The Texas State Technical College West Texas (TSTC) LVN to ADN Nursing Program was able to increase the pass rate on the National Council Licensing Exam (NCLEX) from 77 percent to 100 percent by taking a strategic and aggressive approach to assessment. TSTC West Texas was able to improve programmatic effectiveness and student retention based on evidence and insights in student learning using ExamSoft’s intelligent assessment platform, the company announced today.
In 2011, with the NCLEX pass rate at 77 percent and retention rate near 50 percent, TSTC West Texas was placed on conditional status by the Texas Board of Nursing and could not admit any new students. TSTC West Texas decided to adopt an assessment platform to help completely revamp and refine their curriculum and better help their students learn, prepare for and pass the NCLEX – a barrier to employment for nurses. Since implementing ExamSoft, the NCLEX pass rate, retention rate and employment rate among graduates are all 100 percent.
“Since our state funding depends on our students graduating and getting jobs, their success is our success,” said Shawntay Sparks, Instructor and Program Chair, Texas State Technical College West Texas LVN to ADN Nursing Program. “By taking a strategic approach to assessment using ExamSoft’s platform, we can easily track and measure performance across a wide set of learning outcomes and it gives us the tools and evidence we need to remediate students on a individual basis, refine our curriculum, increase retention and help students succeed in their careers.”
On September 1, the Texas State Technical College System’s funding from the state of Texas changed to a model based entirely on student employment outcomes. This model assesses and rewards successful student employment rather than enrollment.
TSTC West Texas uses ExamSoft to design, manage and administer all exams, tests and quizzes in a computer-based platform and enables them to “tag” every question to learning objectives so they can track and measure student performance. With data available immediately after each exam, faculty use the learning analytics to inform targeted feedback for students and implement remediation strategies based on students’ individual needs. Longitudinal assessment data gives TSTC-West Texas the evidence they need to track students over time and map and refine their curriculum.
“We’re excited to see the kind of dramatic turn around TSTC West Texas has seen because it shows how important a role technology and data can play in helping drive student success,” said Daniel Muzquiz, Chief Executive Officer of ExamSoft. “We thrive on helping institutions and programs succeed in their missions by giving them the technology and insights they need to help engage their students, enhance the learning experience and improve outcomes.”
In addition to being able to align outcomes with state funding, TSTC West Texas was taken off conditional admittance by the Texas Board of Nursing in October 2012 and anticipates being placed on full approval in January 2014. TSTC West Texas’ accelerated online nursing program, established in 2008, includes two campuses serving 26 rural counties and trains students to become registered nurses.
“We have students scattered around the state who face and conquer challenges every day for the opportunity to achieve their degree and become better nurses, so we strive to deliver a high quality education with a non-traditional approach,” said Sparks. “In an online accelerated program, there is no time to allow a student to get behind and ExamSoft gives us the tools to find and address issues immediately and the technology is so solid that we can rely on it to support the program, and the students, in reaching this goal.”
For more information about ExamSoft, visit http://www.examsoft.com.