Check for passion in the teaching. Visit a classroom in an educational program in nursing. Determine whether the teacher is passionate about the field of nursing in the way he or she presents material, asks questions and interacts with students. Speak with educators about their teaching experience and their excitement for training new nursing students. According to a National Health Institute report on nursing education, teaching is an art and it should be judged for the "passion and beauty of the performance and the meaningfulness of the message conveyed."
Measure faculty and student communication. Determine the effectiveness of the student/teacher dynamic. Visit a classroom to see whether students and teachers have healthy communication in the classroom, answering and asking questions. While communication must be approached analytically, also check that nursing educators respect their students with genuine compassion and interest in addressing their concerns.
Check the "work-life" of nursing students. Conduct an interview or give a short questionnaire to nursing students asking about their free time and stress levels. Ask questions that determine whether students are getting enough sleep -- at least 7 or 8 hours per night -- if they have time to spend with family and friends and if they are eating well. Measure stress levels with these questions. If students seem stressed, anxious and unable to have a work-life balance, the program may be too demanding and not, in the end, beneficial to learning practices.
Evaluate how the educational program recruits and retains nursing students. For example, research the nursing program's marketing materials. Determine the number of students who enroll each year or semester and the amount of students who remain in the program for the entire duration.
Determine the overall impact of clinical simulation exercises. Clinical simulators include mannequins similar to the type seen in a CPR class. Check that the nursing educational program utilizes these mannequins to their full capacity, including testing the breathing mannequin's blood pressure, rate of heartbeat and eye dilation.
Measure the students' ability to act under pressure. Evaluate the level of calm and experience a student shows performing an operation or check up on a medical mannequin at the end of a nursing educational program. Determine if the hands-on training for a realistic medical emergency scenario has prepared the student for a real-life event.
Give written evaluation exams. Test both students and teachers by giving an assessment on teaching effectiveness and student comprehension. Check how well students absorb information a teacher gives in a one- or two-day lesson.