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This paper discusses the unprecedented challenges and possible directions in which the field of educational assessment is going after the outbreak of COVID‐19. Though the pandemic leads to a lot of pressure related to instruction, learning, and assessment, it also provides opportunities that are likely to require changes to the current theories and practices as well as the assumptions that are no longer justified. It is hoped that the challenges will motivate our field and the instructional experts to work closely together with the learning and instruction process so that assessment will be better integrated and can provide data‐driven insights related to the sequence and content of instruction based on the diagnosis of students' strengths and weaknesses from assessment data. We expect that the integration of assessment in learning and instruction will definitely exert significant positive impact on learning outcomes. We believe the field will become aware of the assessment issues that teaching at a distance presents and will come up with innovative solutions to the many emerging problems when the world of instruction and learning undergoes significant changes from social distancing. This paper provides comments, and predictions about what the challenges and directions in educational assessment will be.

OBJECTIVES: Self‐assessment and self‐directed learning (SDL) are integral to developing competent physicians who are lifelong learners. Individualized learning plans (ILPs) are tools to formalize this process and allow for mentors to guide residents in developing these skills. Pediatric residencies have adopted the ILP process and have demonstrated improvement in resident SDL behavior, but to date there have been no EM residencies to adopt the ILP process into resident education. METHODS: The ILP program was designed around three key elements: (1) resident performance of self‐assessment; (2) a collaborative conversation about learning needs and goals; and (3) a shared development of implementation strategies. The program was implemented with 12 PGY1 EM residents in the 2019–2020 academic year. Following an introduction to ILPs during orientation, residents met monthly with program leadership to create and reflect on ILPs. At the conclusion of the academic year, residents were surveyed about their attitude toward the ILP process and SDL. RESULTS: A total of nine residents completed the postimplementation survey. Prior to implementing the ILP program, residents universally reported that they had little to no experience with generating an ILP. Following implementation, 55% of residents described themselves as strong independent learners and 89% wanted to continue the program into their second year. CONCLUSIONS: Overall, residents felt that the ILP program helped to focus their goals, monitor their progress, and allowed them to develop a relationship with program leadership.

While much attention has been paid to the gap between beginning language instruction and literature courses, there is another gap which presents significant challenges to college instructors, namely the gap in proficiency levels between students in the same third-year course. This article argues that bridging this particular gap can productively challenge students as well as increase retention rates by fostering individualized learning goals. In addition, it makes practical suggestions for creating and selecting exercises from a commonly-used advanced college textbook in order to accommodate students of various ability levels in the same class.

Individualized learning is a fundamental tenet of the Carnegie Foundation's new recommendations for physician training. A primary goal of Mount Sinai School of Medicine's new curriculum is to train self-directed physicians who have mastered lifelong learning skills. The Individual Scholarly Project and Independent Research Experience (INSPIRE) was created to enable fourth-year students to conduct mentored, independent scholarly projects to develop critical thinking skills and intellectual independence. Four students were accepted into the 2008 12-week pilot. Two did clinical research, 1 conducted medical education research, and 1 continued a basic science project. INSPIRE featured weekly sessions in which students shared their progress, heard about the careers of physician-scientists, and participated in presentation skills workshops. Mentors gave feedback using a form based on the program goals. Anonymous evaluations showed that all participants believed their goals were successfully fulfilled, that the likelihood of including research in their careers increased, and that they felt more skilled at writing abstracts and presenting their work orally. Students agreed that INSPIRE was a valuable opportunity for acquiring in-depth knowledge on a topic and building research and presentation skills. Helping students shape an individualized scholarly experience may help to produce doctors who are self-directed, are personally fulfilled, are able to serve society with diverse expertise, and have the tools to become leaders in their fields. Mt Sinai J Med 76:387–391, 2009. © 2008 Mount Sinai School of Medicine

This paper reports on exploratory work investigating how children with severe and profound learning difficulties register an awareness of small quantities and how they might use this information to inform their understanding. It draws on studies of typically developing children and investigates their application to pupils whose response to conventional mathematical tasks are often limited because they lack relevance and interest. The responses of the three pupils to individualized learning contexts mirror the progression suggested in the literature, namely from awareness of number to simple actions using number cues to problem-solving behaviour

Objectives The purpose of this study was to develop flipped learning models for clinical practicums and compare their effectiveness regarding learner motivation toward learning, satisfaction, and confidence in performing core nursing skills among undergraduate nursing students in Korea. Methods This study was a randomized clinical trial designed to compare the effectiveness of 2 flipped learning models. Data were collected for 3 days from October 21 to 23, 2015 before the clinical practicum was implemented and for 2 weeks from October 26 to December 18, 2015 during the practicum period. Results The confidence of the students in performing core nursing skills was likely to increase after they engaged in the clinical practicum in both study groups. However, while learner confidence and motivation were not affected by the type of flipped learning, learner satisfaction did differ between the 2 groups. Conclusions The findings indicate that applying flipped learning allows students to conduct individualized learning with a diversity of clinical cases at their own level of understanding and at their own pace before they participate in real-world practicums.

The move from individual-centered to systems-oriented and consultancy-based approaches has inevitably affected school psychologists' perceptions of and need for appropriate assessment techniques. Of particular importance are techniques that make it possible to assess participants' perceptions of teaching-learning contexts. One such technique (Fraser's Individualised Classroom Environment Questionnaire) is described, together with the rationale of individualized learning on which it is based. Preliminary data on the validity and reliability of the ICEQ in English secondary schools are provided, and illustrative examples are presented on ways in which systems-oriented consultant psychologists can employ such data in their professional practice.

Many high school students do not continue their foreign language study beyond the second year. A major cause of this is schedule conflicts. With a mini-course system, such conflicts can be minimized: students are not locked into a full-year commitment, courses are independent and flexible, and individualized learning programs can be readily organized. However, mini-course systems initially require much work, make continuity difficult, and often demand materials that students have to buy. Among the sources which can help a teacher to set up a mini-course system are materials on hand, materials catalogues, and students. The plan should involve the administration, a school-wide public relations program, and continual evaluation. In one school the advanced class enrollment tripled within five years after establishing a mini-course system.

Individualized learning requires individualized evaluation as well as teaching, and needs its own assessment of success in accomplishing institutional goals.

Working adults retain more of what they learn when learning is self-directed. Counselors help employees over the hurdle as they choose individualized learning experiences.

Modules, Audio-Tutorials, and Contracts are three components of an integrated strategy to permit individualized learning by students at Hagerstown Junior College.

General dissatisfaction with the quality of foreign language learning and the nationwide enrollment crisis have prompted foreign language teachers to make various pedagogical or curricular responses, the foremost of which has become “individualized instruction.” But the background and nature of this response virtually guarantee its inefficacy, and the consequences of failure appear even more dismal than those of inaction. Therefore, we must take the original correct assumption that individual learners are indeed different individuals, move beyond the present definition of “individualized instruction,” and attempt to transform the foreign language—and in fact the complete educational—experience of students. The goal is self-motivation and self-reliance; the best path is that of restructuring, or even de-structuring, the classroom and school to allow for more freedom and more personal responsibility for learning.