The chapter discusses organizing for curriculum development. The curriculum leader is responsible for guiding values clarification among faculty, proposing an overall development plan including timelines and committees, and leading discussions on key issues. Faculty members must participate on committees, welcome input from stakeholders, and consider scholarship projects related to their curriculum work. The core processes for curriculum development are faculty development, ongoing appraisal, and generating scholarship from the work.
2. 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.
3. Curriculum Leader’s
Responsibilities
• 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.
4. 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.
5. 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.
6. 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).
7. 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.
8. 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.
9. 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.
10. 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.
11. 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.
12. 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.
13. 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.
14. 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.
15. 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.
16. 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.
17. 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.
