Supporting the Quality of Measurement and Evaluation in Education.

The impetus for the development of a measurement and evaluation team for Robert Morris University, School of Nursing and Health Sciences (SNHS), was to foster faculty and administration commitment in enhancing the quality of measurement and evaluation processes. Many of the SNHS faculty members had experienced incidents of academic inconsistencies with student exam protocols. The measurement and evaluation team was charged to define the goals for faculty to use evidence-based assessment and evaluation strategies that are appropriate for the learner and learning goals, support use of evaluation data to measure the achievement of designated outcomes, and promote curricular excellence through the use of assessment and evaluation data and policies to enhance the teaching and learning process. This paper examines the results of surveys of undergraduate students, proctors, and faculty within the SNHS regarding new exam protocols, the implementation of the protocols, and their success.

Effect of the dedicated education unit on nursing student self-efficacy: A quasi-experimental research study.

Although the Dedicated Education Unit (DEU) has shown initial promise related to satisfaction with the teaching/learning environment, few studies have examined student outcomes related to the use of the DEU as a clinical education model beyond student satisfaction. The purpose of this quantitative, quasi-experimental study was to compare student outcomes from the traditional clinical education (TCE) model with those from the DEU model. Participants were students enrolled in a four-year baccalaureate program in nursing (n = 193) who had clinical education activities in one of three clinical agencies. Participants were assigned to either the DEU or a TCE model. Pre-clinical and post-clinical self-efficacy scores were measured for each group using an adapted Generalized Self-Efficacy Scale (Schwarzer and Jerusalem, 1995). Both groups experienced a significant increase in self-efficacy scores post clinical education. The increase in self-efficacy for the DEU students was significantly greater than the increase in self-efficacy for the traditional students. Self-efficacy is considered an important outcome of nursing education because high self-efficacy has been linked to making an easier transition from student to nursing professional. This study supports the quality of the DEU as a clinical education model by examining student self-efficacy outcomes.

The headache electronic diary for children with concussion.

PURPOSE/OBJECTIVES: The purposes of the study were to (1) develop a prospective, real time, age-appropriate, and appealing prototype of an electronic headache pain diary for children and (2) evaluate the clinical feasibility and utility of the diary for the assessment and documentation of concussion headache. DESIGN: A mixed-methods design of qualitative interviews and a quantitative survey was used. SETTING: The setting was a sports medicine concussion clinic. SAMPLE: The sample included 2 independent groups of 30 children (females n = 36, males n = 24) each aged 12 to 17 years, with postconcussion headache and pediatric concussion expert clinicians (n = 5). METHODS: During phase 1 of the study, subjects were interviewed individually about their headaches and their ideas for an electronic diary. A prototype was developed using these children's interview data. In phase 2 of the study, both children and clinicians piloted the prototype. Clinicians' survey data regarding the feasibility and utility of the diary were examined using thematic and descriptive analyses. RESULTS: The phase 1 sample recommended a diary with calendar and clock functions, head views, menus (eg, pain descriptors), soft colors, a choice of pain assessment scales, and the ability to personalize it. All of the children thought that the new Headache Electronic Diary for Children With Concussion (HED-CC) would be helpful to track their headache and reported that other children with concussions would be likely to use it. Participants recommended improvement of the head views and clock function. In phase 2 of the study, all clinicians reported that the new HED-CC measure was feasible and useful for the assessment and documentation of headache. CONCLUSIONS: The new HED-CC provides for thorough assessment and documentation of postconcussion headache. Proactive, real-time measurement helps children remember the details of their headache pain and correlating events/circumstances. An appealing, age-appropriate measure increases the likelihood of children's symptom tracking and data accuracy. The HED-CC will improve clinicians' understanding of postconcussion headache and guide treatment. Additional testing with a larger sample is required to establish clinical application benefits and improve reliability/validity of the new measure.