Curriculum Design

NURS 5203

3 Credit Hours

This course introduces the student to traditional and contemporary considerations for curriculum planning and design as applied to nursing education. Emphasis is placed on philosophy, theory, objectives, curriculum designs, and total program evaluation.

At the conclusion of this course the student will be able to:

1.      Discuss the impact of social and technological forces upon curriculum design.

2.      Incorporate learning styles and stages of human development in curriculum planning.

3.      Analyze elements of curriculum design, aims, goals, educational objectives and evaluation in relation to curriculum design.

4.      Utilize critical thinking skills in the application of theories/models in the in a variety of clinical environments. 

5.      Design a model curriculum demonstrating inclusion of critical elements.

NURS 5201 Theories of Nursing Education

1. Orientation

    

2. History of Nursing Curricula in the US

   1. Historical evolution of curriculum building in nursing

   2. Innovation in nursing education

    

3. Organizing for Curriculum Development: Planning for Change

   1. Definition of curriculum

   2. Determining the need for change

   3. Planning for curriculum development

    

4. The Curriculum Revolution

   1. Forces and issues influencing curriculum development

   2. PEW Health Commission's 21 Competencies for the 21st Century

   3. From Objective to Outcomes

   4. Getting organized and establishing priorities for the curriculum

    

5. Philosophical Approaches & Curriculum Goals

   1. Mission

   2. Philosophy

   3. Outcomes

   4. Curriculum plan

    

6. Designing the Nursing Curriculum I

   1. Constituencies invested in undergraduate curriculum design

   2. Undergraduate program designs

   3. Program delivery

   4. Program models

   5. Curriculum Design Process -- Mission & Philosophy

    

7. Designing the Nursing Curriculum II

   1. Frameworks

   2. Outcomes

   3. Competencies

   4. Curriculum Plan

    

8. Designing the Nursing Curriculum III

   1. Identifying Courses

   2. Course Sequencing

   3. Designing Courses

   4. The Curriculum Plan

    

9. Evaluation Methods

   1. Accreditation models

   2. Program Evaluation Models

   3. Curriculum Evaluation Models

   4. Role of State Boards of Nursing

   5. Role of National Council of State Boards

   6. Comparison of Nurse Practice Acts

    

10. Service Learning

    1. Comparison of traditional learning and service learning

    2. Integrating service learning into the curriculum

    3. Outcomes of service learning

    4. Service learning in the nursing curriculum

     

11. Staff Development

12. Presentation of Curriculum Models

Please visit the Virtual Bookstore to obtain textbook information for this course: http://rodp.bkstr.com.

Assigned periodicals, documents, position statements, and Internet online articles

The minimum requirements can be found at http://www.rodp.org/students/hardware_software.htm. 

The minimum requirements can be found at http://www.rodp.org/students/hardware_software.htm. 

Additional software requirements for this course include Microsoft Office (Word, PowerPoint), Acrobat Reader, and supporting software for video-conferencing.

Please see the separate page inside the course to find instructor contact information as well as a statement of virtual office hours and other communication information.

All course requirements are submitted online. 

Participation in weekly online discussions of course content is expected as topics are introduced and as applied to assigned readings.  The student is expected to develop a Teaching Portfolio, engage in two formal writing assignments, and make a formal presentation of a curriculum model to demonstrate learning for this course.  Online resources and technology are used for the virtual presentation. 

Participation in online class discussions/case studies (20%)

All students are expected to actively participate in online class discussions. Participation in weekly online discussions of course content is expected as topics are introduced and as applied to assigned readings.  Each discussion question posted will be assigned a date by which the student must respond.  If a student is unable to fulfill this requirement for any reason, he/she should notify the instructor prior to the class and make alternative arrangements.  The aim is to encourage interaction among students and faculty, not simply to present information. Students are required to respond to all discussion questions. Student responses to discussion questions must be substantive and succinct, that is, thoughtful, analytical and written in 50 words or less unless otherwise specified. Because the WebCT system has its own way of formatting material posted on the discussion feature, the student will not be expected to strictly follow APA guidelines for online submissions. However, the student is held to academic standards of writing style and the use of proper grammar, punctuation and spelling. 

Grade points for postings to the course discussion board are based on the student’s depth of participation.  All students must participate in the discussion forums in order to meet the course requirements. The discussion board will be evaluated each week.  The final grade for class participation will be dependent on the general level of participation by the individual student throughout the semester.   

Discussion Board points are assigned as follows: 

·         Excellent – 5 points

·         Good – 3 points

·         Average – 2 points

·         Poor – 0 points 

Grading rubric for postings:           

            An excellent posting includes:

                  ·         In depth response to assigned discussion question

·         Additional responses to 2 postings from other students in the discussion group for the assigned readings. 

A good posting includes: 

      ·         Response to assigned discussion question

     ·         Response to 1 of the postings entered by a student in the discussion group 

An average posting includes:

     ·         Response to assigned discussion question

A poor response does not meet any of the above criteria.

Teaching Portfolio (15%)

A Teaching Portfolio will be developed by each student in order to demonstrate learning in this course. The portfolio is a "work in progress" and will be evaluated by the faculty at the midterm and at the end of the course. It should be organized in three sections as follows: a) Theoretical perspectives articles and annotations, b) Evidence of teaching articles and annotations, and c) Self-evaluation and planning. Each week students should obtain 2 (two) journal articles relating to the assigned topic. One article should address the theoretical perspective and the other should address application of the topic by educators. All articles must be accessed from the Virtual Library unless otherwise instructed by the faculty. An annotation of each article should be written in 100 words or less using APA formatting. The General Form for an annotated bibliography can be found in the Coffee House. The Self-evaluation and planning exercise includes a weekly narrative discussion of no more than 300 words that evaluates individual applications of the assigned topic. Questions to ask yourself in preparing to write the weekly narrative include but are not limited to:

1. Do you support the proposed perspective?

2. How would you apply the theoretical information in a teaching learning environment?

3. How has the perspective directly affected your teaching learning experiences?

4. What practical information was obtained that will be helpful as you explore the assignment to develop a curriculum?

Evaluation of the Teaching Portfolio will be managed using the Assignment Drop Box. At the assigned times each student will submit two files -- one with article annotations and one with the weekly self-evaluation and planning narratives. Articles will NOT be submitted unless requested by the faculty. This is a weekly assignment. Do not wait until it is time to hand in your portfolio files to write.

Teaching Learning Philosophy (5%)

The purpose of this 2 page formal paper is for each student to identify and analyze their personal teaching and learning philosophy. Important elements to explore include: a) Types of learning environments, b) responsibilities of teachers, c) responsibilities of learners, d) factors that create obstacles for teaching/learning, and e) factors that enhance teaching/learning.

The writing style for this paper must conform to the current edition of the APA manual. In addition, use of correct grammar and sentence construction, proper format and structure of the paper and adequate and clear expression of ideas are elements that will be included in the grading process.

Development of a Nursing Curriculum

Working in groups (size to be determined by faculty), students will construct a curriculum for one of the following: a) Continuing education with a clinical focus, b) Continuing education with a professional focus, or c) Curriculum for an Associate or Baccalaureate Degree program. The final project will be evaluated for all essential components, including:

1. Mission -- 10 points

2. Philosophy -- 10 points

3. Outcomes -- 30 points

4. Curriculum Plan -- 50 points

Each group will have a Curriculum Design Discussion Forum that will be evaluated by the faculty regarding the quality of deliberations that occur relative to these essential components.

The presentation of the Nursing Curriculum will be evaluated using the following critical elements:

1. Applies standards of critical thinking expressed by writing/narrating that is clear, accurate, precise, and relevant -- 15 points

2. Applies principles of English usage including grammar, syntax, spelling, format and structure -- 15 points

3. Use of online resources and technology for virtual presentation -- 35 points

4. Ideas are congruent with professional curricular standards -- 25 points

5. Peer Evaluation: each group member will evaluate the other members of the group for level of involvement in group process -- 10 points

Designing a Curriculum Evaluation Plan (15%)

The purpose of this assignment is to apply the principles of curriculum evaluation to planning evaluation activities for the curriculum project. Working in groups, students will write a 3-5 page paper that describes an evaluation plan for the curriculum project. Students will select an evaluation model, determine which aspects of the curriculum will be evaluated, decide on data to collect and from whom, and determine the frequency of data collection as well as how data will be recorded and maintained.

Papers will be submitted as part of the curriculum project paper using the Assignment Drop Box. The writing style for this paper must conform to the current edition of the APA manual. In addition, use of correct grammar and sentence construction, proper format and structure, and adequate and clear expression of ideas are elements that will be included in the grading process. A grading rubric will be provided.

Students are expected to:

•         Check the course calendar for the due dates of assignments.

•         Check the course bulletin board frequently for announcements. 

The student is expected to:

•         Learn how to navigate in the WebCT system.

•         Participate by responding to all discussion questions.

•         Keep abreast of course announcements.

•         Use the assigned college or university e-mail address as opposed to a personal e-mail address.

•         Contact the instructor if unclear about assignment expectations.

•         Address technical problems immediately.

            Email:

•         Always include a subject line.

•         Remember without facial expressions some comments may be taken the wrong way.

•         Be careful in wording your emails. Use of emoticons might be helpful in some cases.

•         Use standard fonts.

•         Do not send large attachments without permission.

•         Special formatting such as centering, audio messages, tables, html, etc. should be avoided unless necessary to complete an assignment or other communication.

•         Respect the privacy of other class members.  

            Discussion Groups:

•         Review the discussion threads thoroughly before entering the discussion.

•         Try to maintain threads by using the "Reply" button rather starting a new topic.

•         Do not make insulting or inflammatory statements to other members of the discussion group.

•         Be respectful of others’ ideas.

•         Be patient and read the comments of other group members thoroughly before entering your remarks.

•         Be cooperative with group leaders in completing assigned tasks.

•         Be positive and constructive in group discussions.

•         Respond in a thoughtful and timely manner.

            Chat:

•         Introduce yourself to the other learners in the chat session.

•         Be polite. Choose your words carefully. Do not use derogatory statements.

•         Be concise in responding to others in the chat session.

•         Be prepared to open the chat session at the scheduled time.

•         Be constructive in your comments and suggestions.

The Tennessee Virtual Library is available to all students enrolled in the Regents Degree Program. Links to library materials (such as electronic journals, databases, interlibrary loans, digital reserves, dictionaries, encyclopedias, maps, and librarian support) and Internet resources needed by learners to complete online assignments and as background reading must be included in all courses.

Qualified students with disabilities will be provided reasonable and necessary academic accommodations if determined eligible by the appropriate disability services staff at their home institution. Prior to granting disability accommodations in this course, the instructor must receive written verification of a student's eligibility for specific accommodations from the disability services staff at the home institution. It is the student's responsibility to initiate contact with his/her home institution's disability services staff and to follow the established procedures for having the accommodation notice sent to the instructor.

The faculty reserve the right to alter the calendar/syllabus as circumstances may dictate. All changes will be announced immediately by individual e-mail and posting on the course bulletin board. Students are responsible for reading e-mail and postings regularly to obtain this information.

If you are having problems logging into the course, timing out of the course, using the course web site tools, or other technical problems, please visit the AskRODP Customer Support web page at http://askrodp.custhelp.com/ or call the AskRODP Help Desk at 1-866-550-RODP (1-866-550-7637).