C920 Contemporary Curriculum Design and Development in Nursing Education

C920 Contemporary Curriculum Design and Development in Nursing Education

Student Name

Western Governors University

C920 Contemporary Curriculum Design and Development in Nursing Education

Prof. Name:

Date

C920 Contemporary Curriculum Design and Development in Nursing Education

Learning Environment

What is the focus of the first module in this course?

The first module centers on vulnerable populations within the community and the environmental factors that influence their health. Upon completing this module, students will be able to identify and describe various resources that promote environmental health in community settings. They will also be skilled at recognizing significant environmental health hazards and pollutants that adversely affect community health. Additionally, students will gain insight into the historical development of community health nursing. This foundational module is designed to enhance students’ knowledge, skills, and competencies, specifically regarding vulnerable community groups and environmental influences.

What does the second module cover?

The second module focuses on conducting comprehensive community assessments. It aims to develop students’ competencies in systematically evaluating specific health-related issues within a chosen community. Students will learn how to collect, interpret, and analyze data derived from community assessments. This module emphasizes the design of population-based intervention plans to address identified health challenges and foster an organizational environment conducive to positive change. Moreover, students will explain the social determinants of health affecting their selected communities.

What is the focus of the third module?

The third module concentrates on infectious disease processes and epidemiology. Students will develop skills in applying epidemiologic principles to analyze data, identify determinants of health and illness based on community-specific data, and formulate population-based care plans. This module involves group work where students investigate a disease prevalent in their community, describe it, identify prevention strategies, and present their findings to the class through presentations lasting at least 20 minutes, supported by educational materials such as handouts and posters.

Module Number	Focus Area	Key Learning Outcomes	Activities
1	Vulnerable Groups & Environmental Health	Identify environmental health resources, hazards, pollutants; explain historical roots of community nursing	Research environmental hazards; create community pamphlets
2	Community Assessment	Conduct thorough community assessments; interpret data; develop population-based intervention plans	Data analysis; describe social determinants of health; presentations
3	Infectious Disease & Epidemiology	Analyze epidemiologic data; identify disease determinants; develop prevention plans; group presentation	Group research; presentation on community-specific diseases

Learning Theory

How does cognitive constructivism apply to this course?

Cognitive constructivism facilitates the integration of new information with existing knowledge, enabling students to adapt and expand their understanding actively. For example, in the first module, students research an environmental hazard and then create an informational pamphlet to educate the community. This process requires students to connect new research findings to their previous knowledge about environmental hazards and their health impacts. The online learning environment supports this approach by allowing students to conduct research collaboratively using internet resources. As an instructor, my role is to facilitate this discovery process by providing appropriate resources and scaffolding learning based on the students’ prior knowledge, ensuring they can effectively assimilate and accommodate new information.

Learning Resource Justification

Module	Resource Name	Description	Purpose and Outcome
1	American Nursing: An Introduction to the Past (UPenn, 2021)	Online resource detailing the history of nursing and health care	Students select a historic figure to research and present findings
2	Evidence-Based Public Health (Wolf, 2021)	Provides systematic methods for community health assessment	Guides students in completing thorough community assessments
3	Public Health Guidance for Community-Related Exposure (CDC, 2021)	Offers tools for epidemiologic analysis and disease prevention strategies	Supports students in disease data analysis and care plan development

These selected resources are carefully chosen to enrich students’ understanding and to support achievement of the learning outcomes while fostering critical thinking and practical application.

Scenario-Based Learning Activity

What is the purpose of the scenario-based learning activity in module three?

Context-based learning promotes the development of practical skills in dynamic, global health environments. The third module features a group project where students research infectious diseases and epidemiology, culminating in a collaborative presentation. This student-led approach positions the instructor as a facilitator rather than an active participant, encouraging autonomous learning, exploration, and critical reflection. Students are expected to investigate disease backgrounds, epidemiologic data, transmission modes, and prevention strategies. The reflective component encourages students to consider how they might respond to a community disease outbreak and how nurses can contribute to disease prevention and patient management.

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References

American Nursing: An Introduction to the Past, Nursing, History, and Health Care, Penn Nursing. (2021). Retrieved from https://www.upenn.edu

Bastable, S. B. (2019). Nurse as educator: Principles of teaching and learning for nursing practice (5th ed.). Jones & Bartlett Learning.

Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). (2021). Public health guidance for community-related exposure. Retrieved from https://www.cdc.gov

Clark, M. J. (1999). Nursing in the community: Dimensions of community health nursing (3rd ed.). Appleton & Lange.

Diamond, R. M. (2008). Designing and assessing courses and curricula: A practical guide (3rd ed.). Jossey-Bass.

Muncy, J. A. (2014). Blogging for reflection: The use of online journals to engage students in reflective learning. Marketing Education Review, 24(2), 101-114. https://doi.org/10.2753/MER1052-8008240202

Price, K. M., & Nelson, K. L. (2011). Planning effective instruction: Diversity responsive methods and management (4th ed.). Wadsworth.

Wolf, H. (2021). Evidence-based public health module 2: Community assessment. Retrieved from http://phlearnlink.nwcphp.org/pluginfile.php/20862/mod_resource/content/7/EBPH_M2.pdf=