Join Maya Spence, Marketing Specialist at Internet Testing Systems, as she chats with Ryan Howard, Director of Learning and Assessments, about the transformative impact of longitudinal assessment on recertification. Ryan shares insights from years of evidence-based results, revealing how this modern approach is reshaping the industry by improving candidate confidence and performance and certifying organizations’ outcomes. Tune in to discover how longitudinal assessment is paving the way for a more dynamic and meaningful credentialing process.
Video Transcript
[Onscreen: A split-screen of Ryan (left) and Maya (right) chatting virtually.]
Maya Spence: Hi, everyone! Welcome to a special episode of Tails of Testing! I’m Maya Spence, a Marketing Specialist here at Internet Testing Systems, and today I’m excited to be joined by our very own Ryan Howard, Director of Learning and Assessments. So, Ryan, you’ve been a key voice in the longitudinal assessment space and have presented at several conferences this year. Can you share a little bit with us about your background and your role in leading ITS’s Continuous Certification solution?
Ryan Howard: Sure thing. Well, thanks for having me, Maya. I’m super excited to be doing this. As ITS’s Director of Learning and Assessment, I’m responsible for our next-generation Continuous Certification product, which really merges learning with assessment for the purposes of assessment, practice of preparation and recertification. So, I don’t just work with an amazing team at ITS to implement our solution, but I also really enjoy attending conferences and getting out there to hear about the challenges, the new ideas in the assessment space, and bringing them back to ITS to further enhance our solution to meet the needs of the partner in the industry.
Maya: Awesome. Yeah, I know this is an area that you’re really passionate about. So, for years, there there’s been talk about traditional recertification, recertification hasn’t been sufficient. Now with certification programs implementing longitudinal assessment, can you explain why a shift was needed and how the industry has responded?
Ryan: Yeah, so the, the change really came from initially the more medical space, specifically, physician boards. And I know many others can relate to this story. Around probably about eight years ago the boards were offering a more traditional approach to recertification where candidates would essentially re-sit for retake their initial certification every 10 years at a testing center. And to be, to be frank candidates hated it. They had to take time off work, they have to pay for travel, they have to get a babysitter, and all of those things, all to take a test that they felt really wasn’t helpful for them. The questions weren’t relevant. All these people are very sub-specialized and the initial certification was more so a, a one-size fits all. And candidates really objected to, well, I am specialized in wrist surgeries, why am I not focusing my recertification on that? So, the boards shifted to a more modern approach for recertification, more on-the-go for a more on-the-go individual and transitioned to a more at-home and longitudinal model where candidates can answer questions wherever they are in the moment—at the bank, at the coffee shop, at the kids’ sports games. And as part of this, they’re also delivering questions periodically. Instead of getting 600 questions at a testing center every 10 years, I’m getting 10 questions a month or 15 questions a quarter instead of that 10-year cramming. So, I can gradually accumulate my questions to that recertification period of three years or five years. But, as part of this shift, we needed something that would make for a more relevant experience that I kind of talked about for an increasingly specialized practitioner. So, with more of a longitudinal assessment and at-home model, we’re using algorithms to select questions at a per-candidate level to make sure that the items that you are getting are pertinent to your specialties, to your history based off of your preferences and your performance. That way we’re bridging that complaint from traditional tests weren’t assessing professionals in what they were actually practicing. After answering questions, candidates are told whether they’re right or wrong, which is a big shift from traditional assessment and a very helpful shift. And not only they’re told whether they’re right or wrong, they’re provided with rationales and references for more of a, a learning opportunity to, to really have learning and assessment run in parallel together. So, with this periodic question delivery and with the embedded learning content, candidates are more able to pause and reflect on how they’re doing, where they’re struggling, do they need to spend more time prepping or practicing before they continue on their recertification journey.
Maya: This approach definitely seems more conducive to a better candidate. So, we now have a few years of evidence-based results to look at. What are, what are some of the key findings and proof that longitudinal assessment is improving outcomes for both certification organizations and also candidates?
Ryan: Yes. It’s a really a fun question to answer. Some of these boards are five years into implementations, and to be honest, they’re actually getting really incredible feedback from candidates. There was apprehension. Change is always resisted amongst many, so with the transition of recertification models, there was a fear, is this going to be adopted? Is this just going to be disliked just as much as traditional recertification? But we are getting really, really good feedback across programs, not just the physician boards, but nursing programs and ancillary personnel. It’s not just those initial people. We hear things like, it’s so easy to answer my questions, or answering questions between my rounds is so much less stressful than having to take or sit for an exam. But it’s not just the feedback about usability. Candidates are also reporting that they feel better prepared in their day-to-day professions having participated in more of a, a continuous recertification process like this. So, if you read into this type of feedback, that’s your doctor, that’s your nurse, your family’s doctor saying that they feel more capable, they feel better prepared, they feel better at treating you and your family having maintained their certification in this more of a longitudinal and continuous cycle. So, this has a bottom-up effect from where if professionals are feeling more confident and more prepared and better at their jobs, the certifying boards are also benefiting from that increasing quality in their members.
Maya: Okay. Yeah. So, as I said, I know this is an area that you’re very passionate about, and one of the things I’ve heard you talk about before is the direct benefit for candidates from longitudinal assessments. Can you share a little bit about the feedback you’ve received from programs about their candidates about their confidence levels or exam performance?
Ryan: Yeah, so I, I actually just completed a research study on this topic and presented at a few educational licensure and medical conferences where we looked past the positive comments and into the actual data. Candidates are saying that they’re learning, but are they? So, we hoped that this type of recertification model would promote learning and assessment, would promote lifelong learning. And come to find out that’s actually happening. We’re seeing that in the screen data. So just for some background with longitudinal assessment, after you answer a question, programs often ask how confident are you in your response? We use this for item writing purposes, but also use it as learning objectives. And at the same after that, you’re presented with learning material in the form of rationales or blueprint specific rationales or references, and we’re tracking the time that candidates are spending reading those rationales, using those article URLs. And what the data’s showing us that at is that as candidates are progressing through their quarterly question deliveries, we’re seeing that the time being spent on those rationale pages is increasing. They’re spending more time using those resources. And at the same time that they’re using those resources, their self-reported confidence is also increasing over time. So, the more time candidates are spending reading the rationales is leading to them reporting a higher confidence, which is always good, but it doesn’t just stop there, we’re actually seeing that they’re not just reporting a higher confidence, their scores are reflecting a higher confidence over time. They’re actually increasing their scores over time. They’re actually absorbing the learning material and taking advantage of what the platform was meant to do is promote learning through assessment. So, I’m really excited that the data’s actually showing that the learning resources are being used, scores are increasing, and confidence is increasing. Simultaneously this is, this is what recertification is all about, promoting lifelong learning in meaningful ways.
Maya: Yeah, definitely. So, you’ve mentioned before that recertification is so much more than just continuing education credits or maintaining memberships with an organization. How does longitudinal assessment change the way organizations view the process of keeping professionals certified and competent?
Ryan: Yeah, it’s a good question. For all the reasons I kind of just mentioned longitudinal assessment provides for a more meaningful, a more personalized and a more measurable way to ensure that your professionals aren’t just staying up to date in their profession, but that you’re providing them with the tools to become better at their profession, more so than continuing education credits or just paying an annual membership fee alone would do.
Maya: Yeah. So, for organizations and candidates who are watching and struggling with their own recertification challenges, what’s one key piece of advice you’d give them as they start to rethink their approach?
Ryan: I’d say, take a step back and think about what your goals are for recertification. Not just at the board or the program level, but at an industry and a societal level. What do you want it to mean to have the proverbial stamp of being recertified by your organization? Is continuing education credits enough? Maybe. But longitudinal assessment and Continuous Certification, for all the reasons we just chatted about, really provides an avenue for a tested, a confident and a proven certificate. Start small. Consider doing a pilot. Maybe even just with a single specialty or a certification track. Don’t get overwhelmed. We’ve had a number of programs that have initially launched continuous recertification as pilots, and it’s very exciting to say that every single one of them has transitioned to longitudinal assessment as their way for recertification. So, I’m really glad to see that wholesale adoption of continuous certification and longitudinal assessment.
Maya: Yeah, that’s some great advice there! So, thank you, Ryan, for sharing these great in insights with us. It’s exciting to see how longitudinal assessment is shaping the future of recertification. For everyone watching, we hope this conversation has sparked some ideas for your own programs and shown what’s possible as the industry evolves. Stay tuned for more episodes and thank you for joining us for Tails of Testing!
Ryan: Thanks everybody!
Maya: Thanks!
About Our Guests
Maya Spence is an analytical and creative Marketing Specialist at ITS. She plays a pivotal role in the company’s digital marketing initiatives, contributing to educational industry webinars, press releases, and the ITS blog. Her strong writing skills, encompassing both creative and formal styles, empower her to craft engaging content that not only resonates with the target audience but also supports overarching marketing strategies. When she’s not brainstorming content ideas or diving into analytics, Maya enjoys baking cookies and is a passionate long-distance runner.
Ryan Howard is the Director of Learning and Assessments at ITS and serves as the go-to specialist for the Continuous Certification and Longitudinal Assessment programs. His extensive experience in the industry enables him to understand clients’ needs and communicate their priorities across ITS’s teams so that he can strategically implement, manage, and grow their programs. Outside of ITS, Ryan enjoys completing DIY home projects and going on outdoor adventures with his dog, Payson.
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