In the past 50 years the field of assessment of professional competence has seen remarkable progress. Developments in assessment technology have taken place across all areas of professional competence, ranging from cognitive to behavioral and emotional aspects of competence. This has been accompanied by extensive research. From a wider perspective, assessment is changing from a psychometric problem into an education design problem, in which assessment of learning is replaced by assessment for learning. This new approach relies more heavily on (more subjective) expert judgment providing more information-rich, narrative information. The lessons learned from the research point towards a more integrated approach to assessment that is called programmatic assessment. This approach will be outlined from a theoretical perspective and illustrated by an educational practice where this approach has been applied. A successful programmatic approach will make assessment more meaningful to learning, while at the same time provide extensively rich assessment information to allow for robust decision-making on learner progress.

Program Objectives:

• Discuss the limitations of any single assessment method
• Describe the influence of assessment on learning
• Explain the importance of which competencies need to be assessed
• Define the role of professional judgment in assessment
• Discuss the need for programmatic assessment
• Identify the changes that need to be made in order to achieve programmatic assessment