Abstract
Problem: Achieving excellence in higher education requires a rigorous and continuous evaluation process.1 The program evaluation process should evolve and adapt to reflect the school’s culture.2 This ongoing process enhances data collection and identifies gaps in the teaching process, curriculum and practice potential for enrolled students.2 Graduate Faculty at a Midwest public University implemented a comprehensive approach to evaluation of all courses in the curriculum on a continual basis. They worked with Information Technology (IT) staff to computerize the components of the ongoing program evaluation. This process could be adapted to meet the needs of any program.
Process: A syllabus is central to the development of any course. The faculty and IT staff developed a digital tool that included all essential university driven components as it generated a syllabus for instructors, and was designed to link all assignments and course objectives/learning outcomes to the program objectives and the American Colleges of Nursing (AACN) (2021) essentials.
All courses in the nursing graduate curriculum are reviewed minimally every four years. The original process included a review of the entire course including the syllabus, assignments, objectives, lectures, course materials and student grades. To utilize technology and track data, the faculty and IT staff developed a digital course review tool. The tool included links that connected the faculty reviewer to the resources necessary to complete the evaluation such as the course catalog, Bloom’s taxonomy, and previous course reviews.
A move in nursing to competency-based education (CBE)3 increased the need to systematically evaluate the courses within the curriculum. Oermann recommends that adoption of CBE includes a plan for evaluation that is comprehensive and that facilitates holistic assessment of the program and the students’ learning and performance.2 To monitor the progress toward CBE, the faculty continued working with IT staff to incorporate the new AACN domains into a mapping tool that utilized Google surveys. This tool was developed to map each course to program and terminal objectives, nurse practitioner competencies and the 2021 AACN Essentials. The tool links make it efficient to download assignments into a digital repository. All data inputted is collated in a Google spreadsheet which can be queried to produce tables on any element allowing for an assessment of gaps and/or strengths in the curriculum.
Implications: Interactive syllabi generators ensure uniformity, standardized curriculum review processes removes biases and reflects program integrity. Mapping ensures balanced integration and blending of curricular content.4 Further, the information collected provides the data needed for accreditation visits while the ongoing reviews ensure that any gaps in the curriculum are addressed. Utilizing technology that faculty use routinely makes digital interventions integral for program efficiency.5
Notes
References:
1. Aljuffali L, Faihan BinLebdah A, Alfaraj R, et al. Closing the loop: Strengthening course quality of Pharm.D. program via applying a comprehensive four-step review approach. Saudi Pharm J. 2024;32(9):102151. doi:10.1016/j.jsps.2024.102151
2. Oermann MH. Competency-Based Education in Nursing: Getting started With program evaluation. Nurse Educ. 2023;48(2):108-109. doi:10.1097/NNE.0000000000001366
3. American Association of Colleges of Nursing. The Essentials: core competencies for professional nursing education. 2021:1-84.
4. Mahzari M, AlNahedh T, Ahmed AA, Al Rumyyan A, Shaban S, Magzoub ME. Practical guide to undergraduate medical curriculum alignment and mapping. Adv Med Educ Pract. 2023;14:1001-1012. Published 2023 Sep 18. doi:10.2147/AMEP.S424815
5. Elliott B, Chargualaf KA, Patterson B. Using Digital Interventions to Support Faculty Development and Enhance Learning Transfer. J Nurs Educ. Published online July 23, 2024. doi:10.3928/01484834-20240425-03
Sigma Membership
Kappa Iota, Pi Delta
Type
Presentation
Format Type
Text-based Document
Study Design/Type
Other
Research Approach
Other
Keywords:
Curriculum Development, Instrument and Tool Development, Nursing Education, Emerging Technologies, Curriculum Evaluation
Recommended Citation
Buterakos, Roxanne; Kupferschmid, Barbara; Wehbe-Alamah, Hiba; Cooper, Denise; and Drake, Jeffrey, "Utilizing Technology to Systematically Evaluate Curriculum and Connect Nursing Competencies" (2025). Biennial Convention (CONV). 173.
https://www.sigmarepository.org/convention/2025/presentations_2025/173
Conference Name
48th Biennial Convention
Conference Host
Sigma Theta Tau International
Conference Location
Indianapolis, Indiana, USA
Conference Year
2025
Rights Holder
All rights reserved by the author(s) and/or publisher(s) listed in this item record unless relinquished in whole or part by a rights notation or a Creative Commons License present in this item record. All permission requests should be directed accordingly and not to the Sigma Repository. All submitting authors or publishers have affirmed that when using material in their work where they do not own copyright, they have obtained permission of the copyright holder prior to submission and the rights holder has been acknowledged as necessary.
Review Type
Abstract Review Only: Reviewed by Event Host
Acquisition
Proxy-submission
Date of Issue
2025-12-04
Utilizing Technology to Systematically Evaluate Curriculum and Connect Nursing Competencies
Indianapolis, Indiana, USA
Problem: Achieving excellence in higher education requires a rigorous and continuous evaluation process.1 The program evaluation process should evolve and adapt to reflect the school’s culture.2 This ongoing process enhances data collection and identifies gaps in the teaching process, curriculum and practice potential for enrolled students.2 Graduate Faculty at a Midwest public University implemented a comprehensive approach to evaluation of all courses in the curriculum on a continual basis. They worked with Information Technology (IT) staff to computerize the components of the ongoing program evaluation. This process could be adapted to meet the needs of any program.
Process: A syllabus is central to the development of any course. The faculty and IT staff developed a digital tool that included all essential university driven components as it generated a syllabus for instructors, and was designed to link all assignments and course objectives/learning outcomes to the program objectives and the American Colleges of Nursing (AACN) (2021) essentials.
All courses in the nursing graduate curriculum are reviewed minimally every four years. The original process included a review of the entire course including the syllabus, assignments, objectives, lectures, course materials and student grades. To utilize technology and track data, the faculty and IT staff developed a digital course review tool. The tool included links that connected the faculty reviewer to the resources necessary to complete the evaluation such as the course catalog, Bloom’s taxonomy, and previous course reviews.
A move in nursing to competency-based education (CBE)3 increased the need to systematically evaluate the courses within the curriculum. Oermann recommends that adoption of CBE includes a plan for evaluation that is comprehensive and that facilitates holistic assessment of the program and the students’ learning and performance.2 To monitor the progress toward CBE, the faculty continued working with IT staff to incorporate the new AACN domains into a mapping tool that utilized Google surveys. This tool was developed to map each course to program and terminal objectives, nurse practitioner competencies and the 2021 AACN Essentials. The tool links make it efficient to download assignments into a digital repository. All data inputted is collated in a Google spreadsheet which can be queried to produce tables on any element allowing for an assessment of gaps and/or strengths in the curriculum.
Implications: Interactive syllabi generators ensure uniformity, standardized curriculum review processes removes biases and reflects program integrity. Mapping ensures balanced integration and blending of curricular content.4 Further, the information collected provides the data needed for accreditation visits while the ongoing reviews ensure that any gaps in the curriculum are addressed. Utilizing technology that faculty use routinely makes digital interventions integral for program efficiency.5