Introduction
Program evaluation refers to the strategies adopted to measure the success levels of education initiatives and investigate whether they achieve their objectives. On the other hand, accreditation is a unique form of recognition by an accrediting agency, supporting that a particular educational institution meets the required standards. Thus, program evaluation works in conjunction with accreditation to obtain information on how to maximize the effectiveness of education and improve learning outcomes. The following presentation adopts the transformative model to evaluate whether the programs provided in a nursing undergraduate institution using CCNE standards and guidelines.
The Transformative Model
The transformative model of evaluation is an assessment criterion based on the transformative or participation theory. The model prioritizes the inclusion of participants and their active engagement with the evaluators through dialogue to facilitate joint knowledge creation (Colomer et al., 2020). In this case, the stakeholders include the student, educators, and faculty members responsible for designing lesson plans and the curricula. Therefore, the principal evaluators will work within the concepts of the model to include all involved parties in the decision-making, data collection, analysis, and reporting stages to note gaps and establish solutions.
Using the Model to Guide Evaluation
The transformative model advocates for including stakeholders at different levels of the evaluation process according to their specialties and access to resources. Therefore, the principal evaluator is responsible for selecting a team and assigning responsibilities (Oermann et al., 2021). Since the process will involve various stages, it is advisable to give individuals leadership roles in each stage. The planning phases will lay out the intended process, key players, and their obligations. Similarly, the evaluation will adopt participatory approaches at each of the commencing stages, including the data collection, analysis, and feedback stages. However, the assessment will rely on guidelines provided by the CCNE to advance its initiatives.
Commission on Collegiate Nursing Education (CCNE)
The Commission on Collegiate Nursing Education, abbreviated as CCNE, is a national autonomous nursing education accreditation agency that is officially recognized by the US Secretary of Education. The organization provides standards and guidelines to ensure the integrity and quality of graduate, residency, and baccalaureate education (DelMonte et al., J., 2022). CCNE upholds the public’s interests by identifying and assessing educational programs that engage in effective practices. As a result, they advocate for voluntary self-reporting processes and the continuous growth of educational institutions providing nursing education.
CCNE Educational Standards
The CCNE is concerned with assessing the quality of programs being studied in professional fields and the extent to which they achieve their goals, mission, and objectives. As a result, their assessment criterion looks into how institutions operate, the resources for educational development, and the faculty’s ability to deliver up to expectations (Mertens & Wilson, 2018). The evaluated practice standards include the quality of program delivery, the levels of institutional commitment, the reliability of curriculums, the effectiveness of assessment strategies, and the program’s reliability to achieve outcomes (DelMonte et al., J., 2022). Within these standards, there are several components that educational institutions should meet to achieve high-quality program delivery.
Master Evaluation Plan: Assessment Methods
The evaluation initiatives will adopt various solutions to assessment depending on the indicators being measured and participants. The evaluators will adopt the portfolio assessment technique to investigate the quality of governance, institutional commitment to its initiatives, and the sufficiency of resources. Moreover, the project will collect information from students through online surveys, questions embedded in assignments, and classroom assessments to determine whether they attain pre-set educational standards (Oermann et al., 2021). Finally, the faculty’s capabilities will be assessed using capstone courses, their collective portfolios, and standardized achievement or self-report tests to measure their knowledge of what they are required to deliver.
The Frequency of Assessments and Responsible Parties
The institution’s portfolio assessment will involve going through various documents on the allocation and use of resources assigned for educational purposes. Moreover, it will include an observation of the infrastructure, renovations done to the institution, and the nature of its environment. Similarly, the faculty’s portfolio assessment will include assuring their credential and examining their performance. Thus, these activities will be carried out once at the beginning of the semester due to their complexity. These measures will be taken by faculty team members with the aid of appointed experts.
All faculty members are expected to submit their self-report tests, which will be provided at the end of the first two months of the semester. These reports will address critical education issues and evaluate the educators’ ability to teach as required. Similarly, the professors and their assistants will be required to oversee filling survey questions on assignments, which will follow the self-assessment tests. However, student leaders will be responsible for submitting the surveys online, collecting the data, and presenting results for analysis.
Expected Levels of Achievement
The evaluation program hopes to collect relevant data for assessment and reliable information to prove that the educational institution is fit to carry out its activities. Hence, the ultimate goal of the program is to collect data that proves adequate resource availability in the institution, faculty capabilities, and student development. The project presumes that the results obtained follow the guidelines and standards of the CCNE.
Data Analysis
The data analysis stage is critical as the relevance of the obtained data will determine the project’s success level. First, faculty members and students will be appointed to analyze the qualitative data using approaches like coding to identify indicators. Subsequently, information about the students’ performance, teachers’ abilities, and resource distribution will be analyzed using statistical methods and tabled in graphs or charts (Mertens & Wilson, 2018). Finally, the evaluators will apply regression analysis to the coded information and other indicators to identify correlations and describe the results.
Action Plan
The principal evaluator is responsible for guiding all procedures from the planning to the feedback stage. However, the action plan will follow a basic guideline and a plan of action that includes, consulting with the administration to obtain permission and ensure ethical practices, seeking permission from relevant authorities, including the institution’s Board of Governors, and appointing supervisors (Mertens & Wilson, 2018). Following these developments, all supervisors and individuals in management positions will receive training and orientation, which will be preceded by the pilot testing phase.
Conclusion
Program evaluation serves a major role in continuous development, especially in education, as it allows shareholders to evaluate whether their initiatives meet the desired outcomes. Additionally, assessment can help identify gaps and areas that require more attention, thus guiding policy development and resource allocation. Accreditation agencies like the CCNE work with researchers, scholars, administrators, and shareholders in educational institutions to design the minimum standards. Using this information, these organizations determine whether institutions are fit to offer various programs. The proposed evaluation program adopts a transformative approach to assessment because it encourages the engagement of all involved parties.
References
Colomer, J., Serra, T., Cacabate, D., & Bubnys, R. (2020). Reflective learning in higher education: Active methodologies for transformative practices. Sustainability, 12(9), 3827. Web.
DelMonte, J., Murray, B., & Burke, K. (2022). Overview of the Revised Commission on Collegiate Nursing Education Entry-to-Practice Nurse Residency Program Accreditation Standards. Journal for Nurses in Professional Development, 38(3), 159-162. Web.
Mertens, D. M., & Wilson, A. T. (2018). Program evaluation theory and practice. Guilford Publications.
Oermann, M. H., De Gagne, J. C., NPD-BC, C. N. E., & Phillips, B. C. (Eds.). (2021). Teaching in Nursing and Role of the Educator: The Complete Guide to Best Practice in Teaching, Evaluation, and Curriculum Development. Springer Publishing Company.