Chapter 7

Organizing for Curriculum

Development

Overview

• Once the decision has been made to proceed with curriculum development, both the leader and faculty members have specific responsibilities.

• The leader must put forth the overall plan for curriculum and faculty development.

• Faculty members must participate on committees, welcome stakeholders, seek input, and consider scholarship projects.

Curriculum Leader’sResponsibilities

• Guiding values clarification– As faculty prepare for curriculum development, it

is important that shared values be established. – Curriculum leader should aid in faculty members

reaching consensus about:• Purpose, process of nursing education.• What nursing practice could, should be.• What constitutes excellence in nursing curricula.• Role of nursing curriculum in supporting institutional

mission, priorities.

Curriculum Leader’s Responsibilities (cont.)

• Proposing an overall plan– Curriculum leader must present an overall plan for

accomplishment of the curriculum work.– Plan should account for schedule, realities of

faculty workloads, and incorporate activities necessary to create or revise a curriculum.

– Tentative plan with timelines makes the work ahead real for the faculty.

Curriculum Leader’s Responsibilities (cont.)

• Leading discussion – Curriculum leader is responsible for ensuring

matters pertinent to the undertaking are raised, discussed, and agreed upon.

– Matters are typically discussed in a relatively seamless fashion as the overall plan is presented.

Curriculum Leader’s Responsibilities (cont.)

• Leading discussion (cont.)– Selection of a change theory: selection of a

change theory to guide the overall process will allow developers to have a progress framework.

– Participants in curriculum development: those involved include faculty, students, professional practice partners, academic administrators, and other stakeholders (those with an interest in school, or its graduates).

Curriculum Leader’s Responsibilities (cont.)

• Leading discussion (cont.)– Committee structure, functions, and membership: • Constellation of committees is usually essential.• Structure requires identification of strategies to achieve

the task expeditiously.• Total faculty group for critical points can promote

faculty buy-in.• Curriculum committee requires dedicated,

knowledgeable participants.

Curriculum Leader’s Responsibilities (cont.)

• Leading discussion (cont.)– Committee structure, functions, and membership

(cont.): • Subcommittees are typical for optimal participation.• Critique and advisory committees provide feedback,

information, and public relations mechanism.• Steering committees are often formed when curriculum

is planned, implemented by more than one institution.• Committee membership generally based on interest

and expertise.

Curriculum Leader’s Responsibilities (cont.)

• Leading discussion (cont.)– Record-keeping system: • Keep up-to-date meeting minutes.• Retain copies of working documents.• Be sure to keep record of how action items were

addressed.• Keep records of communications outside formal

meetings as part of a “paper trail” of the group’s thinking and decisions.

Curriculum Leader’s Responsibilities (cont.)

• Leading discussion (cont.)– Communication system: • System should be created to inform developers of work

that is underway, or has been approved.• Sharing can come in form of regular updates, via email,

newsletter, or posting on learning platform site.• A central location (virtual or real) should be created to

house all approved decisions, documents.

Curriculum Leader’s Responsibilities (cont.)

• Leading discussion (cont.)– Decision-making and approval processes:• Quality decision-making procedures should be settled

upon early. • Likely the same employed in the school of nursing,

though explicit agreement is essential.• Curriculum leader can provide information on which

decisions require faculty or institutional approval.

Curriculum Leader’s Responsibilities (cont.)

• Creating a critical path– Detailed listing of milestones in curriculum

development, created by the leader.– Blueprint for action.

• Suggesting a faculty development plan– Leader suggests tentative plan for faculty

development activities.– Plan must be responsive to emerging needs.

Curriculum Leader’s Responsibilities (cont.)

• Introduce the possibility of scholarship projects linked to curriculum work

• Clarifying the relationship of curriculum development and implementation to academic freedom– Leader clarifies so all understand they are free to

propose unconventional ideas, yet are bound by decisions of entire group.

Curriculum Leader’s Responsibilities (cont.)

• Negotiating for resources– As development unfolds, necessary resources

become apparent.– Leader should follow-up preliminary discussions

with school leader to negotiate for resources necessary for curriculum development.

Faculty Members’ Responsibilities

• Participating on committees to complete curriculum development tasks– Faculty members are obligated to join curriculum

committees, achieve committee’s task.– Regular meetings should be scheduled to keep

curriculum development process moving. – Work-sharing decisions must be made by each

committee.

Faculty Members’ Responsibilities (cont.)

• Welcoming stakeholders– Necessary to welcome students, clinicians,

consumers to curriculum committees.• Seeking input– Input gathered from stakeholders not represented

on committee.• Considering scholarship projects– Each group should consider potential for

scholarship project in work it is completing.

Core Processes of Curriculum Work• Faculty development– Helpful to have faculty development session about

change processes, curriculum development.• Ongoing appraisal– Appraisal occurs spontaneously as matters are

being discussed. Responses form of appraisal.• Scholarship– Projects, presentations, publications about

development process could be instructive for future curriculum development.