Assessment of Graduates' Critical Thinking Abilities as an Intended Learning Outcome of the BSN Program

Background: Remarkable challenges facing higher education in Kingdom of Saudi Arabi, consequently universities’ programs developments are taking place and the Ministry of Higher Education strategic planning is reflecting the need of such development. It was strongly recommended to increase the focus of the quality assurance process in higher education on student outcomes. Nursing programs has also giving emphasis to assessment of the learning outcomes as an indicator for quality education. Critical thinking (CT) is one of these outcomes because it shapes goals of nursing education and practice as it is needed for solving problems and making decisions by creating reasoned judgments in academic and clinical settings. Critical thinking dispositions are benchmarks and guiding indicators of the effectiveness of the educational program, as the National Academic Reference Standards considered the CT as an attribute of nursing graduates. One of the determinants of nursing students’ critical thinking is the educational strategies used by educators. Therefore the aim of the current research project is to assess the nursing graduates’ critical thinking disposition as an intended learning outcome of the BSN program and its relationship with the students’ learning preference and the teaching strategies used during the program. Methods: Descriptive correlational design used. Graduates of the last two academic years (2013-14 and 2014-15) were included in the study.  Graduates were invited to fill questionnaires; Demographics, the California Critical Thinking Disposition Inventory (CCTD), and teaching strategies used during the program and the preferred educational strategies.  Results: A total of 81 nurse graduates participated in the study, 42 from 2013-2014 and 39 from 2014-2015, about 60% from stream one (regular 4 years program) and 40% from stream two (accelerated, two and half years program). The majority of the graduates (72.8%) perceived that the program contributed to their critical thinking skills. The mean total Critical CTD score was 290 ± 21.8 with the lowest score of 247 and the highest score was 342.   Most of the graduates were positive toward their critical thinking abilities.  Graduates reported that traditional lectures, written assignments and pre and post clinical round were the mostly used teaching strategies during the program. The least often used teaching strategies were Debate , Reflective journal and Role Playing.  However, graduates reported their prefered teaching strategies were; written assignments, cooperative learning, portfolio, depate, brain storming and pre and post clinical round. Conclusion: For nursing graduates to be engaged in complex problem solving, educators need to reconsider the course content, and teaching strategies used to develop students’ critical thinking.