Cognitive theorists, on the other hand, believe that learning is a targeted internal process that focuses on thinking, understanding organizing, and consciousness. With these theories, nurse educators equip students with questioning and problem-solving skills (Presti, 2016). These skills help the students to explore and process information to enable them to learn effectively. For instance, before the educator teaches about a topic, he/she might ask the students to explain whatever comes in their mind. Students may go and explore the topic before the teacher begins providing explanations.
Explain What the Curriculum Is and Summarize the Curriculum Design Process
Curriculum can be defined as the lessons and academic content taught in a school, college, or university. In most cases, teachers are charged with the role of developing their own curricula which are revised and updated after several years (Alsubaie, 2016). Curriculum may also entail academic requirements of a school such as a capstone project and credit that students must achieve to pass. Curriculum design involves six steps. The first step is establishing the principles and purpose of the curriculum that reflect the school’s values, context, pedagogy, and needs. The second step involves developing pupil entitlement and should show the school intends to enrich its curriculum with educational visits, extra-curricular activities and specific entitlements (Alsubaie, 2016).
Step three includes developing the content of the curriculum. This step shows what school should cover and how it covers them. Step four is the teaching narrative, which is planning the delivery of the designed curriculum. The teaching narrative should be vibrant and cohesive (Alsubaie, 2016). It creates a medium-term plan that can be used as a starting point for shorter-term plans. The fifth step involves identifying the resources needed to execute the curriculum. These resources include human resources, practical equipment, and teaching resources. Step six includes evaluation and review. A school must identify the best strategies it will use to review the curriculum.
Internal and External Influences on Curriculum Development
Curriculum development faces both internal and external forces that might hinder its implementation. Curriculum committees is an internal factor that impacts the design of a curriculum. The curriculum committee only accepts the design they are satisfied with, otherwise, the curriculum hits a dead end. The organizational process is the second internal factor influencing curriculum design (Nicholls & Nicholls, 2018). The curriculum design must support and be in line with the flow of activities within the organization. For instance, the school of nursing must design a curriculum that synchronizes with the university program. The third internal factor is the review body and the institutional policies. The body ensures that all curriculum programs designed at the learning institutions meet the set standards and requirements.
The first external factor is the learning institution’s stakeholders. The external stakeholders such as donors and private partners among others may have ideologies on how the curriculum should be designed. Another external factor that may influence curriculum design is regulatory and accrediting agencies (Nicholls & Nicholls, 2018). The curriculum developer will be faced with many challenges when seeking accreditation from these agencies. The third external factor is the funding of the program that will greatly affect the curriculum development. It may be rejected if the college or university lacks the necessary resources to implement the curriculum.
Conclusion
Nurse educators are charged with the responsibility of formulating program outcomes and designing a curriculum that is in line with the current healthcare trends. Curriculum development faces both internal and external forces that might hinder its implementation. Nurse educators work in various places such as classroom, clinical, and bedside settings. They use nursing education theories to guide learning in nursing schools.
References
Alsubaie, M. A. (2016). Curriculum Development: Teacher Involvement in Curriculum Development. Journal of Education and Practice, 7(9), 106-107. https://files.eric.ed.gov/fulltext/EJ1095725.pdf
Herrman, J. W. (2019). Creative teaching strategies for the nurse educator. Philadelphia: FA Davis.
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