title: Practical strategies for nursing education program evaluation.
abstract: Self-evaluation is required for institutions of higher learning and the nursing programs within them. The literature provides information on evaluation models and instruments, and descriptions of how specific nursing education programs are evaluated. However, there are few discussions in the nursing education literature of the practical aspects of nursing education program evaluation: how to get started, how to keep track of data, who to involve in data collection, and how to manage challenging criteria. This article discusses the importance of program evaluation in the academic setting and provides information on practical ways to organize the evaluation process and aggregate data, and strategies for gathering data from students, graduates, alumni, and employers of graduates.
authors.affiliation: Professor, School of Nursing, The University of North Carolina at Greensboro, Greensboro, NC.. Electronic address: lplewall@uncg.edu.
authors.forename: Lynne Porter
authors.initials: LP
authors.lastname: Lewallen
mesh_terms: D004508:Education, Nursing, Baccalaureate / Q000458:organization & administration*; D005181:Faculty, Nursing; D006801:Humans; D015402:Nursing Education Research; D015403:Nursing Evaluation Research / Q000379:methods*; D011785:Quality Assurance, Health Care / Q000458:organization & administration
keywords: Accreditation; Nursing; Nursing education; Program evaluation