Supporting Inclusive and Authentic Assessment in Health Care Education Through Learner-Educator Co-Creation of Assessment

Abstract

Background: Learner-educator co-creation, defined as shared decision making, aims to move students beyond information recall so they may accomplish more with educator support. Co-creating assignments in healthcare higher education may be challenging since little is known about student and educator experiences of co-creation during a course, particularly when used during assessments. Purpose: To describe strategies and experiences of learner-educator co-creation of assessment in healthcare education. Methods: Manuscripts in this dissertation explore learner-educator co-creation of assessment in health professional education, with a focus on promoting authentic learning. First, I reflect on literature exploring the rationale for and principles guiding co-creation of assessment. Then, a phenomenographic study of healthcare students' experiences of learner-educator cocreation during a graded interprofessional assignment offers an in-depth understanding of different ways co-creation of assessment was experienced. Finally, a scoping review using Joanna Briggs Institute methodology summarizes what is reported in the literature about learner‐educator co‐creation of assessment in health professional education. Findings: Co-creation of assessment is a tool to promote authentic assessment in nursing education. Principles guiding these efforts include prioritizing equity, reflecting on values, negotiating power-sharing, engaging in active and honest dialogue, integrating choice and flexibility, building respectful relationships, and promoting a psychologically safer environment. Learners in the phenomenographic study experienced co-creation of assessment in four increasingly in-depth ways, recognizing it as a tool to support their progress, to amend course expectations, to share decision-making, and to foster mutual growth. Scoping review results show that co-creation of assessment has been reported in 8 different healthcare fields at undergraduate, graduate, and post-graduate levels. Conclusion: Co-creation of assessment offers a promising yet under-researched approach to creating more collaborative and authentic assessment. It is highly influenced by context and requires intentional evidence-informed planning. When well planned, co-creation of assessment has potential to enhance equity, authenticity, critical thinking, and readiness for professional practice. This dissertation outlines how co-creation has been enacted and experienced, which may prompt educator reflection on ways to co-create and has potential to act as an implementation guide for educators in health professional education contexts.