INTRODUCTION

Note: Each assessment in this course builds on the work you completed in the previous assessment. Therefore, you must complete the assessments in this course in the order in which they are presented.

The nurse educator role is a dynamic, challenging, yet rewarding career choice for which many nurses have developed a passion. This course provides you with an opportunity to assess, design, implement, evaluate, and revise nursing curricula. Because health care knowledge and technology are expanding, these elements must be considered when a curriculum is built for today's learner.

In this assessment, you will select a nursing curriculum either from an academic setting, such as a school of nursing, or a clinical setting, such as a hospital staff development program.

According to Iwasiw and Goldenberg (2020), curriculum design involves not only configuring courses within a program, but also deciding how those courses will be sequenced and establishing a relationship between the courses. Also, the mission, values, philosophy, and goals of the institution influence the curriculum design of the nursing program. These relationships are articulated through the strategic goals and plan, and should be clearly identifiable within the curriculum.

In addition, many institutions identify a theory or set of theories that form a theoretical foundation for their curriculum. In today's nursing education, it is often found that the theories used as a conceptual framework are not necessarily limited to nursing theories. Theory has been borrowed from education, sociology, and psychology to form a foundation for nursing curriculum. The main point is for the institution to validate that the theory they are using for their conceptual foundation is consistent with the mission, values, and philosophy of the institution and the nursing unit.

Reference

Iwasiw, C. L., & Goldenberg, D. (2020). Curriculum development in nursing education (4th ed.). Jones and Bartlett.

OVERVIEW

•            In Assessment 3, you will identify an organizing curriculum design and theoretical framework for the curriculum selected in this assessment.

•            In Assessment 4, you will design a course to be added to the curriculum selected in this assessment.

•            In Assessment 5, you will examine the evaluation process used to evaluate the curriculum selected for this assessment.

PREPARATION

As a practicing nurse, you have been asked to present an evaluation of a nursing curriculum to a nursing leadership team at your place of employment. They are seeking input on coursework recommendations for professional development fulfillment. The curriculum you select should be of interest to you either personally or professionally.

In this assessment, you will select a nursing curriculum either from an academic setting, such as a school of nursing, or a clinical setting, such as a hospital staff development program. If you are currently teaching, you may wish to use the curriculum from your school or workplace. If you are not currently teaching, you may want to consider using the curriculum from your undergraduate program. If neither is an option, you are encouraged to look for a nursing curriculum you can use as a model for your assessments. One choice might be an orientation curriculum for a clinical facility.

You will evaluate the selected nursing curriculum in detail and provide an overview of the program and curriculum.

As you prepare to complete this assessment, you may want to think about other related issues to deepen your understanding or broaden your viewpoint. You are encouraged to consider the questions below and discuss them with a fellow learner, a work associate, an interested friend, or a member of your professional community. Note that these questions are for your own development and exploration and do not need to be completed or submitted as part of your assessment.

•            How do the mission, values, philosophy, and goals of an institution inform the development of a nursing curriculum?

•            What characteristics of the intended audience for a nursing curriculum should inform development of the curriculum?

Requirements

Your overview and analysis of the curriculum should fulfill the following:

•            Identify an appropriate nursing curriculum, the organization or department where it is used, the intended learner population, and why it is needed.

◦ A description of the intended learners in this program.

◦ A program rationale: Why is the program needed?

•            Link the organization's mission statement to the selected curriculum.

◦ Make sure to include a brief description of the mission.

•            Create a list of courses and course descriptions for all courses in a selected curriculum. ◦ Provide a list of courses, sequencing, and descriptions in an appendix following the references.

•            Describe the established professional standards, guidelines, competencies, and technology requirements incorporated in a selected nursing program.

◦ Think about accreditation criteria, relevant State Board of Nursing requirements, and certification handbooks.

•            Describe the learning outcomes and how the program will meet educational needs of diverse learner populations.

•            Describe the process timeframe, and stakeholders needed to ensure that health care knowledge presented in a selected nursing curriculum is up-to-date.

A synopsis of this information will be used to complete Assessment 5. Be sure to incorporate the faculty feedback when utilizing this information.

Additional Requirements

•            References: In addition to the weekly readings, include references from at least two peer-reviewed journal articles that are less than five years old, and cited in proper APA format.

•            Length of analysis: The analysis should be 3 pages in length, not including the title page and the reference page, and it must follow proper APA style and formatting.

•            Appendix: Use an appendix for appropriate material, such as individual course descriptions. The appendices should follow the Reference pages and will not be included in the page count for the paper.

•            Font and font size: Any APA-approved font, 12 point

Competencies Measured

By successfully completing this assessment, you will demonstrate your proficiency in the following course competencies and scoring guide criteria:

•            Competency 1: Examine the development of a curriculum for a nursing program using educational theory and evidence based teaching practices.

◦ Identify an appropriate nursing curriculum, the organization or department where it is used, the intended learner population, and why it is needed.

◦ Create a list of courses and course descriptions for all courses in a selected curriculum.

◦ Describe the learning outcomes and how the program will meet educational needs of diverse learner populations.

•            Competency 2: Analyze internal and external factors that impact the design of a nursing curriculum.

◦ Link the mission statement of a selected institution to the selected curriculum.

◦ Describe the established professional standards, guidelines, competencies, and technology requirements incorporated in a selected nursing program.

•            Competency 4: Select a curriculum evaluation process that facilitates continuous quality improvement.

◦ Describe the process timeframe, and stakeholders needed to ensure that health care knowledge presented in a selected nursing curriculum is up-to-date.

•            Competency 6: Communicate effectively with diverse audiences, in an appropriate form and style, consistent with organizational, professional, and scholarly standards.

◦ Convey purpose of the assignment in an appropriate tone and style, incorporating supporting evidence using APA style citations and references, and adhering to organizational, professional, and scholarly communication standards.