UW-Madison School of Nursing
Assessment Report for 1999-2000

I. Assessment Activities 1999-2000

          During the 1999-2000 year, the School of Nursing underwent an accreditation review by the Commission on Collegiate Nursing Education (CCNE), a national agency for the accreditation of baccalaureate and graduate degree nursing education programs. On March 3, 2000, the CCNE Board granted accreditation of the baccalaureate and master's degree programs for a term of ten years.

          In September 1999, we forwarded a copy of CCNE Standard IV to you that speaks to our assessment plan and activities. Included in this report is a discussion of ways in which we have used data to determine outcomes, make changes in our programs and respond to the standards of our profession to evaluate program effectiveness. During the past year, we have continued with our assessment activities outlined in Standard IV. As part of our evaluative process, and in preparation for our site review in early November, appropriate committees in the school devoted a portion of their meeting time discussing and reviewing our program evaluation initiatives. These discussions were valuable and reinforced, for many, the importance of program assessment. Attached is a copy of the CCNE final report for Standard IV.

          The School has been using a combination of the Educational Testing Service (ETS) surveys along with questions developed in-house to collect data on graduates for the past several years. While the ETS survey instrument was considered a useful tool to determine student, alumni and faculty satisfaction with the program, some limitations were identified. In this regard, last year the School's Assessment Council recommended that a survey instrument be developed within the School. This would enable the faculty to focus questions that were more appropriately suited to the school's structure resulting in more relevant data. At the undergraduate level, a survey was developed and made available electronically to the May and August 2000 baccalaureate graduates.

          We appreciate the support of the University in providing funds for program assessment during the past several years. Time and resources continue to be challenges we face with implementing our assessment plan.

          This year, we will continue to develop our own surveys for baccalaureate graduates at one and three years post graduation. We plan to design web-based surveys and, for this purpose, a staff member was trained in advanced level ACCESS and HTML over the summer. At the graduate level, the Graduate Programs Committee has as one of its major goals for the year to reexamine the graduate portion of the School of Nursing Assessment Plan and to develop and implement a concise, program focused survey instrument to measure program outcomes and to gather data related to program satisfaction, employment, professional certification and other student/alumni accomplishments.

          Dr. Katharyn May, our new Dean, will assume her role in January 2001, and we look forward to working with her around a review of our assessment plan and associated activities.