Utilizing Educational Technology for Formative Assessment in Nursing Education: A Scoping Review

Purpose: This review presents a comprehensive overview of the utilization of educational technology for formative assessment in nursing education and proposes directions for its future application. Methods: Arksey and O'Malley’s scoping review design was adopted. A total of 509 articles were retrieved in February 2025 from the Cumulative Index to Nursing and Allied Health Literature, the Cochrane Library, Embase, Education Resources Information Center, Scopus, PubMed, PsycINFO, and Web of Science databases. Results: Twenty-five articles that conducted formative assessments utilizing educational technology among nursing students and nurses were analyzed. The analysis identified three key themes: educational technology, formative assessment, and educational feedback. Online platforms were the most frequently employed educational technology, while mobile applications have gained prominence since 2020. Formative assessment primarily evaluated knowledge in theoretical courses but has increasingly been used to evaluate skills in practicum settings since 2020. Immediate constructive feedback was provided by educators, peer learners, and non-human agents. Since 2020, feedback delivery has increasingly been automated through non-human agents, including artificial intelligence-based non-human agents. Conclusion: This review, which focused on the implementation of educational technology-based formative assessment in nursing education, highlights the increasing adoption of non-human agents for delivering educational feedback in practicum courses. To strengthen educators’ competency in providing immediate and constructive educational feedback, sustained support from policymakers and educational institutions is required.