GATHERING DATA ABOUT CONTEXTUAL FACTORS FOR CURRICULUM DEVELOPMENT

I. Objectives

1. State the Vision and Mission of employer/institution

2. State the significance of each internal contextual factors

II. Definition of Terms

Contextual Factors- forces, situatuions, and circumstances that exist both within and outside
the school of nursing and have the potential to influence the school and its programs.

Internal contextual factors- forces, situations, and circumstances that originate within the
school and educational institution, that is, within the environment of the educational
instituion.

External contextual factors- forces, situations, and circumstances that originate outside the
educational institution in the community, region, country, and world.

Data- specific facts and information about the contextual factors deemed most likely to
shape the curriculum.

An examination of contextual factors within and across the internal and external environments provides
curriculum developers with current information from which they can infer furture trends about:

 Characteristics of learners
 Learning expectations and environments
 Clients of nursing care

III. Internal Contextual Factors

The internal contextual factors include:

 History
 Philosophy
 Culture
 Financial Resources
 Programs and Infrastructure
A. History

-Institution’s history will reveal past values, successes, and challenges

-Learned experiences on the addressed challenges and achieved successes

Example: An educational institution which already established an international reputation

through the years, curriculum developers might examine the way this was achieved and ask how
the nursing curriculum could contribute to or capitalize on this renown.

Answers to the following questions will provide insights to the history of the school and the
institution.

1. When were the educational institution and the school of nursing started?
2. Have the institution’s and school’s purposed changed over time? If so, why?
3. How does the history influence current programs and operations?
4. What programs are offered? How have these evolved? Over what time frame?

B. Financial Resources

-Knowledge of the operating costs of a school, budget planning, and budget allocation is
essential.
-The availability of adequate funding can constrain the curriculum design and is foundational to
successful implementation.

C. Programs and Policies

Institutional programs influence curriculum design by:

1. Type of programs
2. Number of programs
3. Physical and human resources dedicated to programs
4. Relationship of the developing curriculum to other programs.

Example: If health promotion is the strength of the graduate program, it would be reasonable to
expect emphasis in this area in the new undergraduate curriculum.

-Curriculum development must be considered in light of existing policies and guidelines.

-Changing school policies, as part of curriculum change, can be a complicated process and must
be accomplished within the context of existing institutional regulations.
-Request for policy changes that might affect the educational institution are more complex and
can be expected to take longer period of time to achieve.
D. Infrastructure

Infrastructure refers to those elements that form the structure of the educational institution and
school of nursing. These include human and physical resources, as well as resources to support
teaching and learning.

1. Human Resources- form the core of the curriculum and are the most important resources of
the institution.

“transactions and interactions that take place between students and teachers and among
students [human resources]...are the curriculum” According to Bevis (2000).

1.1 Faculty -key contributors to curriculum development and implementation, and

represent a vital part of internal infrastructure.

-critical sources of insight and information about what to include in the

curriculum.

-information about current nursing and non-nursing faculty and the

pool of potential faculty is an important determinant of curriculum
design.

-Adjunct faculty, guest lecturers, clinical experts, preceptors, and

healthcare administrators form part of the faculty resources.

1.2 Students -essential human resource; without them, there is no need for
curriculum.

-student data form the basis of much internal contextual

information critical to curriculum development.

-changes in student characteristics could be instrument in

triggering curriculum changes.

Table 5.1 STUDENT DATA

 Number of applicants  Grade point average
 Number of admissions  Grades in nursing and support courses
 Numbers meeting and exceeding  Attrition rates and rationale
admission requirements  Success rate on national registration
 Demographics examinations
-previous education  Follow-up data about graduates
-age -employment positions
-marital status -employer evaluations
-number of dependents -numbers admitted to graduate programs
-employment status
 Catchment area
 Proportion of full-and part-time students
 1.3 Support Staff -secretaries, admission officers, caretakers, information
technology specialists, and others.

-facilitate the smooth day-to-day operations of the school.

-gathering data about this group

Information about human resources includes details about contracts that govern the
working life of faculty and staff.

A review of faculty and staff collective agreements provides insights into matters such
as job expectations, holiday entitlement, hours of work, and so forth.

For Example: If the educational institution were prohibited from assigning full-time
faculty to teach on weekends, then curriculum designers would have to weigh the
educational value of weekend clinical experience for students against the effects f
inaccessibility of full-time faculty.

2. Physical Resources

-Availability and quality of materials and space for classrooms, offices, and laboratories must
be considered.

-Physical resources must be sufficient to match the curriculum design and student learning
needs.

-Technology (such as office computers, student computer labs, audio-visual and clinical
equipment, smart classrooms, and distance technology) should be assessed. Technologies
assist to fulfill their roles efficiently, are necessary for effective teaching, and facilitate
student learning.

Resources to Support Teaching and Learning

Library Resources

A review of the library’s holdings will identify the strengths and gaps in the library’s
collection.

The availability of online databases has implications for curriculum and course designs,
student assignments and faculty research.

Knowledge about shortcomings in library holdings provides a basis for negotiation for
altered expanded resources.
 Faculty Development Services

School and institution-wide programs related to teaching and research development can be
sources of ideas and support for the new curriculum.

However, if there are no programs relevant to teaching or evaluation in the new curriculum,
then curriculum developers will have four choices:
• create and offer the faculty development program themselves
• hire a consultant
• negotiate for an institution-wide program that will not be specific to nursing
• avoid particular teaching and evaluation approaches in the new curriculum.

Teaching Support

Graduate teaching assistants, or other university-employed or sponsored students, can

extend faculty teaching.

Graduate students contribute to curriculum implementation through teaching, grading

assignments, and leading tutorial sessions.

Sources of funding for innovative teaching or curriculum, or for curriculum development

should be explored.

Student Services

Assessment and development f academic skills, personal support, health, recreation,

and financial assistance.

Can mean difference between success and failure for many students.

IV. Summary

Internal contextual factors are those forces, situations, and circumstances that originate
within the school and educational institution and have the potential to influence curriculum.

These should be examined with two lenses. A macro lens capture the contextual data
relevant to the institution; a micro lens focuses more specifically on the school of nursing.

V. Reference

Iwasiw, C. et. al. (2015). Curriculum Development in Nursing Education. Sudburry, MA:
Jones and Barlett Publishers