Evaluation of the Maryland Next Gen Test Bank Project: Implications and Recommendations

Desirée Hensel; Diane M Billings; Rebecca Wiseman

doi:10.1097/01.NEP.0000000000001239

Evaluation of the Maryland Next Gen Test Bank Project: Implications and Recommendations

Nurs Educ Perspect. 2024 Feb 12. doi: 10.1097/01.NEP.0000000000001239. Online ahead of print.

Authors

Desirée Hensel¹, Diane M Billings, Rebecca Wiseman

Affiliation

¹ About the Authors Desirée Hensel, PhD, RN, PCNS-BC, ANEF, CNE, CHSE, is visiting professor, Teachers College, Columbia University, New York, New York. Diane M. Billings, EdD, RN, ANEF, FAAN, is Chancellor's Professor Emeritus, School of Nursing, Indiana University, Indianapolis, Indiana. Rebecca Wiseman, PhD, RN, is associate professor and director, Maryland Nursing Workforce Center, School of Nursing, University of Maryland, Rockville, Maryland. Drs. Hensel and Billings were consultants on the Maryland Next Gen Test Bank Project (NSPII 20-125), which was funded by the Maryland Higher Education Commission Nurse Support Program II. For more information, contact Dr. Hensel at Dh3187@tc.columbia.edu.

PMID: 38345260
DOI: 10.1097/01.NEP.0000000000001239

Abstract

Aim: The aim of this study was to evaluate the development and impact of a project to create a statewide test bank of Next Generation NCLEX®-style items.

Backround: Using a train-the-trainer model, champions created an open access resource of Next Generation NCLEX-style items to use to teach clinical judgment and then trained peers on item writing and test bank use.

Method: Stufflebeam's CIPP (context, inputs, process, and products) model provided the framework for the evaluation. Data were synthesized from multiple sources including participation rates, item utilization, and survey data.

Results: Twenty faculty from 13 schools were trained as champions and submitted 54 case studies, 33 bowties, and 21 trend items to the test bank. Items were used over 60,000 times in the first year.

Conclusion: The statewide test bank met a need for more teaching resources. The train-the-trainer model was an effective strategy for helping faculty learn to prepare for Next Generation NCLEX.