The Blended Learning Usability Evaluation – Questionnaire (BLUE-Q) is a tool created by researchers at McGill University. It is used to:

• Evaluate the usability of blended learning programs (BLPs), especially those that are taught in the context of medical and health sciences education.
• Systematize program evaluations for BLPs.
• Facilitate rigorous comparison between different BLPs.

The BLUE-Q has three parts:

• Part 1 looks at pedagogical usability (i.e., the program’s content, learning objectives, and experiences of learners with their instructors).
• Part 2 looks at the usability of the synchronous learning aspects of the program (i.e., face-to-face learning components which could be done in-person or through video-conferencing software).
• Part 3 looks at the asynchronous learning aspects of the program (i.e., online learning tasks and the learning management system).

There are 29 questions in total: 23 are multiple-choice and 6 are open-ended.

The BLUE-Q should be given to students in a BLP (i.e., programs that combines synchronous and asynchronous learning), especially those in medical and health sciences education. This includes programs for:

• Undergraduate and graduate students
• Continuing professional development
• Faculty development
• Clinical learners

We recommend that this instrument be given to learners at two time-pints: at the 33% completion time-point of the program and at the end of a program. The first application of this instrument will be useful in gauging early insight into the learner experience with the program. It will enable instructors and program designers to understand if and where changes in the program could or should be made. As the tool is applied early into the program, it may be possible to adapt the BLP slightly to better assist learners in the educational process if the need is apparent. This second application of the instrument will allow for an understanding of how learner perceptions of BLP usability have changed over the program. For example, if a BLP runs for 12 weeks, learners should be asked to complete the BLUE-Q at the 4-week mark and 12th week of the program.

For the multiple-choice questions, learners rate their agreement on a scale from 1 (strongly disagree) to 5 (strongly agree). Scores for each part of the questionnaire should be averaged.

If the average score for any part of the questionnaire is 65% or less, it means there might be a significant problem with that part of the program, and this should be looked into through reviewing the responses to the qualitative items.

If you’re interested in using the BLUE-Q for your program evaluation, please reach out to us!

Contact Information:

• Email: charo.rodriguez@mcgill.ca
• Phone: (514) 398-7375
• Address: 5858, chemin de la Côte-des-Neiges 3rd floor, Montreal, Quebec H3S 1Z1

Our team is here to help you get started and answer any questions you may have.

When referencing our tool in your work, please use the following citations to ensure proper acknowledgment of our research.

Include all relevant details such as authors, title, publication year, and any additional information as specified by the citation style you are using (e.g., APA, MLA, Chicago).

For example, if you’re using APA style, your citation should look like this:

1. Arora, A. K., Rodriguez, C., Carver, T., Teper, M. H., Rojas-Rozo, L., & Schuster, T. (2021). Evaluating usability in blended learning programs within health professions education: a scoping review. Medical science educator, 31(3), 1213-1246. Doi: https://doi.org/10.1007/s40670-021-01295-x
2. Arora A, Rodriguez C, Carver T, Rojas-Rozo L, Schuster T. Evolving a conceptual framework and developing a new questionnaire for usability evaluation of blended learning programs in health professions education. McGill Journal of Medicine. 2023;21(1).

Please adapt the citation according to the specific requirements of your chosen citation style.