Student Learning: The Role of Self-assessment

Nursing educators are challenged to discover new ways to prepare nurses for practice. Graduates must be able to accurately plan, monitor and evaluate their own beliefs, knowledge, skills and behaviors. This paper explores the role of nurse educators in student’s self-assessment. It concludes with discovery of a theory of teaching that embraces formative assessment as an important teaching method that leads to increasing students’ ability to self-regulate and engage in their learning. Self -assessment is one aspect of formative assessment. STUDENT LEARNING: THE ROLE OF SELF-ASSESSMENT 3 In the rapidly changing complex health care environment there is a crucial demand for nurses capable of making complex decisions based upon critical thinking, sound reasoning and ethical practice. World demand for highly skilled nurses is driving nursing programs to examine and change the context, content and conduct of current teaching/learning practices. Nursing programs are changing to better prepare student nurses for the demanding roles that they will assume. Those roles require nurses who are dedicated to life long learning. An important component of life-long learning is self-assessment (Knowles, 1975). Effective nursing practice also requires well-developed critical thinking skills. Facione (1990) considers that a component of critical thinking is the ability to self-correct. Many nursing programs have not integrated selfassessment education and consistent use of student self-assessment into curricula. This paper aims to explore the nurse educator’s role in student’s self-assessment. Credible research evidence that supports particular teaching/learning theories and techniques is becoming a prerequisite for making changes in nursing education as is the demand for research providing and testing evidence based outcomes. The National Council Licensure Examination-Registered Nurse (NCLEX-RN) first-time pass rate is valued as an important outcome measure by the profession for many reasons but in particular because nursing programs must meet the national norm in order to remain accredited. When creditable research links teaching/ learning techniques to increasing NCLEX first-time pass rates it is likely to motivate changes in curricula that include those teaching learning techniques. Research that supports teaching/learning methods that improve safe nursing practice; that is effective, timely, efficient, equitable, and patient-centered care is also decidedly respected by STUDENT LEARNING: THE ROLE OF SELF-ASSESSMENT 4 the nursing profession (Institute of Medicine, 2011). Particularly those strategies resulting in improving critical thinking skills related to patient safety. Safety measures that produce positive patient outcome are of keen concern to health care providers.