THE EVALUATION OF TEACHING IN BACCALAUREATE AND GRADUATE NURSING PROGRAMS.
Contributors: University of Pittsburgh.
Published: 1987
Number of pages: 98
Subjects: Education, Higher.; Health Sciences, Nursing.
Description: This exploratory study examined practices used in the evaluation of teaching in nursing programs that offer both baccalaureate and graduate degrees. One hundred eight deans (77.1%) responsed to a mailed questionnaire designed by the investigator. The responding deans represented nursing programs located in colleges and universities in 45 states.

One hundred percent of the responding deans reported the use of students as sources of information regarding teaching. Other sources included peers, administrators, self evaluation, research, publication and opinions or ratings of nursing service colleagues.

Standardized questionnaires designed or adapted for nursing were the instruments most frequently used to obtain information regarding both classroom and clinical teaching. Classroom visitation, review of course materials, and clinical site visitation were used most frequently in peer evaluation of teaching. Peer evaluators were identified as faculty at the same or higher rank and as course leaders and colleagues in team taught courses. They are most frequently selected by the faculty member being evaluated.

Administrators are more apt to review information obtained from other sources as opposed to personal observation of teaching. Administrators most commonly involved are department chairs who are considered the most important sources of information regarding teaching when that information was used to make decisions regarding tenure, promotion and salary increments.

A majority of deans (55.6%) indicated efforts to evaluate teaching have increased in the past five years. Changes identified include increased use of peers; improvement/development of instruments for data collection; more structured and comprehensive evaluation plans; increase in mandates from the university, state, or unions; and a decrease in the relative importance of teaching evaluation vis-a-vis evaluation of research.
Notes: Source: Dissertation Abstracts International, Volume: 49-04, Section: A, page: 0741.

Thesis (PH.D.)--UNIVERSITY OF PITTSBURGH, 1987.

School code: 0178.