Curriculum Development in Nursing Education (5cr)

Objective

The purpose is to deepen your understanding of curriculum development principles utilizing current evidence of contemporary nursing education. This course provides you with a comprehensive exploration of curriculum design, development, implementation, and evaluation within the context of nursing education. Course examines foundational theories of education, contemporary pedagogical approaches, and the influence of healthcare trends on curriculum planning. Emphasis is placed on aligning curriculum with professional standards, regulatory requirements, and the evolving needs of diverse learners and healthcare systems.



Through critical analysis and practical application, you will learn to construct meaningful learning experiences, integrate evidence-based content, and ensure curricular coherence across academic and clinical settings. The course also addresses strategies for stakeholder engagement, program accreditation, and continuous quality improvement in nursing education.
By the end of the course, you will be able to critically analyze educational philosophies and theories relevant to nursing curriculum development and design curriculum components that reflect current nursing practice, competencies, and societal health needs. You can apply principles of instructional design and assessment to nursing education. You can evaluate curriculum effectiveness using appropriate metrics and feedback mechanisms. Your skills in collaboration with academic and clinical partners are strengthened to ensure curriculum relevance and sustainability.

Content

Educational philosophies and learning theories

Competency-based education

Curriculum mapping techniques

Contemporary Pedagogical Approaches

Designing Learning Outcomes and Competencies

Evidence-Based Content Integration

Assessment Strategies

Curriculum Implementation

Curriculum Evaluation and Quality Improvement

Assessment criteria, satisfactory (1)

Demonstrates limited understanding of pedagogical theories; application is inconsistent and lacks depth.
Designs clinical learning experiences at a basic level with minimal attention to critical thinking or competence.
Uses digital tools and simulation occasionally without clear pedagogical purpose.
Ethical, cultural, and patient-centered aspects are considered superficially.
Mentorship strategies are applied sporadically and without structure.
Shows minimal awareness of interprofessional education and teamwork principles.
Evaluates teaching effectiveness using only basic or informal feedback methods.

Assessment criteria, good (3)

Applies pedagogical theories consistently and explains choices with practical examples.
Designs and evaluates clinical learning experiences that support learning objectives and foster critical thinking.
Integrates digital tools and simulation effectively to enhance instruction.
Incorporates ethical, culturally competent, and patient-centered approaches in practice.
Uses mentorship strategies actively to support professional identity development.
Applies interprofessional principles and teamwork in clinical contexts to promote collaboration.
Uses multiple metrics and structured feedback to evaluate teaching effectiveness

Assessment criteria, excellent (5)

Applies pedagogical theories comprehensively and justifies decisions with theoretical and practical evidence.
Designs innovative and critically evaluated clinical learning experiences that significantly enhance competence and critical thinking.
Integrates simulation and digital tools creatively and pedagogically to transform clinical instruction.
Embeds ethical, cultural, and patient-centered principles deeply into all teaching practices and develops new approaches.
Implements mentorship strategically and develops models that foster professional identity formation.
Promotes interprofessional collaboration actively and leads initiatives to strengthen teamwork in clinical education.
Uses systematic, evidence-based evaluation methods and continuously improves teaching practices through data-driven feedback.

Assessment criteria, approved/failed

• Demonstrates ability to critically analyze and compare major educational philosophies and learning theories.
• Identifies core nursing competencies and integrates them into curriculum planning.
• Designs learning activities that align with competency-based frameworks.
• Accurately maps curriculum components to learning outcomes and competencies.
• Justifies choices based on current evidence and best practices in nursing education.
• Formulates clear, measurable, and achievable learning outcomes.
• Incorporates current research and evidence-based practices into curriculum content.
• Develops valid and reliable assessment tools for evaluating student performance.
• Aligns assessment methods with learning outcomes and competencies.
• Plans effective strategies for implementing curriculum in academic and clinical environments.
• Proposes evidence-based recommendations for continuous quality improvement.