Systematic review of program evaluation in baccalaureate nursing programs

Program evaluation is a common practice in nursing education programs; however, evidence indicates that many schools only focus on program evaluation around the scheduled accreditation period, thus reducing the potential value of the evaluation. This systematic review explores the current program evaluation practices of prelicensure baccalaureate nursing programs. ERIC, CINAHL, and Scopus databases were searched to locate original research articles published in English. Twenty articles met the inclusion criteria. The purposes of the evaluated studies varied from needing to meet external accountability requirements to proposing conceptual frameworks and evaluation tools. However, most studies focused on summative evaluation assessing program products and on providing evidence of program evaluation based on descriptive data. Notably, few studies employed a rigorous method to evaluate and interpret program evaluation findings. Most studies solicited information from multiple stakeholder groups, with students being the most represented. Despite the wide range of data collection tools used in the reviewed studies, reporting of validity and reliability was limited. Student grade point average, graduation rate, NCLEX passing rate, and satisfaction with the learning experience were the most common variables. Further studies are needed to assess the effectiveness of current educational program evaluation practices in nursing education.