Rubric for Evaluation of DNP Capstone Project Implementation

Jones, Deborah E.

Saturday, 29 October 2011

Deborah E. Jones, RN, PhD¹
Diane M. Billings, EdD, RN, FAAN²
Anne E. Belcher, PhD, RN, FAAN, ANEF¹
Mary Terhaar, DNSc, RN³
Kathleen M. White, PhD, RN, CNAA, BC³
(1)Department of Acute and Chronic Care, Johns Hopkins University School of Nursing, Baltimore, MD
(2)School of Nursing, Indiana University School of Nursing, Indianapolis, IN
(3)Department of Health Systems and Outcomes, Johns Hopkins University School of Nursing, Baltimore, MD

Learning Objective 1: The learner will be able to see how a grading rubric,which identifies the standards and criteria for the DNP Capstone Project Implementation paper,were developed.

Learning Objective 2: The learner will be able to articulate some of the advantages of using grading rubrics.

Background: The Capstone Project is the culmination of the Doctor of Nursing Practice (DNP) degree. Lack of consistency and unclear expectations led to development of a grading rubric with standardized criteria for implementation of the DNP capstone project.

Project (Methods): The Director of the Center for Teaching Excellence was consulted and provided support throughout the project phases. The literature was reviewed for rubrics on DNP and practice projects. Reporting guidelines were reviewed for clarification of specific elements to include. The rubric was developed giving consideration to content from all Capstone courses and institution wide requirements of rigor and scholarship for doctoral study. After identification of grading rubric criterion, an analytic rating scale was selected to construct the rubric. A facilitator-elicited opinion about the rubric from DNP faculty using the Delphi Process and an anonymous survey was launched in Blackboard 9 for students to assess quality and usefulness.

Evaluation Results: The total number of faculty invited and participating during each round of input varied: 75% of faculty feedback was carried forward. The survey was completed by 11 DNP students who reported feeling the criterion assessed was clear, appropriate, and distinct (44%). Students also reported that the rubric served as a primary reference point for discussion and guidance for the assignment and its evaluation (44%). Free text comments included: “Rubrics are very helpful in terms of grading criteria and remove a significant amount of subjectivity”, “The rubric is a wonderful idea, however, some of the criterion were not well explained”.

Discussion: To improve the quality of the Capstone Project Implementation, consensus was achieved among faculty. Student response rate may have been low due to competing priorities, survey length, and issues accessing Blackboard 9. Development of the Implementation paper-grading rubric has lead to adoption of grading rubrics across the DNP program.

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