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Capella University
NURS-FPX 6107 Curriculum Design, Development, and Evaluation
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Date
This assessment evaluates the Bachelor in Science of Nursing (BSN) curriculum offered by the University of Michigan School of Nursing (U-M SON), following the previous assessments of curriculum overview and course development. The paper provides a comprehensive overview of successful curriculum development through a detailed evaluation. The evaluation is based on the insights gained from previous assessments. Therefore, giving a holistic representation of the BSN curriculum at U-M SON.
The BSN program is committed to preparing future nursing leaders so that the organization can flourish in the healthcare industry and improve patients’ well-being. This curriculum trains students to address patients’ complex needs and become highly competent to deliver care in all clinical settings. This program combines concepts and clinical practice taught by internationally recognized faculty to develop an all-rounded healthcare workforce. A thorough evaluation of the BSN curriculum will provide a concrete understanding of the program’s credibility and authenticity in health education.
This assessment covers the importance of ongoing curriculum evaluation and critical criteria for assessing the program. Furthermore, the paper will discuss the importance of pilot testing in curriculum evaluation, followed by various short-term and long-term evaluation processes. Additionally, the paper elaborates on integrating nursing concepts, theories, and best practices to improve curriculum development. Lastly, an appropriate accreditation body for the BSN curriculum is identified, and accreditation criteria are discussed to evaluate the program.
Continuous curriculum evaluation is crucial for educational organizations to ensure their programs are effective, relevant to current practices, and aligned with the evolving goals of education. Nursing curriculum evaluations are imperative to train nursing students to address the shifting healthcare patterns and patients’ needs according to evidence-based best practices. Some key reasons for ongoing evaluation are:
Adaptation to changing needs: Continuing evaluations permit institutions to modify their program based on evolving population and healthcare needs. With the growing burden of disease patterns and their evolving management, it is imperative to make curriculum changes so that newly graduated healthcare professionals are skilled to address complex challenges and provide comprehensive patient care in clinical areas (Khanna et al., 2021). Moreover, rapid technological advancements require educational organizations to adapt their curriculum delivery methods. This is only possible with ongoing evaluations to gain insights about the changes and integrate those within the program. For instance, the growing need for digitization during the COVID-19 pandemic required organizations to innovate and transform ways so that students receive clinical understanding with actual patients (Kumar et al., 2020). Furthermore, curriculum evaluations also help shape educational programs to meet the diverse obligations of the student body.
Quality improvement: Constant and regular assessments enable educators and organizations to determine the strengths and weaknesses within the curriculum, ensuring its quality improvement. These evaluations identify the loopholes and points where the curriculum is not meeting the benchmarks. These assessments encourage educators to improve quality initiatives (Chicca & Shellenbarger, 2023). To prepare a safe, compassionate, and competent nursing workforce, excellent and credible curriculum content is essential, indirectly resulting in positive patient outcomes and improving healthcare practices.
Meeting standards and regulations: Educational institutions are often required to adhere to standards and regulations. Similarly, nursing schools are obliged to integrate educational standards to improve the quality of content, and ongoing evaluations are meaningful (Delva et al., 2019). These evaluations help organizations comply with regulatory standards, make necessary adjustments, improve the quality of education, and retain accreditation
Resource Management: Regular evaluations assist in recognizing redundant or outdated content. This allows organizations to optimize resource allocation, prioritizing essential materials and delivery methods that are valuable and contribute most to student learning outcomes.
Several consequences may occur if the program is inadequately evaluated. These consequences include outdated content and ineffective teaching methodologies. For example, including outdated or irrelevant content may lead to a knowledge gap between students’ learning outcomes and real-world challenges. Similarly, educators may continue using ineffective and traditional teaching methods due to inadequate curriculum evaluations, which may impede students’ active participation and learning outcomes.
This disengagement and poor education quality may increase dropout rates (Lorenzo-Quiles et al., 2023). Thus, ongoing curriculum evaluation is a dynamic and vital process to ensure that education is relevant, credible, effective, and engaging for the students. It is fundamental for educational organizations, faculty, students, and change-makers to enthusiastically contribute to the constant curriculum progress to nurture a positive and successful learning experience.
A broad range of criteria is essential to evaluate nursing curricula to ensure their effectiveness and credibility. These criteria provide a framework for the curriculum development committee and faculty to make informed decisions and modify curriculum content and delivery methods accordingly. These criteria include relevance to educational outcomes, alignment with regulatory standards, inclusivity and diversity, student engagement and motivation, and feedback processes.
The curriculum must be relevant to the valuable educational outcomes to achieve specific learning goals. A study concludes that the curriculum design should be aligned and coherent with learning outcomes, ensuring the professional needs and requirements are fulfilled (Mendoza et al., 2022). In the context of the BSN curriculum, it is crucial to align the coursework with nursing competencies and skills to prepare nursing students for future clinical practices. Evaluating the curriculum will identify its effectiveness in meeting nursing standards and requirements such as clinical excellence, patient-centered care, and integration of ethical principles.
Aligning professional standards and regulations is essential to ensure the curriculum complies with educational standards set by relevant accrediting bodies; thus, the organization may receive accreditation to become well-recognized. BSN programs must follow standards set by professional bodies such as the Commission on Collegiate Nursing Education (CCNE) and the National Council of State Boards of Nursing (NCSBN) to guarantee that nursing students are ready for safe and effective patient-centered care (Delva et al., 2019). Based on this criterion, curriculum evaluation certifies that the program meets professional standards, ensuring that nursing graduates are well-trained to pass licensure exams and become a competent workforce.
Through this criterion, we plan to evaluate the extent to which the program is inclusive and accepts diverse perspectives, cultures, and backgrounds. Cultural sensitivity is an imperative aspect of patient-centered care. Diverse professionals are crucial to understanding patients’ needs and addressing them accordingly. Thus, a BSN curriculum fostering inclusivity and diversity is critical to providing culturally competent care to patients (Moorley & West, 2022). This benchmark evaluates whether the program incorporates distinct standpoints, addresses healthcare disparities, and includes educational content related to cultural competence.
Evaluating student engagement and motivation is significant in identifying the degree to which students participate in the curricular activities and achieve the learning outcomes. Since the BSN program combines theory and practice, student engagement and motivation are essential to prepare competent and proficient nurses for clinical practice. For this purpose, teaching methodologies and interactive learning opportunities must be assessed. For example, the BSN curriculum should include simulation exercises, hands-on experiences, and collaborative learning to encourage and motivate students toward learning and education (Aul et al., 2021).
Feedback from students, faculty, and clinical educators is crucial to ensure continuous improvement in the curriculum. Evaluating the program based on its robust feedback mechanisms represents the curriculum’s ability to adapt and improve. For instance, the curriculum might include routine surveys and faculty-student interactions. These feedback processes are essential to gather data about the effectiveness of teaching methods and overall learning experience, which ultimately helps improve the curriculum’s quality.
Pilot testing is a valuable method that involves the implementation of a curriculum at a small-scale version before it can be implemented on a larger level. This method assists in identifying potential issues ensuring necessary modifications are undertaken before its launch for a broader audience. This iterative process helps ensure the curriculum’s effectiveness, feasibility, and success. It helps improve educational content and incorporate best practices to achieve student learning objectives.
Pilot tests evaluate a curriculum through steps, including identifying a representative body. Initially, a group of participants, such as students and faculty, who will engage in the pilot curriculum, will be gathered. Then, the curriculum is introduced to the selected representatives, allowing them to analyze the learning materials, activities, and evaluative assessments (Kobiah, 2021). Focusing on the effectiveness of the curriculum, we collect feedback from participants through questionnaires, one-to-one interviews, and group discussions.
The feedback should focus on essential aspects such as clarity of the material, relevance of the content, student learning outcomes, student learning experience, and alignment with professional standards. The last step is to analyze the feedback to recognize the strengths and weaknesses, followed by making necessary adjustments to the curriculum. This may involve upgrading instructional content and modifying examinations (Kobiah, 2021). Since the process is continuous, pilot testing can be repeated until the curriculum is ready for full-scale implementation.
Several reasons justify the importance of pilot testing, such as early identification of improvement areas, inclusion of diverse perspectives, effective utilization of resources, and encouragement of stakeholders’ support. Pilot testing of the curriculum allows faculty to identify improvement areas and challenges students may encounter after broader implementation. Therefore, this initiative helps prevent potential issues affecting a larger student body. Moreover, identifying the challenges early saves organizational resources by avoiding extensive revisions after full-scale implementation.
Similarly, involving representatives from diverse groups, such as students, faculty, and other stakeholders, ensures that the feedback involves various perspectives. These various perspectives provide a holistic picture for wider improvements, making the curriculum appropriate for the concerned individuals. The involvement of diverse stakeholders also fosters a sense of ownership and improves stakeholders’ engagement. Ultimately, stakeholders’ positive support increases the chances of successful implementation.
A study by Kovach et al. (2022) presents a real-world example of pilot testing in curriculum design and evaluation. The study aims to transition from volume-based care to a value-based care model through online courses. These courses are established for clinicians to understand value-based care practices and theories. The authors conducted a pilot test through this study to obtain participants’ feedback concerning the course content and design before launching it to a larger audience.
Initially, as elaborated in the steps of pilot testing, the authors selected a participant body of fifty healthcare providers. The value-based care model course was introduced to the selected group, which then responded to an online survey, incorporating questions related to the order of the content, misleading information within the content, and the relevance of the course. Participants answered questions with positive responses and had intriguing questions to elaborate on the reason for their responses (Kovach et al., 2022). These preceding answers helped researchers identify the specific improvements the audience is interested in to make the course audience-centered before expanded implementation.
The authors performed a descriptive analysis of the survey questionnaire to identify areas of improvement. Then, the course developers and other stakeholders combined the responses. Several unique responses are identified through the study. Approximately 4% of respondents found the course content in illogical alignment. At the same time, about 24% of participants specified the presence of deceiving and incorrect information. Finally, 12% of individuals answered in favor of content irrelevance and inappropriateness for the group (Kovach et al., 2022).
Finally, the researchers made corresponding changes in the course. The authorizing body verified the revisions according to the survey responses. The study represented a successful pilot testing as a valuable tool to ensure course content is adequately revised before its successful implementation for a broader audience. However, the critical step is to follow up and continuously monitor the healthcare providers’ behaviors to ensure that the series of courses, pilot studies, and curriculum revisions effectively produce positive patient outcomes.
Short-term and long-term evaluations significantly impact the improvement and development of the BSN curriculum. Short-term evaluations are continuous assessments, essential to provide immediate insights into the effectiveness of curriculum, allowing educators to bring prompt modifications. These immediate comprehensions are critical in the ever-changing education landscape, where adaptability to students’ needs and changing educational requirements is essential (Hill et al., 2019). Short-term evaluations include formative assessments such as short quizzes, focus group discussions, concept maps, and case studies. These evaluative methods allow organizations to improve their curriculum promptly, guaranteeing that students engage in interactive learning experiences aligned with program outcomes.
Long-term evaluations provide a comprehensive picture of the effectiveness of the BSN curriculum at the same time. According to Jiao et al. (2021), these insights assist organizations in implementing sustainable improvements that have a long-lasting effect on program success and student learning outcomes. A few examples of long-term assessments are monitoring academic progress, assessing career placements, and estimating dropout and retention rates. Additionally, these evaluations support evidence-based decision-making, which aids in efficiently using and managing resources. These evaluations offer a comprehensive viewpoint to guarantee long-lasting quality improvements and adaptability of curricula.
Process of Implementing Short-term Evaluation
Short-term evaluations are implemented using a rapid and regular process to determine the immediate effect of curriculum modifications. The initial step is about defining clear goals and objectives, including the aspects of the curriculum that will be assessed. Then, the appropriate evaluation methods that meet the established goals are selected. These methods include surveys, quizzes, group discussions, or observational data collection (Hill et al., 2019). These assessments are performed regularly throughout the educational journey to ensure spontaneous changes in the curriculum.
Before executing the curriculum, collect baseline data to compare post-implementation metrics. The next step is to put the curriculum changes into practice while guaranteeing it complies with the established standards, followed by short-term evaluations using selected methods. Lastly, results are analyzed to make necessary adjustments, endorsing a repetitive process for continuous improvements in curriculum development.
On the other hand, the implementation of long-term assessments requires an ongoing strategy. Similar to short-term evaluations, long-term assessments require the establishment of clear objectives. Then, specific metrics are defined which are aligned with overall program outcomes. These metrics include academic performances, retention and dropout rates, job placements, and alums feedback. It is imperative to ensure consistent data collection through comparison with baseline data and frequent sequels over a period (Jiao et al., 2021).
These evaluations require collaboration with external stakeholders such as instructors and alums. The next step in the implementation plan is to analyze student outcomes with analytical tools and disseminate results with concerned stakeholders, encouraging open lines of communication. This approach is a continuous process ensuing sustainable improvements in the curriculum development process.
Several evidence-based nursing concepts are essential to improve the BSN curriculum development. These concepts underscore the integration of the latest research, patient preferences, and clinical competencies in curriculum decision-making. These concepts aim to prepare nursing students for competent, evidence-based clinical practices. Integration of these concepts impacts quality of care and patient safety (Song et al., 2021).
In BSN curriculum development, evidence-based nursing concepts direct the selection and inclusion of content and teaching methodologies grounded in nursing research. For instance, nursing research and the growing healthcare landscape highlight the importance of patient-centered care. Patient-centered care ensures optimal patient outcomes and improved quality of care by understanding and valuing patients’ beliefs, needs, and preferences (Edgman-Levitan & Schoenbaum, 2021). Thus, the BSN curriculum could combine the concepts and principles of patient-centeredness so that students learn and apply evidence-based approaches to augment patient outcomes and improve clinical abilities.
Another example of an evidence-based nursing concept is evolving infection control practices in response to new pathogens. The BSN curriculum can include infection prevention education to inform students about recent advancements and engage them in hands-on experiences to develop their skills. These skills are essential for nursing students to adapt their practice based on the best available nursing research findings. Eventually, nurturing an obligation to long-last learning and staying up-to-date on healthcare advancement.
Several nursing theories impact the development of the BSN curriculum. Florence Nightingale’s Environmental Theory focuses on the impact of the environment on patient health. The theory highlights the significance of a healing environment in patient care, emphasizing cleanliness, light, and sanitation (Riegel et al., 2021). In designing a BSN curriculum, faculty can incorporate this theory by emphasizing the role of nurses in creating a conducive healthcare setting to treat and manage patients’ health conditions. The curriculum could elaborate on infection prevention and patient safety, ensuring nursing students comprehend and relate the theory’s principles in clinical settings. This theory provides a holistic approach to patient care, establishing committed and compassionate nursing professionals.
Another impactful nursing theory is Jean Watson’s Theory of Human Caring. Jean Watson’s theory highlights the significance of compassionate and patient-centered nursing practices. This theory explains that nursing care is beyond human interaction and must fulfill the patient’s emotional, religious, and cultural needs (Devi et al., 2022). Integrating this theory into the BSN curriculum refines nursing education to become more humanistic.
Nursing courses that establish respect and empathy, integrate compassionate behaviors into clinical practice, and improve communication skills result in positive patient outcomes. The curriculum may include role-playing and reflective assessments that motivate students and encourage them to show kindness towards patients. Through this theory, the BSN program highlights the value of patient-centeredness and holistic care, creating a workforce that promotes clinical skills, compassion, and patient empathy.
The incorporation of effective and latest teaching and learning methodologies in nursing education is proven to enhance student learning outcomes. These best practices include active learning strategies and simulation-based teaching methods. Active learning involves engaging students in activities that foster their active participation. These activities are recognized for developing in-depth understanding, sustainability of information, and improving self-efficiency (Kalu et al., 2023).
Several active learning strategies can be incorporated into the BSN program, such as case studies and peer discussions, enhancing students’ critical thinking abilities. For example, integrating problem-based learning (PBL) scenarios into a context of care course allows nursing students to integrate theoretical knowledge into real-world situations. Active learning helps students understand the concepts and cultivates a culture of questioning and collaboration, preparing students to perform clinical practices as competent analysts.
Another latest and best practice is integrating simulation-based teaching into the BSN curriculum. Simulation-based teaching involves imitating clinical scenarios in a controlled setup to provide students with true-to-life, hands-on experiences (Oh & Park, 2023). In BSN curriculum development, simulation case scenarios can be integrated to address the gap between theoretical concepts and clinical practice.
For instance, incorporating simulated patient interactions for health assessments permits nursing students to practice communication and clinical judgment skills. This teaching boosts students’ confidence and competence to make effective clinical decisions. The simulator practices expose students to real-life patient situations, preparing a well-trained and clinically proficient BSN graduate and ensuring a smooth transition from educational to clinical settings.
The appropriate accreditation body for the BSN curriculum offered by U-M SON is the Commission on Collegiate Nursing Education (CCNE). The U.S. Department of Education recognizes this professional body to maintain nursing programs’ alignment with rigorous standards of quality and effectiveness. The standards established by CCNE for Baccalaureate and Graduate programs are as follows (Commission on Collegiate Nursing Education, 2018)
Program Quality: Mission and Governance: According to the first standard, the mission, goals, and intended program outcomes should be consistent with the mission and vision of the nursing institution. These goals and proposed program outcomes must meet professional standards, procedures, and patients/populations’ needs and interests. The policies of the nursing school and the curriculum must support the mission, objectives, and anticipated learning outcomes. The program should integrate the active participation of faculty and students in program governance and continuous quality improvement measures.
Program Quality: Institutional Commitment And Resources: The host institution for the BSN program continuously supports the nursing program through commitment and adequate resources. The organization provides sufficient resources to achieve program objectives and produce desired outcomes. These resources include faculty and staff, financial resources, and educational materials to accomplish the mission, goals, and expected program outcomes.
Program Quality: Curriculum and Teaching-Learning Practices: This standard considers the program’s mission, goals, and outcomes while developing the BSN curriculum. Furthermore, the expectations and needs of the community, as well as nursing standards, are demonstrated in the curriculum’s content and delivery methods. Lastly, the educational methods used for teaching and learning should align with students’ diverse needs and desired outcomes, and the teaching-learning environment should foster adequate achievement of expected outcomes.
Program Effectiveness: Assessment and Achievement of Program Outcomes: Standard four assessed the program’s effectiveness in accomplishing the anticipated program outcomes, mission, and goals. These program outcomes include the desired results for the students, faculty, and program outcomes. The data collected on program effectiveness fosters continuous improvements in program quality and relevance for nursing students.
Applying the results of accreditation evaluations is integral to the continuing enrichment of the BSN curriculum. Following the evaluation, the U-M SON should continuously improve by integrating students’ and faculty’s feedback to polish curriculum design, educational strategies, and program quality. The nursing school should immediately address the areas of improvement, ensuring alignment with accreditation standards and best practices in nursing education. Moreover, it is significant to communicate these results with internal and external stakeholders to foster transparency and accountability.
This open communication will encourage effective collaboration, contributing to sustainable program innovation. The integration of these evaluation results makes the BSN program meet accreditation requirements and supports a vibrant and responsive learning environment. This continuing approach to progress endures program excellence and prepares nursing graduates for successful clinical competence in the ever-evolving healthcare sector.
In conclusion, ongoing evaluations are critical for constant modifications in curriculum based on evolving changes in healthcare and students’ needs. For this purpose, pilot testing will ensure successful changes before implementing the curriculum for a wider audience. Several short-term and long-term evaluation methods are essential in this regard to provide insights into the immediate and long-lasting impacts of the curriculum. Furthermore, applying evidence-based nursing concepts such as patient-centeredness is crucial to ensure programs’ adaptability.
Nursing theories also have a significant impact on program development alongside best practices. Lastly, the curriculum must align with the accreditation standards set by professional bodies such as the Commission on Collegiate Nursing Education to make continuous progress and prepare a competent workforce through the nursing curriculum.
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