Curriculum Evaluation

This is particularly the case because curriculum forms the basis of education in every facet of learning including nursing. This profession demands a curriculum that is fit to equip the nurses to fit the current needs of the healthcare market as well as meet the patient’s needs to the maximum. It provides a rational and systematic way to education and provides Nurses with skills, attitudes, and knowledge that enable them in their area of practice.

Therefore the method of evaluation must first be presented to the professional community before moving forward with the evaluation (Brown et al., 2021). The stress of curriculum evaluation can be shared and this might mean that different groups of universities take turns evaluating the curriculum. It means that each faculty member is endowed with the authority to make assessments in their courses and suggest possible improvements. An example of a curriculum committee may also evaluate an entire program’s curriculum taking into consideration all of the courses offered. Lastly, all the faculty have the chance to add their input to the evaluation process by providing constructive criticisms as well as strategies for improvement.

There is a need to review the curriculum from time to time to ensure the program is achieving its objectives as well as identifying areas of concern (Van et al., 2022). Thus, it is always wise to review the curriculum at the end of each program cohort or the end of an academic year because, at such times, one is in a position to assess students’ progress and identify gaps that require attention. Also in terms of curriculum, this is important to evaluate before accreditation reviews to determine whether the program meets such criteria.

The results of this evaluation should be used by the curriculum committee in future revisions of a curriculum to ensure that program outcomes are achieved. They should also be able to alter the structure of the program and the courses that are within the goal of the program like introducing new courses or redesigning courses in line with current practices in the field of study (Heinen et al., 2019). Other changes may entail adjusting how courses are delivered, such as increasing the number of courses that can be completed fully online, or increasing the number of clinical hours. It is important to understand that overseeing, should be done in a way that will not in any way compromise the quality of the curriculum. Most educational programs need to be revised from time to time due to the changes that are observed and that occur in society, but this is not always easy because of the state laws as well as accreditation requirements.

The curriculum committee can however involve outsiders such as health professionals, business people, and technology experts so that the committee can learn the new changes in this field so that the curriculum of the college can be as updated as possible (Falcó et al., 202 1). Hence, the committee can also read the published publications, attend seminars and conferences, or take an online course to be familiar with the newest methods and trends used in the field. The committee can also be used in periodic assessments of the content of the curriculum as it seeks to understand whether it is current enough to meet the needs of technology, nursing, and society.

It is also significant in the growth of the nursing profession since the curriculum is as follows; The quality of patient care is enhanced and the nursing profession receives increased credibility through the assurance of its members’ competence (Falcó et al., 2021). Of course, one gets a common body of knowledge, skills, and attitudes when studying the curriculum, which further can be developed during professional practice. This basis creates possibilities for nurses to collaborate with other medical professionals and provide high-quality patient care. However, nursing career success is essential for nurses and part of the process of training nurses. Nurses who are offered an organized and systematic learning environment, are well equipped to meet the dynamic healthcare needs and provide quality patient care.

An Overview of the Curriculum

Besides, the nursing program mandated to be offered at Capella University in Minneapolis, Minnesota aims at preparing its students with the knowledge and skills helpful in enabling him or her to be better nurses in today’s dynamic healthcare provision environment (Dijkman et al., 2022). The main purpose of the curriculum is to consolidate the knowledge in nursing informatics and convey all the necessary information to give quality patient care. The programs offered are relevant to the changing needs within the healthcare industry and the content of the course is designed to equip students with the newest tools, technology, and nursing profession standards.

Framework and Analysis

Nursing informatics and the knowledge base for nursing practice are centered on the development of the curriculum (Kesten et al., 2021). Its purpose is to conform to state laws, and accrediting standards, as well as the goals, and ideologies of the parent program institution and the framework in which it operates. This makes it meet the needs of emerging technologies, learners with diversified characteristics, nursing, health care provision, and education practice.

Course Development and Influencing Factors

The involvement of the professors, stakeholders, and outside agencies in the accreditation and regulatory bodies was demonstrated in the curriculum setting (Yarbrough et al., 2022). In this case, the external and internal environment influenced the development process: funding sources, stakeholders, regulatory and accrediting agencies, organizational procedures such as curriculum committees, and internal review bodies.

Curriculum Evaluation

Curriculum assessment takes a look at the curriculum to establish the strengths and weaknesses of the curriculum to improve it. To ensure that there is an updated curriculum, there is normally a general procedure followed in all the schools (Yarbrough et al., 2022). While comparing and contrasting curricula in course/program development, measures such as congruence to the course/program outcome and contents, teaching methods/strategies to be adopted, student achievement, and other resource requirements among others are considered. Pilot testing is acknowledged to be an effective technique for curriculum assessment. 

The party that evaluates and accredits educational programs is called an accreditation body. In terms of nursing education a nursing school may be accredited by the Accreditation Commission for Education in Nursing (ACEN) or Commission on Collegiate Nursing Education (CCNE) (Yarbrough et al., 2022). To ensure that the program meets certain benchmarks of quality, the accrediting authority evaluates the program about certain criteria. The results of the accreditation evaluation of the program should be enforced to maintain the program’s accreditation as well as enhance it.

Importance of Curriculum Evaluation

It is important because curriculum assessment provides a regular and systematic way of assessing the effectiveness and quality of a curriculum. One must evaluate his or her strengths and weaknesses, and find out if the curriculum is serving its intended purpose and goals. It also ensures constant scrutiny of the delivery curriculum which ensures that it is current as per the current trends in the delivery of health care as well as taking into account the technological advancement as well as keeping up with the society’s issue (Salifu et al., 2022). In addition, curriculum evaluation offers evaluative feedback to the teachers and instructors on ways in which they can transform their teaching practices for improved learners’ learning. The results of the curriculum evaluation can also be used to address accreditation standards, provide accountability, and afford resources. Finally, curriculum evaluation assists in guaranteeing that students lack adequate and are newly facing challenges in their employment settings.

To keep the nursing education program ‘current’ and effective as well as to achieve the program’s vision to be more of a producer than a consumer of knowledge, there is a need to evaluate the curriculum continuously (Moore et al., 2021). The assessment process helps in determining areas of development and promotes the changes that are required to meet the new demands. Furthermore, it is necessary to ensure that provisions of the curriculum with goals, philosophies, and frameworks of the parent institution and nursing profession are attained and that program outcomes are achieved.

Curriculum evaluation should therefore be cherished by all the parties involved in the educational process such as the teachers, students, healthcare givers, and the accreditation bodies. For the evaluators, faculty members get opportunities to avail themselves of professional development and support in updating their practice area knowledge (Hofstetter et al., 2022). It ensures enrollees receive quality education meeting their needs and preparing them for the constantly changing healthcare system. That way, Healthcare providers have the assurance that graduates present with adequate knowledge, skills, and competencies to produce proficient patient care that is safe and efficient.

Criteria for Curriculum Evaluation

A very important component in the overall objective of making the educational program deliver what it aims at is curriculum evaluation. There are several criteria used when assessing something. Most important of all the curriculum should align with the institutional mission and program learning outcomes. This involves ensuring that the goals and objectives of the program align with the content and course design, learning outcomes, and evaluation activities. Other important dimensions for the evaluation of crucial elements include the credit hours achieved as well as the course satisfaction by students. This must be assessed using the Tests/Quizzes, course evaluations, and the end-of-program survey (Kleib et al., 2023). Evaluation of students’ satisfaction and learning can also be utilized to identify gaps where examinations, course contents, and teaching approaches have to be enhanced. Thirdly, the curriculum must be up to date and contemporary in certain areas such as health and computer literacy to reflect the dynamic real-world situation as well as prepare students to be world smart. Another criterion used in the evaluation process involves the relevance to the current and future healthcare needs. This is so because curriculum evaluation is important to ensure students are prepared for the challenges in the current as well as future healthcare setting (Ganotice et al., 2023).

This could entail staying current with emerging techniques, therapies, and technologies in the nursing domain. Feedback and happiness from students is another criterion. In the interim, it is important to assess the curriculum to see if the learning objectives of the program are being fulfilled. Analyzing exam results, clinical evaluation results, and other assessment forms may be part of this. 

Pilot Testing of Curriculum Evaluation

As soon as a new or revised curriculum is developed, several papers are produced as a sample to evaluate their efficiency during the pilot testing to identify the possibilities for further improvements. 

1. Guard through pilot testing that every student receives quality education by providing useful information about how they will respond to the curriculum.
2. Another good method of assessing the viability and efficiency of a new curriculum after implementation, but before full implementation, is to pilot the new curriculum for assessment. 
3. Establishing the test’s objectives and goals are several important preconditions necessary before the pilot test is to be conducted and among them there are the objective of the test and the goals it has to accomplish. This will in turn help in defining the data needed and the wanted outcome of the test.
4. Choose a representative sample of students, for the pilot test, it might be appropriate to choose a representative sample of pupils. 
5. Determine which course materials are appropriate and select the materials with which a pilot test will be conducted. These resources should illustrate the final product and the additions and changes that were made to the program.
6. Establishing the testing schedule recommended that a testing schedule should be developed side by side with the pilot test. Sufficient time should be provided within the program to enable the students to complete the course and feedback submission.
7. Test administration should be administered to the chosen student sample. The teacher’s assignment should be clear and brief, and the students should be requested to complete the course and give their feedback.
8. Examine the outcomes and whether the goal and objectives outlined in the test have been achieved is possible if the pilot test results are considered. 
9. There is a need to review the curriculum to ensure that the program requirements are met and this should be done based on the results of the pilot test.

Such beneficial pilot testing as the one done for the nursing informatics course was performed. Such changes to the curriculum will be demonstrated with another group of students that have been selected (Ganotice et al., 2023). To determine the extent to which the test’s aims and objectives have been achieved, the results of the test shall be analyzed. This could be done in a bid to change the curriculum if necessary so that objectives set for a specific program are met. As with any best practice, a pilot test of a nursing informatics course is a good idea before undertaking a large-scale implementation of the program. 

Short-Term and Long-Term Evaluation Plan

Short-term is a plan with some concrete time perspective and usually, it concerns a planning with a time of not more than one year. These aforementioned attributes are based on the short-term focus of strategic human resource managers, and their desire to resolve current challenges, as well as meet the present and current needs of the business (Yarbrough et al., 2022). Moral objectives might be emotional, short-term plans may encompass organizing an occasion, completing a specific project, and setting the time limit for a specific action.

Long-term plans are the plans that are supposed to take a longer period to be effected, it may even take a year or more. Managers attempt to achieve a long-term goal or objective of an organization by focusing on specific goals that are to be achieved in the future. Strategic plans are often more comprehensive and are made with an awareness of several factors that may act as potential success determinants (Voldbjerg et al., 2022). Examples of long-term objectives are; financial planning, personnel development or promotional strategy, and organization development planning.

It is, therefore, important to note that short-term and long-term curriculum evaluations have different roles to play in curriculum improvement. Summative or short formative assessments always provide constant feedback about the effectiveness of the curriculum that is currently being followed and help in identifying the areas that need improvement. Long-term assessments which are also known as terminal tests provide an overall view of the curriculum and its impact on the learners’ performance.

Unlike short-term evaluation, which targets short-term achievements such as employment status, long-term evaluation collects data on employment status, graduation rates, and any other factor to determine the efficacy of the curriculum in delivering the intended outcomes for students (Kleib et al., 2023). For example, counting the number of graduates employed involved in nursing use of technology as well as determining their satisfaction levels regarding the instructions they got in a particular nursing informatics course may present a long-term evaluation of a nursing informatics course.

These actions could be included in a procedure for implementing both short- and long-term evaluations:

Mention the objectives of the assessments and among them are identifying the learning areas that require more attention and the impact of curriculum on students’ performances among others. Choose method/s like surveys, focus groups, and data analysis in line with the evaluations’ when it comes to their purposes and goals. Administer surveys and interviews with the educators, students, and other stakeholders or study the existing data. Analyze to identify trends and possible further development (Ganotice et al., 2023). Decide on changes to be made in the light of the results of the evaluation and make changes to the curriculum where required. There must be short-term and long-term evaluation of curricula, and the development and improvements of curricula. Evaluation carried out intermittently together with feedback guarantees that the curriculum is up to date, effective, and achieves the goals that were set out for it.

Improving Curriculum Design

Therefore, incorporating ideas, concepts, and principles of evidence-based nursing in curriculum building can be of great improvement in Nursing students. EBP involves the use or the integration of current, relevant, and quality research findings to inform clinical decisions and patient care. Some nursing themes that can be incorporated into curriculum development are technology incorporation and student. Ordinal data using research involving undertaking inter-disciplinary teamwork and care (Kesten et al., 2021). Patient-centered care therefore puts a lot of emphasis on the fact that it is possible to deliver care while respecting the patients’ needs, and preferences as well as their values. Cooperation means cooperation between medical specialists of various specialties and interdisciplinary teamwork is aimed at enhancing patient outcomes. 

Similarly to these, the nursing best practices include the prevention of falls, patient pain control, and hand hygiene. Because pain management is very important to improving the patient’s condition and ensuring he/she will be happy with his/her experience at the hospital, hand hygiene is important in preventing the spread of infectious diseases (Dijkman et al., 2022). On one hand, it is possible to state that patient safety might be enhanced and the risk of falls minimized with the help of fall prevention measures including the utilization of bed alarms and patient monitoring. That ensures that nursing students are trained per contemporary and relevant knowledge, hence producing better qualified and efficient nurses by incorporating these evidential-based nursing concepts, theories, and practices when developing curriculum.

Accreditation Body for the Curriculum

This is the body that is responsible for evaluating and providing recommendations on the competency, credibility, and quality of educational institutions, programs, or services, hence the Accreditation Body. The rationale of accreditation is to ensure that educational services and programs deliver specific standards of quality and to enhance and support education standards (Albers et al., 2021). It is the function of accrediting bodies that are accredited at the national and international levels to study, evaluate, and monitor the quality of educational institutions, programs, and services. The accreditation body that should accredit the nursing program of Capella University is the Commission on Collegiate Nursing Education (CCNE). CCNE evaluates programs for nursing education to determine if they meet accreditation standards as well as standards of quality in nursing education. The following are among the evaluation criteria used by the CCNE:

Mission and governance imply that the program should have a clear objective toward which it is directed and a form of governance that will fit into the parent university. The curriculum should be changed to reflect the current trends and dynamics of the healthcare market and its specifics and meet the needs of students and the healthcare-related environment (Albers et al., 2021). Professional persons especially teachers should be experienced- competent, knowledgeable, and committed to the growth of professionals and learners. Nursing students who are likely to succeed academically and personally in the educational process should be admitted to the program. An effective and systematic means for evaluating the learning objectives of the students and integrating the results into the ongoing process must be incorporated into the program. For the program to enhance the growth of the teachers and the students, it has to be resourceful.

Conclusion

For purposes of quality assurance, revision of nursing education programs is crucial to ensure that they are functional, effective, and of high quality. Curriculum evaluation is a process of continuous assessment and it enables one to identify the areas that may need to be changed by applying various evaluation standards which range from the extent to which the curriculum fits the expected program outcomes, learners’ satisfaction, and the amount and quality of information learned by the students, current and appropriateness of the offered curriculum as well as the effectiveness of the teaching and learning processes (Diallo et al., 2023). Pilot testing is one kind of assessment that provides useful information on the feasibility and effectiveness of a newly created curriculum before complete testing. When pilot testing is implemented properly during a pilot test, it is possible to ensure all the students receive quality education.

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