Assessment and instruction to promote higher order thinking in nursing students

SummaryObjectivesThe dearth of data on the role of assessment in higher education formed the two purposes of this study: first, to explore assessment strategies commonly used in nursing education by analyzing the curriculum documents of three baccalaureate nursing programs in Lebanon against Bloom's Taxonomy of learning, and second to unravel issues of instruction and assessment by categorizing data into teacher- and learner-centered strategies.DesignContent analysis research technique applied to analyze the curriculum documents of three baccalaureate nursing programs in Beirut, Lebanon.MethodAfter obtaining IRB approval and consent to access the curriculum documents of the programs, data were analyzed using the content analysis research technique. Data on assessments and instruction were categorized into student-centered and teacher-centered.FindingsData revealed deficiency in employing learner-centered strategies in the assessment and instruction of the three programs. There was evidence that educators of the programs focus on teaching content and examining retention, thus supporting prior notions on teaching to the test and accusations in earnest on adherence to the traditional and behavioral curriculum perspectives. Such curricula leave little room for the development of higher order thinking in learners.ConclusionsAlthough assessments are believed to be indicators of program and teaching effectiveness, there is relatively alarming information on the incompatibility between current assessment practices and demands of the workplace. There is an urgent need for transforming educators' beliefs, knowledge, and skills on testing, since teaching to pass a test could impede knowledge transfer and deter the development of learners' higher order thinking skills.