Operationalizing two UAE nursing education policy frameworks: a cross-walk for curriculum, assessment, and continuous program improvement

Abstract

The UAE Professional Practice Framework for Bachelor of Sciences in Nursing (BSN) Graduates and the national Outcome-Based Evaluation Framework (OBEF) address related but distinct questions. The first defines expected graduate competence; the second evaluates program and institutional outcomes. Programs need a practical method for using both documents together without treating institutional indicators as evidence of an individual learner's competence. To develop a domain-level policy cross-walk and explain how nursing programs can use it to (1) create or refine curricula, (2) create or refine an integrated program of assessment, and (3) evaluate program quality and effectiveness. The three-author team conducted a structured analysis of the two national policy documents. The seven BSN domains and 38 standards were retained verbatim at domain and standard level. The team translated each domain into an observable graduate outcome, identified candidate direct evidence, and linked aggregated evidence to OBEF indicators only when the intended inference was compatible. Linkages were reviewed iteratively against predefined rules and resolved by consensus. The cross-walk distinguishes three evidence roles: direct learner-performance evidence for feedback and progression; corroborating transition and stakeholder evidence; and distal program or institutional indicators. The combined model aligns the two policy documents and organizes application around curriculum, an integrated program of assessment, and program evaluation. Three tables provide the domain-level cross-walk, an evidence-to-decision guide, and a minimum institutional implementation record. The cross-walk offers an auditable starting architecture rather than a new national framework or validated assessment system. Local stakeholder review, staged piloting, monitoring of feasibility and equity, and documented continuous-improvement cycles are required before high-stakes use.