Introduction
Student learning objectives is an effective educational method used in all areas of education. In nursing, the SLOs set academic goals at the start of the course. The detailed definition of the learning outcomes makes it possible to pave the way for the learning process following the educational plan (Beasley et al., 2018). In particular, the detailing of SLOs should refer to their characteristics of practicality, applicability, and comprehensiveness (Cedere et al., 2019). Since SLOs have these detailed characteristics, this makes them measurable, and the students’ success can be eventually assessed according to their achievements. This paper aims to develop assessment tools and methods for two SLOs in nursing.
Strategy for SLO Number One
The first SLO of the course is “Applying principles of teaching-learning within the registered nurse scope of practice to prevent illness.” The wording of the SLO implies that during the assessment of achievements there should be a focus on the RN’s scope of practice and its learning principles. Attention should also be paid to the illness prevention aspect of SLO. The evaluation will be made through a well-thought-out assessment strategy.
Two types of methods could be used to assess the SLO number one – direct and indirect. Direct assessment includes tools such as writing, projects, and presentations during the formative assessment stage. Tools such as final assignments and portfolios are used during the summative assessment stage. Indirect assessment tools include course grading, surveys, focus groups, interviews, and self-assessments (“Strategies for assessing learning outcomes,” 2022). To meet the requirements for effective assessment, the method of direct assessment will be chosen. The writing tools will be used during the formative stage, and the students will be required to create a portfolio for the summative stage.
Delineating the Purpose of Evaluation
The purpose of the evaluation is the introduction of clear and measurable indicators for the qualitative assessment of students’ academic progress. For example, when writing an essay, specific elements of the written work are assessed, such as grammar, structure, and content. Evaluation of students’ work allows disciplining them and supports students by helping them focus on most valuable information, while also clarifying complex learning concepts.
Meeting the Objectives
For example, if a student successfully integrates knowledge into the structure of an essay and uses clear and concise arguments and explanations, as well as examples of how the knowledge will be applied in practice, this means that he has learned the material. Written works have an advantage over oral presentations in this respect. In written work, the student’s thoughts, being put on paper, turn into a documented visual demonstration of their academic achievements within the SLO.
Setting for Learning and Evaluation
Learning will take place during lectures when students get a general idea of the learning material. Then, students will create written works in the comfort of their homes, where they are free to collect relevant information and consult sources. At the same time, the evaluation will be held in an environment that is comfortable for the teachers, when they can focus on the process of analyzing students’ written works without being distracted.
Evaluation Method
The essays will be chosen as a sufficient tool to provide a comprehensive assessment of how students met SLO number one. Importantly, the three-stage model will be applied for the SLO evaluation. The three-stage model implies the diagnostic, formative, and summative stages of learning (“Strategies for assessing learning outcomes,” 2022). During the first stage, the teacher determines the students’ general readiness to master knowledge, the second stage may include several repeated assessments, and the final stage allows giving a final evaluation of obtained knowledge.
Creating the Assessment
The essay assignment will require the students to determine, explain, and critically evaluate the practical application of RN skills in the chosen field of expertise. For instance, the students who have chosen the family consulting specialization will be required to write an essay about the essence, necessity, and critical aspects of family consulting, and the role of the registered nurse in providing this type of service. The students will also develop portfolios for the summative stage of the course.
Performance Measurement, Validity, and Overall Effectiveness
To measure the performance and understanding the essay evaluation rubric will be applied. This rubric will assess the grammar, style, structure, format, and content elements. The content will be assessed through the measures of understanding, critical analysis, and practical application of knowledge (Mekonen & Fitiavana, 2021). The validity and reliability of the evaluation strategy will be established through applying a rubric for evaluation (Iqbal et al., 2019). The overall effectiveness of the process will be ensured through adherence to standardized evaluation methods and tools, along with the use of additional tools of performance management such as rubrics and qualitative evaluation.
Strategy for SLO Number Two
The second SLO of the nursing course under the consideration is “Adapt patient-centered care that respects cultural values and beliefs to promote health, self-determination, integrity, and ongoing growth of human beings.” The wording of the SLO implies that during the assessment of achievements there should be a focus on adapting patient care to cultural values and promoting the health and integrity of human beings. The evaluation will be made through the assessment strategy presented below.
Delineating Purpose and Meeting the Objective
The purpose of the evaluation is in establishing adequate measures for the student’s knowledge and understanding, which is the basic goal of developing and meeting the SLOs. To ensure that SLO number two is met, the presentation assessment tool will be applied to evaluate the students’ success. The students will be asked to prepare the presentation, where they will describe how they are going to respect cultural values and promote health, self-determination, and integrity in their patient-centered practice. The presentations will be evaluated using the evaluation rubric to ensure that the SLO was met.
Setting for Evaluation and Choosing the Evaluation Strategy
The students will learn new information during the lectures and will prepare the presentations at home. Then, they will comment on their presentations in front of the class. The evaluation will be made based on the students’ oral explanations and the quality of the presented material. The evaluation will be made in class and will require more experience from the educator (Iqbal et al., 2019). The three-stage evaluation model will be applied as an assessment design (“Strategies for assessing learning outcomes,” 2022). During the formative stage, the student’s success will be evaluated through the presentation assessment. Then, for the summative stage, students will prepare the oral explanations of their SLO understanding. The indirect assessment method will be applied to assess the learning effectiveness: students will be asked to complete a questionnaire on the topic of SLO.
Creating the Assessment
The presentation assignment will require the students to prepare a 10-slide PowerPoint presentation, where they will describe how patient-centered care can respect cultural values and promote health, self-determination, integrity, and ongoing growth of human beings. The slides will include the headings of the “patient-centered care” and “multi-cultural environment definition” and the headings of practical examples of “promoting patients’ health,” “self-determination,” “integrity,” and “ongoing growth.” The students will also write the speaker notes for their oral explanations in front of the teacher and class.
Tool for Performance Measurement, Validity, and Overall Effectiveness
The rubric will be developed to measure the students’ understanding demonstrated through the presentation. The rubric will include the measurements of grammar, style, structure, format, and content. The content will be evaluated according to understanding, critical analysis, and practical application of the learning material. The rubric will ensure the validity and reliability of the evaluation strategy. The overall effectiveness of the process will be assessed using the indirect assessment method during the summative stage, when the students will be asked to complete questionnaires providing feedback on the strengths and weaknesses of the course, including an assessment of their knowledge.
Thus, the means for assessing two SLOs for nursing students were developed. The assessment tools of the essay, portfolio, presentation and oral explanations were chosen as the direct assessment methods, to be applied during the formative and summative stages in the three-stage assessment model. Indirect tools of questionnaires about the course and evaluation effectiveness will be offered to students to assess the overall effectiveness of the evaluation process.
References
Beasley, S. F., Farmer, S., Ard, N., & Nunn-Ellison, K. (2018). Systematic plan of evaluation part I: Assessment of end-of-program student learning outcomes. Teaching and Learning in Nursing, 13(1), 3-8.
Cedere, D., Jurgena, I., & Birzina, R. (2019). Evaluation of science and technology area first-year student learning outcomes. In Proceedings of the 18th International Scientific Conference” Engineering for Rural Development”, Jelgava, Latvia, 22-24 May 2019 (pp. 1903-1908). Latvia University of Life Sciences and Technologies.
Iqbal, K., Hayat, S., & Suleman, Q. (2019). Evaluation of students learning outcomes-based assessment and teachers’ role at primary level. Journal of Research in Social Sciences, 7(1), 186-200.
Mekonen, Y. K., & Fitiavana, R. A. (2021). Assessment of learning outcomes in higher education: Review of the literature. Assessment of Learning Outcomes in Higher Education: Review of Literature, 71(1), 8.
Strategies for Assessing Learning Outcomes. (2022). Web.