Menofia University Faculty of Nursing Pediatric nursing department Doctoral Courses

Prepared by:Ass.Lec. / Aazza Abdalla Ghonem

2011

Outlines
Introduction

Definition Approaches to data gathering for

curriculum development

Contextual factors Importance of examining contextual

factors

Types of contextual factors

Internal contextual factors External contextual factors

References

Development of contextual relevant

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Curriculum (CRC)
Introduction
Context is the professional, societal, health care and educational situations to which curriculum must respond, and is what makes each school's curriculum unique. Contextually relevant curriculum will have unique features reflective of local &/or regional circumstances. Moreover, contextually relevant curriculums are dynamic, changing in response to altered circumstances.

Definition of CRC:
It is one that is responsive to learners, current & projected societal, health and community situation & is consistent with the mission, vision, philosophy & goals of the educational institution.

Approaches to data gathering for curriculum development:

Curriculum development in nursing

education helps nurse educators create a program of study that will meet the contextual needs of their individual setting.

A contextual relevant curriculum is

responsive to the educational & societal environment in which it is offered to create such a curriculum contextual factors within & beyond the school of nursing must be investigated.

Contextual factors:
Contextual factors are the forces, situations and circumstances that exist both within and outside the school & have the potential to influence school and its programs.

Importance of examining contextual factors

It provide the curriculum developers with

current information and patterns about: 1. Characteristics of learners 2. Learning expectation and environment 3. Professional practice expectation and environment 4. Clients of nursing care
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5. Major health problems and risks 6. Health care 7. Societal characteristics and needs

Types of contextual factors

A. Internal contextual factors: 1. Mission, Vision, Philosophy & Goals 2. Culture 3. History 4. Financial resources 5. Programs 6. Infrastructure of the educational institution B. External contextual factors: 1. Demographics 2. Culture 3. Health and health care 4. Professional standards and trends 5. Technology & informatics
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6. Environment 7. Social, Political & economic conditions

A.

Internal contextual factors:

These factors should be examined in 2 ways a. Macro view to capture the contextual data relevant to the institution. b. Micro view to focus more specifically on the school of nursing. 1.

Mission, Vision, Philosophy & goals: Every organization has a mission. It shapes the nature, scope and bounders

of the goals, activities & curricula of the school. Vision, is the expression of hope. It is a

description of what an organization will be like when it fully meets its purpose.

Philosophy is the articulation of guiding

principles, beliefs & values about services offered, community served & the fundamental activities that take place with them.

Mission, vision and purpose of the

institution are articulated most directly in the strategic plan. Data from strategic plan give direction to

recommendation about curriculum. 2. Culture:

It is a pattern of shared values, assumptions & behaviors Organizational culture evolves over time & is slow to change. It is formed by determinants such as people, how they interact & make decisions & the consequences of these actions also, is it welcomed or avoided. 3. History

Examining the institution's history will

reveal past values, successes &

challenges as well as the school's process for curriculum development.

Much can be learned about how past

challenges have been met & success achieved. These information will help in decisions about curriculum development. 4. Financial resources It is the most influencing factor in

curriculum design. Adequate financial resources are

essential for successful implementation. Knowledge of the operating costs of

school, budget planning and budget allocation is essential. 5. Programs & Polices

Programs & polices of the educational institution & school of nursing form an important factor of the internal environment

6. Infrastructure

It refers to those elements that form

the structure of the educational institution & school of nursing.

It includes human resources

(professors, students) & physical resources (availability & quality of material, space for classrooms.etc). 7. Resources to support teaching and learning:

It should be examined knowing what

is available & will assist in making curriculum decisions, planning &negotiating for additional resources. B. External contextual factors: These are forces, situations &

circumstances that originate outside the educational institution & have a potential to influence curriculum. 1. Demographics:

It is the scientific study of population

that focus on their size, distribution, age &social, cultural, economic & other

determinants of variations in any or all of these features. Demographic data assist curriculum

developers to know about people who are & will be clients of health care system. These data include: o o Birth, death & fertility rates. Distribution according to age, sex

& location o o o 2. Culture: It refers to the way of life a people including in their attitudes, values, beliefs, arts, science, modes of perception & habits of thoughts & activity. Curriculum designers should respect the traditions, shred beliefs & values. 3. Health & health care:
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Income level by age & sex Family structure Residence

Health of people clearly influences

nursing care & thus curriculum. Health care system is determinant

of the clinical learning context. Data related to health & health

care system include: o Most prevalent local & national health problems o Nature of health care agencies o Adequacy & availability of funding health care.etc.

Curriculum developers

ought to gather data pertaining to settings & opportunity for student clinical nursing experiences. 4.Professional standards & trends: Health care, nursing practice

standards & nursing education standards affect the practice & education of nurses. Data to be obtained include:

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Professional regularity license &

accreditation requirement o Self assessment & quality

assurance o Evidence based practice &

guidelines 5.Technology & informatics o Advances in IT, influence contents, teaching-learning strategies & courses management of nursing curricula. 6.Environment o It is abroad contextual factor that refers to atmospheric, physical & psychological milieu of a community. o Thus the influence of environment must be considered in curriculum planning. 7.Social, Political & economic conditions o As all these events or issues are interconnected with each affecting the others. Data about this is important for curriculum planning.
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References

Wasiw c., et al (2009). Curriculum Development in

Nursing Education. 2nd ed. Retrieved from: www.jbearning.com

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