Evaluation Beyond Exams in Nursing Education: Designing Assignments and Evaluating with Rubrics

Robin Donohoe Dennison , DNP, APRN, CCNS, CEN, CNE, is Dean, Doctor of Nursing Practice Program for Chamberlain College of Nursing and President, Robin Dennison Presents, Inc. She is an experienced clinician in the critical care arena and has taught for over 35 years. She has published widely and delivered numerous local, national, and international presentations (American Association of College of Nursing, American Association of Critical-Care Nurses, Society of CNS Education, STT International, NACNS). Dr. Dennison has been actively involved with her company running certification review workshops for PCCN and CCRN certification. Three of her 'Pass CCRN !' books have received AJN Book of the Year awards. She has also contributed to industry journals including Journal of Continuing Education in Nursing, American Nurse Today, American Journal of Nursing and Nursing Clinics of North America and recently guest edited an issue of Nursing Clinics of North America on the Future of Advanced Practice Nursing. Dr. Dennison is actively involved in a multitude of professional organizations, including STT International, Society of CNS Education (Vice President and Founding Member), NACNS, NLN, KNA, ANA, and AACCN, among others. John Rosselli , MS, RN, FNP-BC, CNE, is the Director (Interim) of the Nurse Educator Program and Instructor at Georgetown University, Washington, D.C, USA. He is currently a PhD candidate at University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee, USA. Since 2007, Mr. Rosselli has taught in both undergraduate and graduate levels at Georgetown University, USA. His teaching course load has included Philosophical and Theoretical Foundations of Nursing, Technology in Teaching, undergraduate Health Assessment and Clinical Nurse Competencies, Advanced Health Assessment, Advanced Concepts of Pharmacology and Professional Aspects of the Advanced Practice Nurse. He currently serves on the Certified Nurse Educator Test Development Committee at the National League for Nursing. Anita Dempsey , PhD, APRN, PMHCNS-BC, is Assistant Professor at Wright State University in Dayton, OH, USA and Director of the Psychiatric/Mental Health Nurse Practitioner Program developed through a joint appointment with the Dayton VA Medical Center. She is an experienced clinician, has taught nursing since 1986, has published six peer-reviewed articles, and has been an invited speaker at national and international conferences. Dr. Dempsey's topics focus on the scholarship of teaching and learning, professional issues, mental health issues including relationship between ADHD & Obesity, safety, mental health simulation and mental health services in disasters. She is active in the International Society of Psychiatric Nurses (ISPN), currently chairs the annual conference planning committee.