New York, NY. October 27, 2020 -- Skyfactor Benchworks, a Macmillan Learning brand that provides research-based program benchmarking and assessments, announced today the winners of its second annual Assessment and Impact Awards for Nursing Education. As the coronavirus pandemic continues to spread, in the face of a looming nurse shortage because of the aging population and healthcare reform, the demand for equipped and practice-ready nurses is more crucial than ever. According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, the employment of Registered Nurses (RN) is estimated to grow 7% from 2019 to 2029, a faster rate of growth than the average for all occupations.
Macmillan Learning created the Assessment and Impact Awards for Nursing Education to highlight nursing schools that are successfully using data to improve their programs, which helps support a robust nursing pipeline by retaining students and developing more practice-ready nursing professionals.
The company has partnered with the Association of American Colleges of Nursing (AACN) for two decades to offer benchmarking assessments that empower nursing administrators to better understand the program components that most significantly impact these important stakeholders, like employer, student, and alumni satisfaction.
The two programs that have been awarded the second annual Assessment and Impact Award for Nursing are: Montclair State University and The University of Scranton.
- Montclair State University uses assessments and data to make decisions about curriculum and program experience. Learn more about how they used iClicker Insights to fuel a culture of continuous improvement for their new nursing school.
- The University of Scranton uses assessments and data to explore trends, stay in tune with student needs and discover their areas of strength. Learn more about how they improved the student experience.
The winners were selected using a multi-step evaluation process that included an analysis of multi-year assessment data 
“The devastating spread of COVID-19 this year reminds us how critical skilled and passionate nurses are. But the need for nurses will not diminish, even after the coronavirus is contained. Quality nursing programs help pave the way for more practice-ready nurses, which is why it’s important to recognize programs like Montclair State and the University of Scranton that are using data to deliver optimal program reports,” said Steven Ray, Vice President, Skyfactor Benchworks.
Benchworks assessments are the most widely used programs in nursing education and have been available for 20 years. The various Benchworks Nursing assessments are used by more than 250 nursing programs each year and are one of more than 50 different assessments from Benchworks on topics important to college success, including housing, orientation, and student affairs and service. The surveys include questions regarding student happiness, safety, diversity and inclusion, facilities, costs, sense of community, and time management, among others. Past winners of the Assessment and Impact Awards for Nursing Education include Bloomfield College, Colorado Technical University, Rowan University and Seton Hall University.
To learn more about this year’s winners, click here. To learn more about the power of benchmarking for nursing programs, visit Skyfactor Benchworks’ website.
About Skyfactor
Formerly known as EBI, Skyfactor Benchworks is a Macmillan Learning company that provides research-based program assessments and benchmarking for a variety of Student Affairs programs, as well as Business Education, Engineering, Nursing, and Teacher Education. The robust analytics Benchworks provides empowers programs to identify areas of improvement for maximum impact on program success. Benchworks assessments are rooted in research and mapped to accreditation and professional standards.
About Macmillan Learning
Macmillan Learning is a privately-held, family-owned company that improves lives through learning. By linking research to learning practice, we develop pioneering products and learning materials for students that are highly effective and drive improved outcomes. Our engaging content is developed in partnership with the world's best authors researchers, educators, administrators, and developers. Visit macmillanlearning.com or join our Macmillan Community.
