The given case study course is devised as a part of the Master’s program for nursing educators with a BSN degree level. The course aims to prepare nurse educators in terms of theory and praxis behind general and specialized nursing curriculum development. The syllabus provides the following course objectives: professionalism; nursing process; therapeutic communication and intervention; leadership, collaboration, and advocacy; and evidence-based practice (EBP). Professionalism intertwines the theory behind curriculum development and nursing concepts. The nursing process is for analyzing the internal curriculum implementation environment. In turn, therapeutic communication and intervention focus on external factors. Leadership, collaboration, and advocacy emphasize teamwork principles at peer and medical community levels. Finally, EBP distances from general concepts and concerns a more specialized approach to curriculum development.
The syllabus manages to incorporate best practices required regarding curriculum development. First, it devotes sufficient attention to collaboration during the process, which belongs among the goals of current nursing educational reforms (Neville-Norton et al., 2019). Second, the given course incorporates the EBP approach to curriculum development. Bianchi et al. (2018, p. 919) stress the evidence-based practice importance, noting that “EBP is a core competency requirement for nursing practice internationally.” Respectively, the course places EBP among its core goals and objectives, proving its value. Nevertheless, there is still a possibility of improving the course. Parson et al. (2018) illustrate the importance of student engagement in the learning process compared to traditional teaching types. Consequently, the course should additionally include innovative approaches to curriculum development.
Apart from that, the course adequately reflects essential external and internal factors. Regarding the former, the course clearly and explicitly states nurse educators’ desired competencies and social expectations in objectives, standards in its policies, and guidelines that follow in the document’s second half, along with applied regulations. As for the latter, the course ensures the learner’s needs are addressed by providing necessary contact details and regular – even obligatory – feedback sessions.
According to the syllabus, the course implementation is scheduled for the Spring semester. The critical path would be the path that takes the longest time for implementation to be completed; thus, a key to developing it is to map and evaluate all possible activities first (Atin & Lubis, 2019). A faculty rector should assume the original responsibility; however, rational delegation is possible if needed. Overall, the course’s implementation will allow the current faculty to diversify their Master’s degree specialization, encouraging new students to enroll.
References
Atin, S., & Lubis, R. (2019). Implementation of critical path method in project planning and scheduling. In IOP conference series: Materials science and engineering. IOP Publishing.
Bianchi, M., Bagnasco, A., Bressan, V., Barisone, M., Timmins, F., Rossi, S., Pellegrini, R., Aleo, G. & Sasso, L. (2018). A review of the role of nurse leadership in promoting and sustaining evidence‐based practice. Journal of Nursing Management, 26(8), 918-932. Web.
Neville-Norton, M., & Cantwell, S. (2019). Curriculum mapping in nursing education: a case study for collaborative curriculum design and program quality assurance. Teaching and Learning in Nursing, 14(2), 88-93. Web.
Parson, L., Childs, B., & Elzie, P. (2018). Using competency-based curriculum design to create a health professions education certificate program the meets the needs of students, administrators, faculty, and patients. Health Professions Education, 4(3), 207-217. Web.