Strengths and weaknesses of faculty teaching performance reported by undergraduate and graduate nursing students: a descriptive study

The purpose of this study was to describe the patterns of strengths and weaknesses of faculty teaching performance as reported by undergraduate and graduate nursing students on a narrative section of a university faculty evaluation form. The study used a descriptive, retrospective, qualitative design. The summary forms represented a convenience sample of undergraduate and graduate nursing course sections (N = 317) taught by full-time and part-time nursing faculty from spring 1998 through fall 2002, including summer sessions. Course sections represented didactic and clinical education experiences. Content analysis was used to interpret the recorded comments representing strengths and weaknesses in faculty performance from students’ perspectives. Patterns and associated themes were derived. Faculty performance strengths included patterns such as being a knowledgeable and strategic teacher, creating a positive learning environment, demonstrating professionalism, displaying scholarly traits, and being supportive. Weaknesses included patterns such as poor delivery of content, acting disorganized, being inaccessible, displaying weak teaching skills, being dishonorable, being unprofessional, and displaying negative traits. Implications for continuous quality improvement in teaching/learning processes are presented.