Assessment in Outcome-Based Education

Abstract

Assessment plays a vital role in outcome-based education (OBE). This article describes the characteristics of assessment and appropriate assessment instruments for measuring learning outcomes in OBE. Assessment in OBE needs to be formative, continuous, and frequent. Miller’s pyramid is useful for selecting the appropriate assessment instruments to reflect a specific outcome; different methods can be applied to evaluate one outcome. Outcomes and competency mean that student must ‘do’; therefore, performance tests are emphasized. Qualitative methods as well as quantitative methods are used to evaluate the outcomes of areas such as professionalism or ethics. An absolute criterion-based standard is usually applied to decide whether students pass or fail, but the decision should be based on gathering value judgments and reaching consensus. Active participation of faculty members and students in assessment is crucial.