Honoring the Student Voice through Formative Course Evaluation

Blum, Cynthia

Friday, July 15, 2011: 8:30 AM

Cynthia Blum, PhD, RN, CNE
Candice Hickman, MSN, RN
Christine E. Lynn College of Nursing, Florida Atlantic University, Boca Raton, FL

Learning Objective 1: identify appropriate strategies to solicit formative course evaluation.

Learning Objective 2: understand the benefit of formative course evaluation to employ learning strategies with a direct and immediate impact on the student learner.

Purpose: Faculty educational responsibility transcends traditional methods of lecture and examination with summative course evaluation. Educational constructs should incorporate formative evaluation to allow responsive student feedback to occur. This approach allows gaps within a course to be addressed in order to benefit the current group of student learners. This is particularly important in a didactic course with a lab practice component, where continuity reinforces curricular objectives. The purpose of this study is to determine learner centered educational needs between a didactic and practice course and to immediately address those concerns.

Methods: Fifty-nine pre-licensure undergraduate nursing students enrolled in an introductory assessment and skills course and lab participated in a focus group session to assess course progression. At midpoint, the students were asked how the didactic course and required lab component could be enhanced and better synthesized. Rather these needs were met was re-evaluated via focus group sessions at the conclusion of the course.

Results: Emergent themes derived from focus group data included a disconnect between the didactic course and lab, inconsistency in content between lab days, and inefficient scheduling of student time. Based on student feedback, immediate didactic course changes included the addition of an audiovisual enhanced lecture to demonstrate lab expectations using a simulated scenario, increased communication between didactic and lab faculty, and obtaining additional lab equipment to facilitate student involvement. Summative focus groups validated the success of the interventions, where students felt valued as their concerns were addressed.

Conclusion: Currently enrolled students do not benefit from course redesign resulting from a summative course evaluation; formative evaluation offers the opportunity to assess and address learning deficiencies to assure all graduates are adequately prepared to become safe, competent, and successful registered nurses. Formative evaluation is one way to assure program quality standards are being met.

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