Northwest Florida State College RN to BSN Nursing Program

program, and should easily provide for attainment of program mission, goals and expected
outcomes.
Key Element II-F
The faculty roles in teaching, scholarship, service and practice are identified clearly and
are congruent with the mission, goals/objectives and expected results of the program.
Supporting and retaining highly qualified faculty is a key tenet of NWFSC philosophy.
Faculty members receive encouragement in their roles of teaching, scholarship, service and
practice that are consistent with this commitment. The college expectations of the faculty in
teaching, scholarship and service are clearly defined in the faculty job description, Board of
Trustees’ policy, and the Faculty Handbook, all of which are available in the onsite resource
room.
Teaching assignments allow for the utilization of all nursing faculty to be consistent with
the mission/philosophy of NWFSC and to promote excellence in teaching, scholarship, service,
practice, and administration within the program. Twenty-six percent (26%) of the faculty load
obligation, or nine hours per week, is dedicated to the advancement of excellence in these areas.
While instruction is clearly the primary focus of the faculty, scholarship is also a valued
professional role and a key factor in achieving program goals and expected outcomes. To that
end, the nursing faculty members have developed a definition of scholarship in this program
which is consistent with the AACN concept of scholarship:
Through required credentials for position in academe and demonstration
of organized knowledge and expertise, scholarship is evident in
professional activities such as research, practice, membership in
professional organizations, volunteer service and continuing education.
Faculty scholars facilitate student learning as evidenced by students’
discovery of new knowledge and experience.
As a new program, the specific application of this definition to the faculty role is still
being refined. However, a review of faculty members and administrators’ curriculum vitae
evidences an already established pattern of dedication to scholarship and the several scholarship
support resources offered by the college will facilitate and encourage future scholarship
endeavors.
Northwest Florida State College Self-Study Report for the BSN Program, August 20, 2008 Page 32 of 59