Faculty Learning Module 8

Strategies for Making Assessment of QSEN Competencies Efficient and Conducive to Learning

Introduction

In this module, Susan Conner explores practical ways you can assess students’ achievement of QSEN competencies and use your assessment findings to promote students’ learning. Beginning with basic principles of assessment, the module explores a variety of assessment tools and sources of assessment data that can help students progress in their achievement of QSEN competencies and foster improvement of instructional design.

Objectives

Upon completion of this section, you will be able to:

• Develop assessment strategies congruent with QSEN competencies

• Identify a variety of assessment strategies

• Gain greater efficiency in assessment

Contributors

• Susan Conner, M.S.

Reviewers

• Margie Williams, PhD, RN, CNE

Content

As schools across the country work to integrate the QSEN competencies and the requisite knowledge, skills and attitudes (KSAs) into their courses and curricula, questions are now arising about how best to assess the extent to which students have achieved them. In this module, Susan Conner will present a variety of assessment strategies and how they can be used to promote student learning and assess students’ achievement of QSEN competencies.

Strategies for Making Assessment of QSEN Competencies Efficient and Conducive to Learning

Resources

References

ALTEC at University of Kansas. RubiStar. Web site: http://rubistar.4teachers.org

Angelo, T.A., & Cross, K.P. (1993). Classroom assessment techniques (2nd ed.). San Francisco: Jossey-Bass.

Diamond, R.M. (1998). Designing & assessing courses & curricula. San Francisco: Jossey-Bass.

McDonald, M.E. (2007). The nurse educator’s guide to assessing learning outcomes. Sudbury, MA: Jones & Bartlett.

Moskal, B.M. (2003). Recommendations for developing classroom competence assessments and scoring rubrics. Practical Assessment, Research & Evaluation, 8(14). Available online: http://pareonline.net/getvn.asp?v=8&n=14.

Palomba, C.A., & Banta, T.W. (1999). Assessment essentials: Planning, implementing, and improving assessment in higher education. San Francisco: Jossey-Bass.

Quinlan, A.M (2006). A complete guide to rubrics: Assessment made easy for teachers, K-college. Lanham, MD: Rowman & Littlefield.

Ramsden, P. (1992). Learning to teach in higher education. New York: Routledge.

Reazon System, Inc. iRubric. Web site: http://www.rcampus.com/indexrubric.cfm

Stevens, D. D. & Levi, A. J. (2005). Introduction to rubrics. Sterling, VA: Stylus.

Walvoord, B.E. (2004). Assessment clear and simple. San Francisco: Jossey-Bass.

Walvoord, B.E. (1998). Effective grading: A tool for learning and assessment. San Francisco: Jossey-Bass.

Wehlburg, C.M. (2008). Promoting integrated and transformative assessment. San Francisco: Jossey-Bass.

Discussion

After you have reviewed the module presentations and resources, consider how this material is relevant to your own work and experience. The following is a list of questions for self-reflection or for use in class.

1. To what extent do my current assessment activities foster students’ learning of QSEN competencies? Would adopting different (or more varied) assessment strategies broaden students’ learning?

2. Given the context in which students are learning [in this course or school] which of the assessment strategies described could I most efficiently implement? How would I know if this strategy was also conducive to learning? How confident would I be that the data I collected adequately reflected students’ achievement of QSEN competencies?

3. How can I diversify my assessment activities to broaden the scope of knowledge, skills, and attitudes my students are demonstrating?