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This article describes a pilot study on the use of online course standards for peer review of Web-based nursing courses. A peer review team consisting of a nurse educator and an instructional designer piloted the use of two sets of online course standards in two RN-to-baccalaureate nursing courses. The College of Public Health Online Course Standards and the Quality Matters (QM) Peer Course Review Rubric were used to review the courses. The standards facilitated the peer review process and supplied important criteria for measuring the quality of the courses. Analysis of the rubric scores revealed trends in criteria not met in either course, indicating the need for educational program improvement and faculty training. The QM tool had more consistent results among peer reviewers and was perceived as easier to use. In addition, QM standards provided a useful mechanism for benchmarking against higher education courses throughout the United States.

Programs offering accelerated baccalaureate (BSN) curricula to students with bachelor's degrees in other fields are growing in popularity. Such students' academic ability may differ from that of students pursuing the BSN as their first degree, due to academic maturity, greater confidence, and polished study skills. This study directly compared accelerated second-degree BSN and traditional BSN students under controlled conditions matched for identical instruction and performance measures. Outcomes analyzed included class test scores, nationally standardized examination scores, skills laboratory performance, and final course grades. Age, as a possible factor of any such differences, was also analyzed. The accelerated students performed significantly higher on every measure than did the students in the traditional program. Age was not found to be predictive of success in either group. Recommendations include modification of teaching strategies to accommodate accelerated students capable of higher performance.

This study investigated the critical thinking dispositions and skills of senior nursing students. Study participants were students enrolled in associate (n = 137), baccalaureate (n = 102), and RN-to-BSN (n = 66) programs accredited by the Korean Ministry of Education. The California Critical Thinking Disposition Inventory (CCTDI) and California Critical Thinking Skills Test (CCTST) were used. A comparison of the CCTDI scores revealed a statistically significant difference between the students enrolled in different programs (F = 4.159, p = 0.017), as did a comparison of the CCTST scores (F = 24.205, p < 0.0001). Within the total sample (n = 305), the relationship between CCTDI and CCTST scores was significant (r = 0.305, p = 0.000). Developments in medical technology, the growing number of older adults and patients with chronic illnesses, and the demand for high-quality nursing care have led to various, increasingly complex, professional, legal, and educational issues within the nursing workplace. Therefore, nurses need creativity and critical thinking skills to make the decisions required of them in their nursing practice. In line with this, when conducting a survey of the effectiveness of nursing education, the necessity of critical thinking skills cannot be overlooked. In fact, the National League for Nursing Accrediting Commission (NLNAC) (1999) and American Association of Colleges of Nursing (AACN) (1998) require the concept of critical thinking be included as one of the core elements of curricula and that it be measured as an outcome when evaluating nursing education. In 1998, during the evaluation of colleges of nursing conducted by the South Korean Council for University Education, several universities presented the fostering of critical thinking as one of the terminal learning goals of nursing education based on the idea that critical thinking is important not only in the nursing workplace, but also in nursing education. To evaluate the effectiveness of Korea's current nursing education curriculum, focus was placed on current students in South Korea's three systems of nursing education. Each curriculum's effectiveness can be evaluated by indexing critical thinking dispositions and skills. This article intends to offer insight into the first steps necessary in reorganizing nursing education by comparing these evaluations of each of the three systems. To this end, we conducted a comparative study of the critical thinking dispositions and skills of students in 3-year associate degree (ADN), 4-year baccalaureate (BSN), and 5-year RN-to-BSN programs. The RN-to-BSN program requires students to finish a separate 2-year program after the initial 3-year ADN program.

Web-based teaching was strategically used to supplement classroom instruction in an epidemiology course for RN-to-BSN students. This article investigates how the "Seven Principles for Good Practice" were applied as a guide when teaching this online course and discusses this innovative teaching strategy with the aim of advancing pedagogical strategies from the traditional, teacher-centered paradigm to an active, learner-centered paradigm.

This 3-year longitudinal study used a questionnaire to evaluate the clinical nursing competence of RN-to-BSN students in a nursing concept-based curriculum in Taiwan. The research sample consisted of 52 full-time and 69 part-time RN-to-BSN students. A four-dimensional Clinical Nursing Competence Questionnaire was developed to measure student caring, communication/coordination, management/teaching, and professional self-growth competence. Results indicated full-time students' scores on self-evaluations of overall clinical nursing competence significantly increased with each successive evaluation (p < .05). The scores of part-time students fell significantly with successive evaluations, with the exception of professional self-growth competence (p < .01). Instructor evaluations generally showed no significant difference between the two groups. Student self-evaluations were significantly higher than instructor evaluations (p < .05). The results of this study may serve as a reference for nurse educators developing curricula for RN-to-BSN education.

Critical thinking is an outcome expected of all nursing graduates. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the influence of an accelerated nursing curriculum on students' abilities to think critically. The Watson-Glaser Critical Thinking Appraisal (WGCTA) was used to measure the critical thinking ability of the student nurses. The sample consisted of two groups of BSN students: traditional (n = 45) and accelerated (n = 43). Both groups completed the WGCTA at the beginning and end of their nursing course sequence. Findings revealed a significant difference between the test scores of the two group at the beginning of the curriculum (t = -2.42) but no significant difference at the end (t = -1.76). Findings also revealed significant differences in pre- and post-curriculum test scores of traditional students (t = -2.84) but no difference for accelerated students (t = -1.65). Findings have implications for BSN program development.

This study compares RN-to-BSN completion graduates and generic BSN graduates in frequency of critical nursing activities performed when caring for patients and in degree of commitment to the profession. Results indicate that RN-to-BSN completion graduates perform in a manner similar to generic BSN graduates; however, RN-to-BSN graduates more frequently demonstrated professional commitment such as attending continuing education programs, and furthering their education. These findings support not only the current RN-to-BSN completion education programs but also the value of this cohort to the nursing profession.

This study investigated whether postlicensure baccalaureate education was associated with decreased acceptance of oppressed status for nursing and the self, with behavioral changes in job performance, and in joining a professional organization. Selected writings of Freire (1970a, 1970b, 1973) concerning education of the oppressed were used to form the conceptual framework. Baccalaureate education was conceptualized as a means of overcoming oppression-related behaviors and attitudes in nurses. The criterion measures were self-reports of job performance, joining the American Nurses Association (ANA), self-concept measurements, and perception of nursing measured by a semantic differential. Except for self-concept, which remained unchanged, all the findings were in the predicted direction supporting the conceptual framework.

This study compared differences in role orientation and role deprivation between 41 LPN-transition students and 123 basic traditional associate degree nursing (ADN) students upon entry and exit to a specially designed ADN program. The Corwin Role Conception Scale was used to assess role conception and deprivation. Statistically significant differences were noted upon entry between LPN-transition students and traditional ADN students in professional and service role conceptions and in role deprivation, upon exit in professional role conception and role deprivation between LPN-transition and traditional ADN students, and in professional role conception within the LPN-transition students. No differences were found within traditional ADN students from entry to exit of the program.

This study compared two groups of RN students and noted that there is a difference between the profile of the on-campus student and the student in satellite areas. The demographic profile differences revealed that the RN students in satellite centers were slightly older, were employed, and worked more hours each week. They tended to work full-time, traveled farther to attend classes, had more children, and projected a longer time necessary to complete the SCN than their campus counterparts. The academic profile differences revealed that the satellite center RN students had higher ACT-PEP mean scores and transfer GPAs than their on-campus peers. On-campus RN students had higher University of Iowa GPAs and higher grades in the Pathology course and Foundations of Nursing Practice course than satellite center RN students.

Distance education is being used to increase access to post-RN baccalaureate education. One of the objectives of degree programs is the professional resocialization of post-RN students. Because of the limited contacts with the institution, faculty, and student peers, the effectiveness of professional resocialization by distance education may be questioned. In this qualitative study, the responses of 24 students who had taken distance courses in Nursing Issues from four universities were analyzed for evidence of professional resocialization. Two of the universities used a group-oriented approach to distance education; two used an individual approach. Responses of students from the four schools and the two approaches were similar. All reported more awareness of issues in nursing and most reported attitude changes reflecting a more professional orientation. Among the changes were attitudes toward baccalaureate entry to practice, nursing theory and research, and the place of nurses and nursing in society. Despite the limitations of distance education, distance courses can be influential in the professional resocialization of post-RN students.

This descriptive study was undertaken to investigate the relationship between clinical decision-making skills in nursing and critical thinking abilities of senior nursing students in four types of nursing education programs: generic baccalaureate, associate, and diploma--the basic RN programs, along with the upper division baccalaureate (specifically RN completion) program. Fifty senior students from each type of program were conveniently selected. Clinical decision-making in nursing was measured by the Nursing Performance Simulation Instrument. General critical thinking abilities were determined by the Watson-Glaser Critical Thinking Appraisal. Among the basic RN programs, the higher level of general critical thinking ability was attained by generic baccalaureate seniors (mean score, 61.3) compared with the associate (50.0) and diploma (51.3) seniors. The clinical decision-making scores in nursing skills were virtually identical for the three basic programs--generic (32.2), associate (32.2), and diploma (32.3). That is, mean performance scores of the 2-year associate degree, 3-year diploma, and 4-year generic baccalaureate degree students on the Nursing Performance Simulation Instrument showed no statistically significant difference. The mean critical thinking score for the upper division baccalaureate seniors (61.1) was comparable to that of the generic baccalaureate seniors. Clinical decision-making mean score for the upper division seniors was significantly higher (38.0) than those of the other three groups. A weak though significant positive correlation (r = 0.249) between clinical decision-making and critical thinking across all four types of programs was found.