Evaluation and testing in nursing education - Springer Publishing

Chapter 1
Evaluation, Measurement, and the
Educational Process
In all areas of nursing education and practice, evaluation is an important
process to measure learning and other outcomes, judge performance, determine
competence to practice, and arrive at other decisions about students and nurses.
Evaluation is integral to monitoring the quality of educational and health care
programs. By evaluating outcomes achieved by students, graduates, and clients,
the effectiveness of programs can be measured and decisions can be made about
needed improvements.
Evaluation provides a means of ensuring accountability for the quality of
education and services provided. Nurses, similar to other health professionals,
are accountable to their clients and society in general for meeting their health
needs. Along the same line, nurse educators are accountable for the quality of
teaching provided to learners, outcomes achieved, and overall effectiveness of
programs that prepare graduates to meet the health needs of society. Educational
institutions are also accountable to their governing bodies and society in terms
of educating graduates for present and future roles. Through evaluation, nursing
faculty and other health professionals can measure the quality of their teaching
and programs as well as document outcomes for others to review. All educators,
regardless of the setting, need to be knowledgeable about the evaluation process,
measurement, testing, assessment, and other related concepts.
EVALUATION
Evaluation is the process of collecting and interpreting information for making
judgments about student learning and achievement, clinical performance, employee
competence, and educational programs, among others. In nursing educa-
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