In-room faculty evaluations allow Course Contributors to be physically present in the room during exams involving standardized patients (SPs).  This can be especially beneficial for sensitive procedures like breast or pelvic exams where recording is disabled, or in those cases where it is important to have faculty presence in the room during an event.  

These evaluations serve four primary purposes:

1. On-the-spot Evaluation: Faculty members can sit in the room and have an evaluation or feedback instrument automatically displayed on the SP's computer. This real-time evaluation capability allows faculty to intervene in events where additional teaching may be desirable.  
2. Ease of Use for Faculty: Faculty members using in-room evaluations will be assigned to the exam room, like an SP, so that they are not required to interact with or log into the system prior to interacting with the evaluation.  
3. Security and Safety: Having a faculty member present in the room adds a layer of security. The presence of a third party (the faculty) reduces the likelihood of inappropriate behavior and creates a safer environment for both the SP and the student performing the exam. This mitigates concerns about misconduct, ensuring that the SP feels safe during sensitive procedures.
4. Enabling New Activities: As faculty members can evaluate from within the room, this eliminates the requirement to record sensitive exams, while still allowing evaluation, streamlining the process while preserving privacy. 

Things to know before you begin

• For a faculty member to be used as an In-Room Evaluator, they must be assigned as a Course Contributor in the Course which contains the Scenario using In-Room Evaluation.  
• The SP's computer will be used by the faculty member for real-time evaluations, meaning the SP will no longer interact with their own interface during the exam.
• Administrators will now have to define a faculty evaluator when setting up a room with a Scenario containing an In-Room Evaluation. This additional setup step ensures that the faculty member is officially assigned and will be present during the exam.
• Once the faculty evaluator is assigned, only they can use the SP's interface. The SP cannot interact with it, ensuring that the faculty member has full control during the evaluation.
• This also restricts the use of other evaluation tools, such as standardized patient evaluations or the exam EMR, within the room. These tools are generally used from outside the room, keeping the faculty's machine exclusive for grading.
• If rotational scheduling is used, the system will prompt the assignment of an in-room faculty evaluator. If this evaluator is not defined, the room configuration will be incomplete, and the scenario setup will not be possible.
• Only one evaluation type can be used on the SP interface at once.

Creating an in-room faculty evaluation

Here, we’ll look at how to create a Standardized Patient scenario with an in-room faculty evaluation:  

1. Select your course.
2. Select Add New Scenario.
3. Click Create New and give the scenario a title.
4. Select Standardized Patient and fill-in required information.
5. Toggle the In-Room Evaluation switch.  
6. Click Save.

If In-Room Evaluation is disabled, this may indicate:  

• that there is an SP Post-Encounter evaluation which needs to be disabled.
• that there is an Exam EMR evaluation which needs to be disabled. 

Control Interface

The control interface will display three participants for the room: the SP, the student, and the In-Room evaluator.  The option for In-Room Evaluator will remain grayed out unless a Scenario is selected which calls for the presence of an In-Room Evaluator.  

Rotational Schedule

When using rotational scheduling you will see the In-room Evaluator option.  The option will remain grayed out unless a Scenario is selected which calls for the presence of an In-Room Evaluator.

These changes introduce a more structured process for faculty participation in exams involving SPs. By clearly assigning an in-room evaluator and modifying the control interface accordingly, the system enhances security, supervision, and real-time assessment without interfering with the standardized patient’s interaction or other system tools.