Baylor University MSMS Pilot Summary with DDx
See how Baylor MSMS students engaged enthusiastically with DDx — and how the pilot led to full curriculum integration.
Overview
Simulating the clinical experience in a fully digital pre-medical program
Baylor University's Master of Science in Medical Sciences program is a fully online, one-year graduate program designed for students preparing to apply to medical school. Building on a prior partnership with Sketchy's MCAT learning library, Baylor piloted DDx — Sketchy's AI-enabled clinical reasoning tool that simulates the diagnostic thought process used in real-world medical practice. All 170+ active MSMS students were given access to two DDx cases as an optional assignment, with the goal of bridging the gap between academic content and real-world clinical thinking.
Overview
The challenge
Replicating clinical reasoning in a 100% digital curriculum
The online program sought a scalable case-based learning solution that would allow MSMS students to practice clinical reasoning and diagnostic decision-making through realistic patient encounters while bridging the gap between academic coursework and real-world clinical thinking.
Baylor's MSMS program faces a challenge unique to fully online pre-medical curricula: how to replicate the nuance of clinical reasoning and patient interaction within a digital-only learning environment. Without tools that can simulate the diagnostic thought process, pre-med students risk graduating with strong biomedical content knowledge but limited experience applying it to real clinical scenarios — the kind of applied thinking that sets successful medical school applicants apart.
The solution
Why DDx by Sketchy?
Provided 170+ MSMS students with optional access to two DDx cases — Chest Pain and Abdominal Pain; Cases guided students through differential diagnosis formation and clinical reasoning in a dynamic, realistic patient case format; The interactive format generated enthusiastic participation and strong positive feedback from students; Pilot success led Baylor to integrate DDx as a required, graded assessment in the core curriculum
DDx offered a compelling solution by providing dynamic, realistic patient cases that guide students through the process of forming and refining differential diagnoses. The strong student engagement and positive feedback from the pilot affirmed DDx's fit for Baylor's digital-first learning environment — and informed the decision to move DDx from an optional pilot to a required component of the core MSMS curriculum.
How did DDx by Sketchy fit?
Two DDx by Sketchy cases were integrated into the learners coursework.
Cases Included:
- Cardiology (cardiac and pulmonary presenting symptoms)
- Abdominal pain
Students engaged with DDx cases as part of their coursework, using the platform to practice:
- Cardiology (cardiac and pulmonary presenting symptoms)
- Abdominal pain
The results
Student enthusiasm and a lasting curricular commitment
The pilot sparked enthusiastic participation and overwhelmingly positive student feedback — with students describing DDx as fun, educational, and a genuinely different kind of learning experience. As a result of the pilot's success, Baylor integrated DDx into the core MSMS curriculum, making one or more DDx cases required graded assessments in one course per trimester.
Testimonials
What did students say?
A pilot that became a curriculum decision
Baylor's MSMS pilot showed that DDx is more than a supplemental resource — it's a clinical reasoning tool that pre-medical students genuinely want to use. The program's decision to integrate DDx as a required, graded component of the core curriculum reflects both the platform's educational value and the genuine student engagement it produced. For fully online programs preparing students for medical school, DDx offers a scalable and effective way to build the clinical reasoning frameworks that success in medicine demands.
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