Categories and Criteria for Schools of Nursing

The choice of category to pursue for COE designation is a decision that the faculty and nursing administration of each school makes based on its strengths, goals, and areas of distinction. Each school will identify the area in which it demonstrates excellence and in which it has created an environment that all faculty are committed to sustaining.

Categories of Designation

• Creating Environments that Enhance Student Learning
  and Professional Development
  
• Creating Environments that Promote the Pedagogical
  Expertise of Faculty
  
• Creating Environments that Advance the Science of
  Nursing Education

1. A comprehensive and ongoing plan that develops students’ values and socializes them to new roles, professional involvement, commitment to lifelong learning, and creativity has been developed and implemented by the faculty as evidence of their shared vision.
2. Pedagogical research is used to develop innovative program designs that prepare graduates to engage in high-quality, evidence-based practice.
3. All curricula are flexible, dynamic, current and relevant and empower students to achieve their personal goals and interests as they learn or advance their knowledge in the practice of nursing.
4. Collaboration among faculty, students, and clinical partners ensures innovative, individualized, and evidence-based nursing education.
5. Students and faculty are actively engaged in their communities, resulting in enhanced student learning and professional development, as well as advancement of the profession.
6. Faculty are encouraged and supported to develop new pedagogies that create and sustain dynamic learning environments.

1. All faculty promote excellence in teaching, student advisement, and curriculum development as evidenced by their shared vision.
2. Faculty interactions with students and colleagues promote innovation and contribute to the creation of a preferred future for nursing education.
3. All faculty design and implement educational experiences that enhance student learning utilizing their pedagogical development and resources.
4. Evaluation of the established faculty development program demonstrates its effectiveness in achieving pedagogical expertise.
5. Faculty are actively engaged in their communities, resulting in enhanced student learning, professional development, and advancement of the profession.
6. Faculty professional goals, related to excellence, innovation, and continued growth, are based on evaluations from administrators, peers, students, and self.

Creating Environments That Advance the Science of Nursing Education

In order to sustain excellence in nursing education, increasing attention has been focused on developing the science of nursing education. The criteria used to define excellence in this category are as follows:

1. Faculty endeavors reflect a commitment to a shared vision that supports the utilization of pedagogical research that advances the science of nursing education.
2. Faculty regularly undertake evidence-based pedagogical projects or programs of research that advance excellence in nursing education.
3. Faculty use research and evidence-based findings in innovative ways for curriculum design and development of instructional strategies to impact outcomes.
4. Faculty create mechanisms for the systematic assessment of creative and innovative, evidence-based evaluation methods that enhance student learning.
5. Faculty contributions to the science of nursing education reflect dissemination through publications, particularly in peer-reviewed journals, or presentations in local, regional, and national forums.
6. Faculty engage students in developing the science of nursing education by involving them in pedagogical projects and evidence-based nursing education.

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