Evaluation and Testing in Nursing Education

Abstract

This book is the only text to comprehensively address the assessment of student learning, as well as the evaluation of instructor and program effectiveness, in a wide variety of settings. Long considered the gold standard for evaluation and testing in nursing education, the book provides expert and comprehensive guidance for educators in the assessment of student learning in a wide variety of settings, as well as the evaluation of instructor and program effectiveness. It presents fundamental measurement and evaluation concepts that will aid nurse educators in the design, critique, and use of appropriate tests and evaluation tools. The book describes concepts of assessment, testing, and evaluation in nursing education and prepares teachers for carrying these out as part of their roles. It presents qualities of effective assessment procedures (reliability, validity, and usability); how to plan for testing, assemble and administer tests, and score tests; how to write all types of test items and develop assessment methods; strategies for assessing higher level learning; and testing and evaluation in online courses and programs. A new chapter explains the National Council Licensure Examination (NCLEX) and how to write items for the Next Generation NCLEX (NGN). The chapter describes each of the item types on the NGN with examples and an explanation of how items are scored. The book also describes the evaluation of written assignments in nursing, the development of rubrics, clinical evaluation, methods for evaluating clinical performance, and using simulation and objective structured clinical examinations (OSCEs) for evaluation. A chapter prepares educators to analyze the performance of the test as a whole and of individual test items and to interpret test scores. It includes many examples and exhibits to help readers understand these analyses and make informed decisions about their tests. This edition also examines the social, ethical, and legal issues associated with testing and evaluation in nursing; grading; accreditation of nursing programs; and program evaluation. The Appendices provide a quick reference guide for writing different types of test items (with examples) and other testing resources.