Evaluating Practice-Based Learning

Background: Practice-based learning is an essential aspect of nursing education, and evaluating this form of learning is vital in determining whether students have the competence required to enter nursing practice. However, limited knowledge exists about the influences that shape how competence development is recognized in nursing programs. The purpose of this study was to explore the evaluation of practice-based learning from the students' standpoint. Method: A qualitative design based on institutional ethnography was used to investigate evaluation of practice-based learning with students, preceptors, and faculty in a preceptorship practicum. Results: The findings revealed how work associated with evaluation was organized by coexisting and often disparate influences within a nursing program and the workplaces where learning took place. Conclusion: The implications and recommendations of the inquiry are intended to encourage dialogue and action among stakeholders from education and practice to improve evaluation practices in preparing new members of the nursing profession. [ J Nurs Educ. 2017;56(3):131–138.]