Assessment Overload is a Hidden Layer to Curriculum Overload, and Ironically, Requires More Assessment

Curriculum overload is a recognized challenge in pharmacy education, resulting in faculty and student inefficiencies, stress, and burnout. Although recent efforts have focused on addressing curriculum expansion and content overload, a related challenge has emerged: assessment overload. Assessment overload presents as a distinct yet interconnected phenomenon to curriculum overload, sharing similar causes and consequences for faculty and students. This commentary explores faculty and student perspectives and proposes 2 strategies for addressing assessment overload. These strategies include integrating mindful assessment evaluation into pre-existing course continuous quality improvement efforts and conducting an intentional review of assessments. With a focus on alignment, intention, and balance, these approaches offer mechanisms to reduce unnecessary assessment burdens while preserving meaningful evaluations of learning. Collaborative efforts within courses, across institutions, and across the Academy can support the development of intentional, sustainable assessment practices that better serve faculty and students.