Writing Multiple Choice Outcome Questions to Assess Knowledge and Competence

Area of Science:

• Nursing Education
• Health Professions Education

Background:

• Continuing education (CE) for nurses requires effective assessment methods.
• Guidance on writing quality assessment items for nursing CE is often lacking.

Purpose of the Study:

• To provide specific guidance and examples for nurse educators on writing multiple-choice items for nursing CE.
• To address the need for improved item-writing in the nursing continuing education space.

Main Methods:

• Review of core principles of sound item design.
• Development of specific examples tailored for nursing CE providers.
• Focus on measuring changes in competence and knowledge.

Main Results:

• Key points for effective multiple-choice item writing in nursing CE are presented.
• Practical examples illustrating how to measure competence and knowledge changes are shared.

Conclusions:

• Effective item-writing is crucial for quality nursing continuing education.
• The provided examples can assist nurse educators in developing better assessment tools.