Digital Evidence: Revisiting Assumptions at the Intersection of Technology and Assessment

The increasing use of technology in health care and health professions education is an invitation to examine how digital sources of evidence are used in making assessment claims. In this paper, we describe how four sets of terms-primary and secondary data; structured and unstructured data; development and use; and deterministic and generative-can aid in examining how data from digital sources are used in evaluating what learners know and can do. Drawing on multiple examples, this paper shows how the four sets of terms can help both developers and users of technology-based assessment systems.