicated or too in the weeds. For instance, the USMLE Step exam policies have been removed. Less text. Students reported that there was too much text for them to easily read on mobile devices. In response, we ve limited text fields to 200 or 1000 characters (described below). New information. As per requests from pre-health advisors and the Committee on Admission, we ve added a question regarding shadowing requirements. Also, per user request, in the Overview section we ve added a dropdown for you to indicate your Campus Type (rural, urban, suburban). Note: Users will be able to search for schools using this filter, so please be sure to fill it out! Required fields. The site now displays which items are required and will not allow you to submit or save a section unless required fields are completed. If a field is not completed and you click on save, you will be taken directly to that field to complete it. (Details below.) Not Provided/Not Available. If an optional field is left incomplete, it will now say Not Provided to indicate the information was not provided to the MSAR by the medical school. In cases where information is typically provided by the AAMC and is not available, for instance if your school doesn t have a specific combined degree program or regional campus, the site will display, Not available. Note: Any Not provided text can be removed in Edit mode. Where are the Charts? Notes? Favorites and Search? Please remember that we re continuing to develop the site subscribers will see this Spring. Therefore, in many cases, the plain data or charts you see now will be far different in the Spring. Our developers and designers are currently coding more colorful charts, graphs and tables. You ll also see the search, date reminders, landing page, notes, favorites, my coursework and a more robust Compare Schools feature this Spring. Now Let s get started editing your medical school s profile! The next pages will show an overview of how to navigate, update and edit your school s information.

2 New URL to View Your School s Profile While we build the part of the website that subscribers will see and use this spring, to make edits to the next edition, you ll sign in to (Note: You ll still be able to access the current, live edition at until we launch the new version in the Spring. After the new edition is live, there will be one site to use for viewing and editing.) Note: For the most optimal experience, please use Chrome. Firefox or Safari may also be used. Your School s New Profile

3 Edit Mode After you sign in, and see your new profile, click on the edit button each section to render Edit Mode. at the top or at the bottom of In Edit Mode, you ll notice a yellow pencil icon appears next to the section being edited. Editable fields will now appear with a grey line beneath them (see below). You are able to preview, cancel or save edits via the buttons at the TOP or BOTTOM of each section. You can only make edits to one section at a time. Tip: Clicking the icon will automatically take you to the edit buttons at the top of a section and to save, preview or cancel. **Note to Canadian Schools: As with the previous Editor s Module, you will have more editable fields available to you because your information is not collected via the AMCAS application. Those fields for which we do not have data or information will have an edit icon beside them.**

4 Required Fields In past years, MSAR staff have contacted editors when required fields have been missed. Now, if you miss a required field, you will be notified when you save a section or submit the profile. Below you can see that required items have a red asterisk (*) and This field is required. noted beneath each required field. If you miss a required field, then, clicking the Save button will navigate directly to the required field(s) for completion. Note: A section cannot be saved unless all required fields are completed. Maximum Character Limits As in the old site, there are two type of narrative fields, short and long. Our focus group participants reported a preference for shorter text fields, especially when using mobile devices. In response, we have limited short narrative fields to 200 maximum characters and long fields to 1000 characters. As you type, the number of characters will tally automatically beside the maximum character limit indicated for the field. This is located just below and to the right of the field. (See image above). Note: Any text populated from the live site to this new editing platform that exceeded the maximum limit has been cut off and will not appear. To see your original text, view it in the current msar site ( ).

5 Premedical Coursework Chart To edit a course, click on the pencil icon under the Actions column. This year, we ve added the ability to add a note (up to 200 characters) for any course, so you can further explain requirements (examples below). At the bottom of the table, you can click on the Add Course button to add up to three additional courses. Note: Any added courses can be removed by clicking on the trash icon. MCAT Data The MCAT data in MSAR reflects most recent version of the exam. Working with MCAT exam and data subject matter experts, we have created a new chart to better and more fully display MCAT score distributions. You ll notice it looks markedly different than pervious charts on the site. Via the dropdown menu at the top of the chart, you will be able to select and see data specific to Accepted Applicants- Nationally, Accepted Applicants to the individual medical school and Matriculants to the medical school. The MSAR site will only feature data describing scores from the current version of the MCAT exam. During this transitional time, when the majority of medical schools will accept either version of the

6 exam, the scores distributions displayed generally reflect about half of the accepted applicants/matriculants for a medical school. In future application years, the MCAT score distributions will be based on more applicants more applicants will apply with scores from the current version of the exam. Please note: Due to privacy concerns, scores reflecting a cohort of fewer than 10 applicants will not be displayed. How to Read the MCAT and GPA Display In the example below, we see sample MCAT total score distribution for a given medical school. You will typically see five numbers on each graphic that represent, from left to right, the 10 th, 25 th, 50 th (median), 75 th and 90 th percentiles. If you put your cursor within the image, a tool tip will appear to tell you which percentile you are viewing. As you ll see from the legend, 10 th -90 th scores are represented in teal, 25th- 75 th scores are represented in dark blue and 50 th (median) percentile scores are centered in gray circles. Note: The same functionality applies for the GPA chart the only difference being the colors of the bands.

7 Acceptance Rate Chart Number Interviewed As in past years, the number of applicants interviewed is supplied by your medical school (and not available through AMCAS). This information is provided, by request, to the LCME each year for their Longitudinal Report. To update the number interviewed at your institution, click on the edit button in the Acceptance Data section, then, in the chart, click on the edit icon in the Actions column to edit the Interviewed row. Specialty Data In response to schools frustrated by their graduates specialty information not being fully communicated in the previous chart. Graduates entering a preliminary year did not appear in the category to which they matched. In response, we ve changed the chart so that your institution will provide the data. Additionally, more specialties have been added. Note: When you initially view the chart, it populated with 0% for each category. In Edit mode, you will be able to enter a percentage for each applicable specialty.

8 Submitting Your Profile When you ve completed all sections, scroll to the top of the profile and click on the submit button. The site will check to make sure all required fields have been completed. If not, you will see notifications appear in the top right corner (in blue) listing the missing required fields. After each item has been entered, click Submit again. When successfully submitted, you ll see a green notification. MSAR staff will take over from here, review and approve the profile and eventually, publish the new edition was all profiles are complete. You ll still be able to access and view your profile once submitted. We will notify all schools when the next edition is published and live.