Nursing Educator Role Essay Example

Clinical evaluation of nursing students can be grouped as norm-referenced or criterion-referenced. In norm-referenced evaluation, a learner’s clinical performance is compared with that of the norm group (those of other students). In this type of evaluation, performance can be described as worse than, better than, or equivalent to those of the group. A student’s knowledge, skills, and ability can also be said to be better or less than of the comparison group. On the other hand, criterion-referenced evaluation involves comparison of a learner’s performance with a predetermined criterion. This criterion is set prior to students undertaking the exams and used as a basis for evaluation (Oermann and Gaberson, 2014). It can be, for example, a minimum pass mark.
Clinical evaluation can also be categorized as formative and summative. Formative evaluation is a type of evaluation used to provide immediate feedback to students on their progress towards meeting the course’s learning outcomes, competencies, knowledge, and skills. The feedback will then be used to diagnose students’ learning for instance by altering instruction or providing remediation to students so as to enable them to meet the learning outcomes of the course. In contrast, summative evaluation is carried out at the end of a program or a course and is used to determine the extent to which a student has met the course learning outcomes (Hopkins, 2012).
The difference between measurement and evaluation is of great importance to an educator. Firstly, measurement helps an educator to determine whether or not the students have achieved the intended outcomes as stipulated in his or her lesson plan. On the other hand, evaluation aids in judging the quality of observed measures.
Nursing education also involves assessment. Assessment refers to the process of gathering information which enables the nursing educator to make decisions about the learners as well as the program itself (Oermann & Gaberson, 2014). Assessment of learning helps in communicating the achievements of a student on particular learning outcomes, motivating the learner, and placing the students in various educational programs and grades among other roles. In assessment of learning, tests are used. Thus, a test is an instrument used to determine student’s ability, knowledge, and skills in a particular course (Calkins, Montgomery & Santman, 1998).

References

Calkins, L., Montgomery, K., & Santman, D. (1998). A teacher's guide to standardized reading tests. Knowledge Is Power. Portsmouth, NH: Heinemann
Hopkins, K. D. (2012). Educational and psychological measurement and evaluation (8th ed.). Needham Heights, MA: Allyn & Bacon
Mehrens, W. A. & Lehmann, I. J. (1987). Using standardized tests in education (4th ed.).New York, NY, US: Longman/Addison Wesley Longman.
Oermann, M. H. & Gberson, K. B. (2013). Evaluation and Testing in Nursing Education. New York, NY: Springer publishing company