Best Practices for Assessing Problem-Solving

Abstract

Objectives: To explore best practices for the achievement and assessment of the problem-solving subdomain of the Curricular Outcomes and Entrustable Practice Activities in pharmacy education, including problem-solving, critical thinking, and creative thinking (innovative mindset).

Findings: Measuring all 3 of these individual skills is challenging but tools and approaches exist in the literature. Common approaches include standardized instruments and validated rubrics for assignment design and performance assessment.

Summary: More work is needed in continuing to define and refine best practices in this area. It appears the coupling of standardized tools with the use of validated rubrics may be necessary to achieve accurate measurement of student achievement in this subdomain.

Keywords: Assessment; Critical thinking; Innovative mindset; Problem-solving.