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Background:
During the past few years, the NLN’s
Task Groups on (a) Innovation and (b) Excellence in Nursing
Education have heightened our awareness of the need to think
in new ways about our educational enterprise if we wish
to ensure that graduates of all programs are well prepared
to face the challenges of a rapidly-changing health care
world. Initiatives like the NLN’s Centers of Excellence
program, presentations made at the Education Summit, educational
research being completed, and education-focused publications
all are encouraging signs that pockets of excellence and
innovation exist within our schools of nursing.
Unfortunately, however, in far too many instances, nursing
curricula have not changed dramatically from how they were
initially conceptualized. More often than not they are rigid,
provide little opportunity for students to pursue individual
interests, and are not flexible enough to accommodate new
trends and developments in health care. External pressures
(e.g., for accountability in higher education), national
initiatives (e.g., the IOM report on health professions
education and the QSEN project), increased integration of
technology into higher education, expanding research about
how individuals learn, expectations related to evidence-based
education, and the changing role of the nurse all demand
that nurse educators re-think how we design nursing curricula
to prepare graduates capable of functioning in an uncertain,
unpredictable, technologically-saturated, highly diverse,
ever-changing health care arena.
This Task Group has been formed to help nurse educators
think about how we can meet this challenge in all types
of nursing education programs -- master’s and doctoral,
as well as associate degree, diploma, baccalaureate, and
practical nurse. Recognizing that many faculty have had
no formal education/preparation in curriculum development
and that the curriculum “belongs to the faculty,”
this Task Group is expected to provide leadership to the
nursing education community as we re-conceptualize the design,
implementation, and evaluation of our curricula.
Purpose of the Task Group:
The purpose of this Task Group is to promote
excellence and innovation in curriculum design, implementation,
and evaluation that leads to new curriculum models for each
type of nursing education program.
Specific Tasks to be Completed:
- In relation to practical nurse, associate
degree, diploma, baccalaureate, master’s, and doctoral
programs in nursing, the Task Group will be expected to:
- Create/Develop a repository of current curriculum
innovations in nursing education
- Analyze how nursing curricula reflect current scholarly
thinking about curriculum design, implementation, and
evaluation
- Use the NLN’s Hallmarks of Excellence in Nursing
Education to develop a toolkit or other resource faculty
can use to critically evaluate curricula
- Identify barriers to curriculum innovation and propose
strategies that can minimize or overcome those barriers
as well as help faculty view themselves as change agents
who lead curriculum innovation efforts
- Propose a variety of new models for the design of
nursing curricula that will enhance student learning,
provide for flexibility, and are evidence-based
- Add information about curriculum innovation to NLN’s
literature database in order to expand the repository
of evidence on this topic
- Monitor an electronic “community” on
the topic of curriculum innovation
Qualifications of Task Group Members:
- Current member of the NLN
- Educational preparation in curriculum design and evaluation
- Experience with curriculum development
- Embrace curiosity, creativity, and risk-taking
- Interest in nursing research and assessing outcomes
related to curriculum innovation in nursing education
- Access to literature and other sources related to
innovation in curriculum design, implementation, and
evaluation
- Writing skills
- Technological competence that allows full participation
in monitoring an electronic “community”
on curriculum innovation, searching relevant literature,
contributing to the online database, and other activities
| Task
Group Members |
Name |
Affiliation |
| Linda Benedict, PhD, RN-Chair |
University of South Dakota |
| Sharon Boni, PhD, RN |
Fairmont State University |
| Pat Bradley, PhD, RN, CNE |
York University |
| Linda Carpenter, PhD, RN, CNE |
University of Texas at Austin |
| Jean Giddens, PhD, RN |
University of New Mexico |
| Janet Grady, DrPH, RN |
University of Pittsburgh at Johnstown |
| Marian Kovatchitch, MS, RN |
St. Elizabeth College of Nursing |
| Lynne P. Lewallen, PhD, RN, CNE
|
University of North Carolina-Greensboro |
| Karen McCumpsey, MNSc, RN |
Baptist Health Schools |
| Barbara McLaughlin, DNSc, RN,
CNE |
Community College of Philadelphia |
| Janet Phillips, RN |
Indiana University |
| Jerelyn Resnick, PhD, RN |
University of Washington Bothell
Nursing Program |
| Judith Ruland, PhD, RN, CNE |
University of Central Florida |
| Nancy Stuever, MNEd, RN |
Consultant in Nursing Education |
| Linda Howe, PhD,
APRN, CNE, Clemson University, NEAC Liaison |
| Terry Valiga, EdD,
RN, FAAN, National League for Nursing, Staff Member
|
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