Evaluation Beyond Exams in Nursing Education

Helps educators to design assignments and rigorous rubrics that truly measure student learning objectives

The ability of students to pass an examination does not necessarily reflect or guarantee their ability to apply knowledge in practice, nor are traditional exams a sufficient means to evaluate all learning objectives. Written for both new and seasoned nurse educators, this book is unique in its provision of rigorous rubrics that fully take into account learning objectives and the teachingñlearning process, and promote objective grading. It examines a variety of time-tested, alternative evaluation methods, discusses how to design them, and includes best practices for using them.

The book provides an overview of how evaluation and rubrics play an integral part within the larger nursing education teachingñlearning process. It helps educators clearly define learning objectives and desired outcomes, and how to evaluate them. The book describes how to formulate a variety of teaching strategies, design effective assignments, and examine in detail specific evaluation methods including best practices for their use and exemplar analytic scoring rubrics. Also available are detailed, modifiable grading rubric templates for each assignment presented. Evaluation methods covered include papers, presentations, participation, discussion boards, concept maps, case studies, reflective journals, and portfolios. The book will assist both new and seasoned nurse educators in their quest to graduate competent, safe nurses at all levels of nursing education.

• Provides rigorous, modifiable rubrics for learning objective grading
• Includes time-tested alternative evaluation methods
• Describes best practices for designing a variety of teaching√±learning evaluation tools
• Includes guidelines for writing clear assignment descriptions
• Discusses papers, presentations, concept maps, case studies, portfolios, and more