Faculty Development Needs and Approaches to Support Course Examination Development in Nursing Programs: An...

Area of Science:

• Nursing Education
• Academic Assessment
• Faculty Development

Background:

• Many nursing faculty members lack formal training in essential item writing and test construction techniques.
• This deficiency impacts the quality and validity of course examinations in nursing programs.

Purpose of the Study:

• To synthesize existing evidence on the developmental needs of nursing faculty regarding test development.
• To identify effective interventions for enhancing faculty skills in creating course examinations.

Main Methods:

• An integrative review of original research and non-research reports published since 2012.
• Quality appraisal using the Johns Hopkins Nursing Evidence-based Practice Model.
• Data analysis via the constant comparison method.

Main Results:

• Nineteen reports met the inclusion criteria.
• Key themes in test development included adherence to standards, educational preparation, technology integration, and clear writing.
• Faculty development themes encompassed continuous improvement, professional development, collaboration, and resource utilization.

Conclusions:

• Nursing programs must implement strategies to ensure faculty competency in best practices for test development.
• Further research is needed to determine optimal faculty development approaches for assessment skills.