Curriculum development and evaluation are essential aspects of nursing education. It is paramount to have competent and compassionate healthcare providers. A well-developed curriculum enables the nursing education sector to produce high-quality nurses and helps nurse educators in aspects like evaluation and assessment. Faculty members in nursing programs are responsible for shaping the curriculum to meet the evolving needs of healthcare delivery (Fukada, 2018). Due to the importance of curriculum development evaluation, it is important to address the faculty development and research implications, the implementation of curriculum, the application of technology and innovation, accreditation expectations, and role transition.
Faculty Development and Research Implications
In nursing education, faculty members are the leaders who work to advance knowledge through research and scholarships. Faculty development is essential for nurse educators as it helps them to be up to date with the advancements within healthcare and health education. Moreover, faculty development is critical because it ensures quality care. Additionally, with continuous development, faculty members stay abreast with evidence-based practice, technological advancement, and any new healthcare trends, thereby ensuring quality patient outcomes and education. Also, faculty members are integral to curriculum development as they are responsible for things like identifying the knowledge gap, developing course content, and exploring teaching methodologies. It is vital to note that research is critical in nursing education as it ensures that nursing students are updated about the current nursing literature (Halstead & Frank, 2017). Therefore, by incorporating research findings into the education curriculum, the faculty ensures that the education offered is updated and aligns with best practices.
Implementation of the Curriculum
When it comes to the implementation of curriculum, faculty members are integral. They are responsible for translating the nursing curriculum into something simple that the learners and educators can understand. In addition, they are the ones responsible for setting course objectives and approving the appropriate teaching techniques and methodologies to be used. Faculty members are the ones who create things like simulations that the learners will use to demonstrate theoretical knowledge in real-life situations. The faculty members are also responsible for assessment and feedback evaluation; they create the assessment tools used to measure the learner’s learning outcomes (Aul et al., 2021). Also, when implementing the curriculum, the faculty members have the responsibility of being role models and mentors to the nursing students who guide them through the curriculum requirements and other things like internships.
Application of Technology and Innovation
Nursing education has improved drastically due to the incorporation of technology. Technology has helped nursing education reach more people and offers new tools for curriculum development and content delivery. Faculty members are vital in integrating these advancements into the curriculum and the learning experience. They are the ones that assess the current technology being used within the sector and identify any existing gaps, after which they find new technology to supplement the existing one and other teaching methods. In addition, the faculty plays an essential role in developing and delivering online education programs that ensure flexibility within nursing education. They also work to integrate aspects like simulation-based learning and virtual reality within the curriculum to ensure the practicality of the learning process (Gause et al., 2022). Moreover, faculty utilize telehealth platforms, electronic health records, and mobile applications to facilitate remote learning, telemedicine consultations, and evidence-based practice. Through technology, the faculty can ensure that nursing education incorporates different learning styles and is flexible enough. Moreover, technology makes education more engaging, which makes learning interesting.
Accreditation Expectations
Accreditation serves as a benchmark for nursing education, ensuring program quality, integrity, and accountability. The accreditation standards ensure that the quality of education offered is within the required standards. The faculty is essential in ensuring the curriculum and the education process is within the set accreditation standards. These standards are set by regulatory bodies such as the Commission on Collegiate Nursing Education (CCNE) or the Accreditation Commission for Education in Nursing (ACEN) (Shellenbarger, 2022). The faculty ensures the curriculum is within the set standards by conducting regular assessments and collecting data on the student’s performance. Using the assessment, the faculty can get an insight into the curriculum’s quality and learn areas of improvement to ensure the required standards. Moreover, faculty members engage in self-assessment and peer review processes, soliciting feedback from stakeholders to inform curriculum revisions and enhancements. When it comes to nursing education, ensuring that the accreditation expectation is met is of utmost importance, especially given the importance of nurses.
Role Transition
The evolving healthcare landscape necessitates faculty members to transition into multifaceted roles beyond traditional teaching. Some faculty members, such as senior members, adopt different roles, such as mentoring new faculty as well as providing guidance and support during the development and implementation of the curriculum. In addition, they act as academic leaders and promote other learning aspects like interprofessional education (Choi et al., 2019). Additionally, the faculty members engage in roles like community outreach activities to address factors that affect health, such as the social determinants of health. Moreover, most of the faculty members who are education stewards work to ensure and enhance excellence, integrity, and innovation.
Overall, the roles played by faculty members when it comes to nursing curriculum development are integral. They work to ensure that the curriculum is up-to-date, current, relevant, and adheres to the accreditation requirements. In addition, their role in ensuring technology is effectively adopted in nursing education and curriculum development is instrumental. As leaders and mentors, faculty members inspire excellence, foster innovation, and cultivate a culture of lifelong learning within the nursing profession.
References
Aul, K., Bagnall, L., Bumbach, M. D., Gannon, J., Shipman, S., McDaniel, A., & Keenan, G. (2021). A key to transforming a nursing curriculum: Integrating a continuous improvement simulation expansion strategy. SAGE Open Nursing, 7, 237796082199852. https://doi.org/10.1177/2377960821998524
Choi, A. M., Moon, J. E., Steinecke, A., & Prescott, J. E. (2019). Developing a culture of mentorship to strengthen academic medical centers. Academic Medicine, 94(5), 630-633. https://doi.org/10.1097/acm.0000000000002498
Fukada, M. (2018). Nursing competency: Definition, structure and development. Yonago Acta Medica, 61(1), 001-007. https://doi.org/10.33160/yam.2018.03.001
Gause, G., Mokgaola, I. O., & Rakhudu, M. A. (2022). Technology usage for teaching and learning in nursing education: An integrative review. Curationis, 45(1). https://doi.org/10.4102/curationis.v45i1.2261
Halstead, J. A., & Frank, B. (2017). The nursing faculty role: Issues, trends, opportunities, and challenges. Pathways to a Nursing Education Career. https://doi.org/10.1891/9780826139993.0001
Shellenbarger, T. (2022). Accreditors stepping up to the challenge: Reimagining the future of nursing. Teaching and Learning in Nursing, 17(3), 253-255. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.teln.2022.03.004
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