Chapter 9 ppt eval & testing 4e formatted 01.10 mo checked

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Chapter 9Assessment ofWritten AssignmentsOermann & GabersonEvaluation and Testing in Nursing Education4th edition


Purposes of Written Assignments

♦ Critique and synthesize literature♦ Search for, critique, and integrate evidence for practice♦ Analyze concepts and theories and apply to clinical

situations♦ Improve problem solving and higher-level

thinking skills♦ Gain experience in formulating ideas and

communicating them clearly♦ Develop writing skills

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Use of Written Assignments

♦ Not an automatic course requirement– Should help students meet specific course outcomes

♦ Avoid excessive requirement of same kind of written assignment (e.g., patient assessment, concept map, care plan)– Number of written assignments based on student

need to achieve the desired course outcomes or clinical practice competencies

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Writing in the Discipline

♦ Ability to communicate in writing is essential outcome of a nursing program

♦ Learning to write clearly for varied audiences is referred to as “writing in the discipline”

♦ Writing skill is developed through formal papers such as term papers– Students receive feedback on content and writing– Papers typically completed over period of time, are

usually graded

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Writing-to-Learn Activities

♦ Help students learn course content and reflect on experiences but do not develop writing skill

♦ Activities are typically short, informal– May be impromptu

♦ Examples: journals, writing activities in class or post-clinical conference

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Drafts and Rewrites

♦ Essential for improving writing skill♦ Critique:– Accuracy of content– Development of ideas– Organization– Writing style

♦ Provide specific feedback on how to improve writing ♦ Assess drafts formatively; do not grade

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Feedback on Writing

♦ Individually from teacher♦ Peer assessment—small groups or pairs

of students ♦ Self-assessment

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Types of Written Assignments

♦ Term paper♦ Research paper and development of research

protocol♦ Literature review and systematic review♦ Evidence-based practice paper ♦ Paper analyzing concepts and theories and

their application to clinical practice

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Types of Written Assignments (cont’d)♦ Paper comparing different interventions with

their underlying evidence base♦ Paper on how class content, textbook, and

other sources apply to patient care♦ Critical analysis papers♦ Case-study analysis with written rationale♦ Journals and reflective writing assignments

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Types of Written Assignments (cont’d)♦ Assignments related to clinical learning

– Concept map– Concept analysis– Analysis of clinical experience– Teaching plan– Nursing care plan– Analysis of interactions with individual or group– Report of observations made in clinical settings– Journal, reflective writing activities– Portfolio

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In-Class Writing

♦ Provides practice in expressing ideas♦ Opportunity for feedback from faculty and peers ♦ Examples– Students post responses to teacher questions in online

discussion forum– Students write a question about the content and give to

another student to answer in writing– Students write a few paragraphs about new learning they

gained from the class

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Small-Group Writing

♦ Pairs or small groups of students work on a written assignment– Learn about benefits and pitfalls of group writing

♦ Examples– Write an editorial or a letter to the editor– Develop a protocol for patient care– Review, critique, and summarize evidence related to

patient care– Prepare a manuscript for potential publication

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Post-Clinical Conference Writing

♦ Students write about their own clinical activities and analyze the effectiveness of care provided

♦ “Pass the writing”– Student passes written work to another student,

who critically analyzes the content and adds another perspective

– Peer also identifies how writing can be improved

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Assessing Written Assignments

♦ Formative or summative♦ Score similar to essay– Read twice before scoring– Read in random order– Read anonymously

♦ Multiple independent ratings if possible

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Assessing Written Assignments (cont’d)♦ Scoring rubrics– Give to students before they begin writing– Outline the criteria to meet and points allotted– Points assigned to the rubric should reflect relative

importance of each criterion

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Assessing Technical Writing Skills

♦ Time-consuming but necessary♦ Give feedback without correcting errors♦ Use “gateway” criteria for acceptable written

assignment– Specify maximum number of technical errors– Stop reading and scoring paper if criterion is exceeded– Return paper to student to correct and resubmit; may earn

lower score

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Suggestions for Written Assignments♦ Relate assignments to learning outcomes♦ Consider the number of written assignments,

including drafts♦ Avoid assignments that require only

summarizing the literature and discussions– Focus on higher level thinking

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Suggestions forWritten Assignments (cont’d)♦ Include clear directions about purpose and

format of the assignment♦ Specify the number of drafts to be submitted

and due dates♦ Provide prompt feedback on quality of

content and writing, and specific direction for revisions

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Suggestions forWritten Assignments (cont’d)♦ Give specific assessment criteria to students

before they begin the assignment♦ For papers requiring analysis of issues, assess

the rationale rather than the position taken♦ Assess written assignments anonymously

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Suggestions forWritten Assignments (cont’d)♦ Skim a sample of papers before beginning

assessment– Adjust scoring criteria if necessary

♦ Read papers in random order♦ Read each paper twice before scoring

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Suggestions forWritten Assignments (cont’d)♦ If unsure about the assessment of a paper,

seek review from a colleague♦ Consider incorporating self-critique, peer

critique, and group writing♦ Prepare students for written assignments– Incorporate ungraded writing activities

into the course

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Chapter 9 ppt eval & testing 4e formatted 01.10 mo checked