This workshop will focus on a variety of ways to assess learning beyond the traditional multiple-choice questions (MCQs). In the dynamic world of health professions education, our challenge is to evaluate not just what learners know, but how they think, analyze, and problem-solve under complexity. This workshop moves beyond the limitations of MCQs to equip you with the tools to effectively measure the crucial skills of critical thinking, clinical judgment, and applied knowledge. We will focus on practical, non-MCQ strategies that demand a synthesis of information and independent judgment. Leave this session with immediate, actionable blueprints for assessment items that authentically measure your learners' ability to use knowledge, not just possess it. Elevate your assessment strategy to truly foster the critical thinkers our professions demand.

Learning Objectives

1. Design novel, high-fidelity assessment items using non-multiple-choice formats that are explicitly engineered to measure advanced cognitive skills, specifically demonstrating the ability to prioritize, synthesize, and resolve ambiguity within complex health professions scenarios.
2. Analyze the cognitive demands of various non-multiple-choice assessment formats to determine their suitability for measuring complex skills like clinical judgment and critical thinking in their specific content area.
3. Create "blueprint-ready" assessment tasks that authentically measure learners' ability to make independent clinical decisions and which can be immediately implemented or piloted in their next teaching cycle.