Using Active Learning to Evaluate Student Competency Beyond Clinical Skills

Active learning methodologies support the development of higher-order thinking and knowledge application necessary for modern health care environments. Through active learning, nurse practitioner students apply their understanding of population-specific competencies while developing critical thinking and reasoning skills for safe and effective care. Myths regarding student-centric learning, such as cost, time, and design, may create barriers for faculty to incorporate competency-based methods into didactic curricula. This article provides evidence-based strategies and exemplars for active learning as a method to evaluate student competency beyond clinical skills.