Innovative assessments in health psychology education: Creating pathways to practical skills and reflective learning

James S. Williams and Jessica L. Mackelprang

Chapter 20 in Teaching Health Psychology, 2026, pp 289-304 from Edward Elgar Publishing

Abstract: Traditional assessment practices in psychology education, such as essays and lab reports, help students to develop valuable skills but may fail to equip them with the applied skills they need to excel in modern workplaces. This chapter discusses the importance of incorporating authentic assessments into health psychology courses/units. Authentic, applied assessments cultivate transferable skills, encourage reflection, and support workforce readiness. It describes two innovative assessments which illustrate these principles and that educators can implement in online or on-campus courses/units: (1) an award-winning health infographic assessment that builds students’ digital literacy and visual communication by synthesizing research on health behaviours; and (2) a book club assessment designed to deepen students’ understanding of patients’ lived experiences through reflective dialogue that helps to prepare students for empathic, client-centred work in health and mental health settings. Educators will gain practical ideas and access to adaptable resources for creating impactful, professionally relevant assessments.

Keywords: Assessment; Infographic; Visual Communication; Digital Literacy; Health Communication; Reflection (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2026
ISBN: 9781035359851
References: Add references at CitEc
Citations:

Downloads: (external link)
https://www.elgaronline.com/doi/10.4337/9781035359868.00033 (application/pdf)
Our link check indicates that this URL is bad, the error code is: 403 Forbidden

Related works:
This item may be available elsewhere in EconPapers: Search for items with the same title.

Export reference: BibTeX RIS (EndNote, ProCite, RefMan) HTML/Text

Persistent link: https://EconPapers.repec.org/RePEc:elg:eechap:24511_21

Ordering information: This item can be ordered from
http://www.e-elgar.com

Access Statistics for this chapter

More chapters in Chapters from Edward Elgar Publishing
Bibliographic data for series maintained by Jack Sweeney ().