Table 5. Proposed best practices for reporting and use of learning curves in health professions education and research checklist ^* Adapted with permission from Howard et al., 2021 ( Howard et al., 2021).

Basic learning curve feature	Considerations for improved analysis and reporting
Y-axis	○   Show Y-intercept to demonstrate the learners’ starting point(s) and their variability. ○   Show full Y-scale including lowest relevant performance level.
Full path of the learning curve	○   Discuss the shape, which communicates whether the learning is linear or nonlinear. ○   Discuss the efficiency of learning, including comments on the steepness.
Mathematical linking function	○   Include qualitative descriptions. ○   Use parametric linking functions. ○   Take into account the multi-level nature of the data.
X-axis	○   Provide a rationale for the number of data points that are feasible for the task, with spacing clearly reported.
Multiple dimensions of the learning task	○   Show panels of individual learning curves (small multiples, see Figure 4) ○   “Stack” learning curves so that different dimensions can be compared longitudinally, see Table 3
Important thresholds	○   Identify competency or remediation thresholds. ○   Define acceptable individual variations and acknowledge that competence can be redefined as more information is gathered with the learning curve in your setting. ○   Discuss/define the meaning of such thresholds in your educational setting and rationale for use. ○   Use such thresholds as indicators of opportunities to adapt learning when thresholds are not being met.
Asymptote where applicable	○   Include the asymptote, which indicates the maximal learning potential of the system.
Variance in the data	○   Graph data points with corresponding variance. ○   Plot at least a subset of individual learning curves in addition to group curves to demonstrate the variability in paths taken (see Figure 4 & Figure 5).

* Not all of these proposed best practices will be equally relevant in all situations, and in some cases a choice must be made among the options presented.