Using entrustable professional activities (EPAs) to assess teaching competence and transfer of training: A personal view

Abstract

Faculty development (FD) activities aim to improve teaching competencies. Success of these activities is conditioned with the ability of participants to transfer the learned competencies into their teaching practices. Unfortunately, evaluation of the effectiveness of FD rely mostly upon self-reported or verbal feedback, without valid evaluation of their progress in teaching performance. This shortcoming may be attributed to the unavailability of a systematic assessment system to evaluate participants’ performance in the workplace. In this article, we advocate how the concept and principles of entrustable professional activities (EPAs) can be used in assessment of teaching competencies and ensuring the transfer of training to the workplace.

Disclosure statement

The authors report no conflicts of interest. The authors alone are responsible for the content and writing of this article.

Additional information

Notes on contributors

Muhammad Zafar Iqbal

Muhammad Zafar Iqbal, MHPE, is a Lecturer in the Department of Medical Education, College of Medicine, Imam Abdulrahman Bin Faisal University, Department of Medical Education, Building 400, King Fahd University Hospital, Aqrabiyah, Al-Khobar, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia.

Mohamed M. Al-Eraky

Mohamed M. Al-Eraky, PhD, is an Assistant Professor of Medical Education, Director of Academic Initiatives at Vice-President Office for Academic Affairs, Imam Abdulrahman Bin Faisal university, Saudi Arabia.