Are Open-Ended Question Assessments an Emerging Trend in US Medical Education?

Abstract

There is a growing amount of literature on the benefits of using open-ended questions (OEQs) to assess knowledge in medical education. However, it is unknown how many US medical schools include OEQs in their assessment toolkits and how they are being used. The purpose of this study was to determine if OEQ assessments are an emerging trend in US medical education. We distributed an online survey to assessment leadership at all 156 US accredited allopathic medical schools between September 2022 and April 2024. Questions focused on the use or future interest of OEQs to assess medical knowledge in the pre-clerkship and clerkship curriculum. We calculated descriptive statistics for prevalence and use rates, and completed a conventional content analysis for open-ended comments. Seventy-eight US medical schools completed the survey (50% response rate). Forty schools (51%) reported using OEQs for medical knowledge assessment. OEQs were used during the pre-clerkship (28 schools), clerkship (two schools) or both parts of the curriculum (10 schools). On average, OEQs accounted for 20% of the pre-clerkship and 11% of the clerkship assessments at each school. Schools used OEQs to assess students' understanding, assess certain types of knowledge, and develop students' deeper learning. Representatives at schools not currently using OEQs reported considering using them in the future but expressed concerns about the amount of time needed to implement them. Numerous schools are using OEQs to assess medical knowledge, suggesting that this assessment format is feasible. Institutions can be innovative in their assessments by extending beyond multiple-choice questions and incorporating other question formats, such as OEQs, to fit their educational needs. This study provides a foundation for future research to explore the utility of OEQs and how to overcome the challenges of implementing OEQ assessments.