Department of Nursing
Learning outcomes or other focus identified
Student Learning Outcomes
1. Achieve a liberal arts education to serve as a solid base for providing the corner stone for the
practice and education of nurses.
2. Apply leadership and management principles to act as a change agent and patient advocate in
health care practice incorporating patient safety and quality indicators.
3. Use theoretical knowledge and evidenced based research to guide nursing practice and clinical
decision making
4. Use concepts of interpersonal and technological communication in the provision of safe and
competent nursing care.
5. Define the current healthcare policy, finance and regulatory environments and how these entities
influence the nature and functioning of the healthcare system and consideration for practice.
6. Use interpersonal and technological communication effectively in the delivery of care and
collaborate with health professionals and other disciplines in providing care to clients, families,
group and communities in a variety of health care environments.
7. Demonstrate health promotion and disease prevention interventions at the individual and
population level in order to improve population health
8. Demonstrate professional behaviors that incorporate legal/ethical responsibility, professional
nursing codes/standards, client advocacy, self-reflections and evaluation to promote professional
growth with lifelong learning
9. Practice as a baccalaureate nurse generalist with patients across the lifespan and cross the
continuum, while respecting the variations, complexity and resources needed for care of patients
Student work or other evidence analyzed
Table 7: Evidence used to evaluate student learning with respect to
each of the program’s individual student learning outcomes.
Outcome
Evidence of student learning related
to the outcome
1.
Achieve a liberal arts education to serve as a solid base for
providing the corner stone for the practice and education of
nurses.

TEAS (Test of Essential Academic
Skills)
2.
Apply leadership and management principles to act as a change
agent and patient advocate in health care practice incorporating
patient safety and quality indicators


Final Exam, NURS 470
Inter-professional simulation
performance (NURS 480)
Student Evaluation of Preceptor
Practicum (NURS 451, Objective 6)
ATI Critical Thinking tests (Entering
and Exiting)
ATI Fundamentals test (spring, junior
year)
Nursing Care Plan (NURS 351)
Student Evaluation of Preceptor
Practicum (NURS 451, Objective 2)
Clinical Evaluation Form (NURS 301)

3.
Use theoretical knowledge and evidenced based research to
guide nursing practice and clinical decision making




4.
Use concepts of interpersonal and technological communication

in the provision of safe and competent nursing care.


5.
6.
7.
Define the current healthcare policy, finance and regulatory
environments and how these entities influence the nature and
functioning of the healthcare system and consideration for
practice
Use interpersonal and technological communication effectively
in the delivery of care and collaborate with health professionals
and other disciplines in providing care to clients, families, group
and communities in a variety of health care environments.



Student Evaluation of Preceptor
Practicum (NURS 451, Objective 5)
Demonstrate health promotion and disease prevention
interventions at the individual and population level in order to
improve population health

Final Exam, Student Reflection (NURS
310)
Simulation exercise performance
(NURS 421)
Student Evaluation of Preceptor
Practicum (NURS 451, Objective 4)
Simulation exercise performance
(NURS 451)
Essay exam (professionalism) (NURS
480)
Student Evaluation of Preceptor
Practicum (NURS 451, Objective 1)
ATI Pharmacology test
ATI RN Comprehensive Predictor test
(NURS 480)


8.
Demonstrate professional behaviors that incorporate
legal/ethical responsibility, professional nursing
codes/standards, client advocacy, self-reflections and evaluation
to promote professional growth with lifelong learning



9.
Simulation exercise performance
(NURS 480)
Student Evaluation of Preceptor
Practicum (NURS 451, Objective 3)
Final Exam (NURS 421)
Student Reflection (Lobby Day)
(NURS 480)
Practice as a baccalaureate nurse generalist with patients across
the lifespan and cross the continuum, while respecting the
variations, complexities and resources needed for patient care.


Conclusions based on analysis of evidence
Formative Data
The department’s Strategic CQI Plan has guided the faculty in making curricular and administrative
improvements based on formative input including:
 The TEAS and Critical Thinking Entry tests that provide information about students’ baseline
skills;
 ATI tests which show mastery subject by subject as students complete sections of the curriculum;
 Course grades which show mastery, at different levels, of scaffolded learning outcomes;
 Annual review of referrals to support services shows which areas are problematic for students and
may need more attention;
 Student evaluations of instruction give feedback on individual courses and instructors;
 Student focus groups allow faculty to better understand student concerns;
 End-of-semester evaluations by clinical affiliates show how well students are able to apply their
didactic learning to professional practice;
 Retention analyses provide information about the overall success of interventions designed to
ensure student success;
 Alumni interviews and surveys provide information about student employment, satisfaction and
impact on the profession;


Employer interviews and surveys show how well students were prepared for entry level
employment as nurses.
Surveys conducted by NYIT’s Office of Institutional Research (National Survey of Student
Engagement, Noel-Levitz Student Satisfaction, Graduating Student Survey) supplement
department-administered instruments and provide information self-reported information from
students on activities, perceptions and outcomes which can be compared with internal and
external benchmarks.
Developed actions to improve learning (One of many exemplars cited in the CIPR)
2. Pharmacology (Individual Student Learning Outcome #9)
Table 9: NYIT v. Group mean scores on ATI Pharmacology exams
ATI Test
Class of 2014
NYIT
Pharmacology
55.7
Group
mean
59.2
Class of 2013
NYIT
48.5
Group
mean
59.2
Class of 2012
NYIT
54.1
Group
mean
62.5
Class of 2011
NYIT
54.0
Group
mean
63.0
Results from the ATI Pharmacology exam (administered at the end of fall semester in the junior year),
show that the mean score for NYIT is lower than the group (national) mean, but the point difference
between the two is decreasing as a result of a series of targeted interventions:





Introducing follow-up on exam results in NURS 360 during the spring semester junior year.
Faculty reviews test results, go over areas of poor performance, and assign ATI remediation
where appropriate
Based on faculty analysis of 2011 results, NURS 315 (Pharmacology for Nursing) was redesigned
with updated content and more emphasis on higher-order learning (Appendix VIII).
To improve students’ motivation to spend time on task in this area, students’ scores on the ATI
Pharmacology exam were made part of the final grade for the course
To improve students’ foundation math skills, a calculation workshop and pre-class calculation
assignments were made mandatory prerequisites to NURS 315
Based on information from student evaluations of the course, a new instructor was assigned to
teach the course beginning in 2012.
Timeline and Accountability & Assessment Plan for 2014- 2015
Table 6: Department of Nursing 6-Year Assessment Plan
Expected (individual) student learning
outcomes
2010
2011
2012
1. Achieve a liberal arts education to serve as a solid
base for providing the corner stone for the practice and
education of nurses.
2. Apply leadership and management principles to act
as a change agent and patient advocate in health care
practice incorporating patient safety and quality
indicators.
3. Use theoretical knowledge based and evidenced
based research to guide nursing practice and clinical
decision making.
4. Use concepts of interpersonal and technological
communication in the provision of safe and competent
nursing care.
5. Define the current healthcare policy, finance and
regulatory environments and how these entities
influence the nature and functioning of the healthcare
system and consideration for practice.
6. Use interpersonal and technological communication
effectively in the delivery of care and collaborate with
health professionals and other disciplines in providing
care to clients, families, group and communities in a
variety of health care environments.
7. Demonstrate professional behaviors that incorporate
legal/ethical responsibility, professional nursing
codes/standards, client advocacy, self-reflections and
evaluation to promote professional growth with lifelong
learning.
8. Demonstrate professional behaviors that incorporate
legal/ethical responsibility, professional nursing
codes/standards, client advocacy, self-reflections and
evaluation to promote professional growth with lifelong
learning.
9. Practice as a baccalaureate nurse generalist with
patients across the lifespan and across the continuum,
while respecting the variations, complexity and
resources needed for care of patients.
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
2013
2014
2015
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
As part of their assessment work, faculty has identified the evidence to collect and analyze to determine
the degree to which students have mastered the program’s nine individual student learning outcomes.
Evidence includes both direct measures (e.g., examinations, simulations and other student work products)
and indirect ones (surveys, reflections) (see Table 7).