Table 2.
Types of assessments and reasons to use
| Type of assessment | Purpose or goal | Limitations |
|---|---|---|
| Multiple choice |
• Factual recognition • Quick to grade • Perceived objectivity |
• Difficult to include ill-defined topics (i.e., professionalism) • Focus on surface-level learning • Does not measure quality of performance |
| Essay/extended response |
• Likely includes factual replication • Can require integration and organization of ideas |
• May have subjective element in grading |
| Portfolios |
• Documentation and student reflections on a particular area of competence • Multiple domains of assessment compiled (longitudinally) into a portfolio can require the student to synthesize multiple types of information as is required in clinical work • Requires creativity |
• Can be time-consuming to review • Require clear instructions to communicate expectations to students |
| Clinical Simulations |
• Objective Structured Clinical Exams (OSCEs): simulations and examiners have a checklist to identify desired behaviors • Assesses real life skills |
• May lack full contextual elements of true clinical setting • Structure may support performance of skills but not always problem solving • Requires multiple patients to gain true assessment of student ability |
| Direct clinical observations |
• Rich data in true contextual setting • Debriefing can be used for post observation reflection (video can be used to enhance debriefing) |
• Can have subjective interpretation issues • Can be limited in number of cases observed |
| Multiple source (360° assessments) | • Provides input from many stakeholders (supervisors, peers, patients) |
• Can be time-consuming • May be difficult to get clear feedback from all stakeholders |
| Concept sorting | • Evaluates organization/ structure of student’s knowledge |
• Requires extensive instructor knowledge to evaluate • Can be time-consuming to evaluate |
| Self-assessments | • Promotes reflection, self-awareness |