Focus on the End-in-mind: Assessment Considerations for Competency-based IPE Curricula

Interprofessional education (IPE) has continued to grow within health profession education, with a primary goal of preparing learners to work collaboratively to meet the needs of patients, clients, families, and communities. Similarly, competency-based education (CBE) has become more prevalent among health profession programs with an emphasis on the demonstration of specific, observable abilities and competencies. Ensuring optimal assessment for determining the achievement of a desired level of competency remains a challenge as different professions consider this potential curricular shift and/or are actively moving to competency-based curricula. Since assessment is a primary driver of learning, health professions educators must be aware of IPE programmatic assessment best practices, common challenges, and potential solutions to ensure their students can become collaboration-ready team members. These same considerations extend to CBE, adding to the difficulty of determining next best steps when aspects of IPE and CBE assessment are considered concomitantly. Difficulties with IPE and CBE assessment are rooted in many areas that include uncertainty about what to assess and when, how to appropriately assess competency given varied levels of learners, logistical challenges of organizing meaningful assessments for large groups of students, limited training and resources related to IPE, CBE, and its associated assessment, and the breadth of settings in which assessment can and should occur (e.g. didactic, simulation, and practice-based IPE experiences). Presenters will share their experience with developing an assessment plan for a longitudinal, competency-based IPE curriculum. They will engage participants in a workshop to explore best practices, common challenges, and potential solutions. Areas of emphasis will include starting with the end in mind and focusing on desired outcomes for learners, then will extend into a consideration of the types of interprofessional activities or processes that could help achieve these outcomes. It will continue with a discussion around the IPEC domains and what level of skill acquisition or competency attainment is desired at different times during a learners’ interprofessional training. Once these aspects are considered, presenters will discuss strategies that can be used for the intentional development of a specific, competency-based assessment plan. Attendees will be actively engaged during the session through the use of a guided worksheet, think-pair-share discussions with other attendees, and Q&A/discussion with session presenters. The worksheet will include guided questions attendees can use to direct their thoughts, promote think-pair-share conversation with other attendees, and ultimately result in a series of action items the attendee can take with them to continue their momentum related to CBE and IPE curricular assessment upon returning to their home institution.