GETTING STARTED IN TEACHING FOR
NURSING AND THE HEALTH
PROFESSIONS
1ST EDITION
• AUTHOR(S)JUDITH A. HALSTEAD;
DIANE M. BILLINGS
TEST BANK
1
Reference
Ch. 1 — Introduction to curriculum development
Stem
A nursing program is revising its curriculum to better prepare
graduates for clinical reasoning in complex settings. As the
faculty lead, you review program outcomes and notice a
misalignment between course assessments and program-level
Page | 1
,competencies. Which curriculum action best addresses this gap
while maintaining program coherence?
A. Replace current assessments with a single, high-stakes end-
of-program clinical exam.
B. Conduct a curriculum mapping exercise to align course
objectives, learning activities, and assessments with program
competencies.
C. Add more simulation hours to clinical courses without
changing assessment formats.
D. Delegate alignment tasks to individual course coordinators
and ask them to submit revised syllabi.
Correct answer: B
Rationale — Correct (B)
Curriculum mapping systematically reveals alignment (or
misalignment) among outcomes, objectives, activities, and
assessments. It enables coherent, program-level changes and
informs where to revise instruction or assessment. Halstead &
Billings emphasize alignment as core to effective curriculum
design.
Rationales — Incorrect
A. A single high-stakes exam may test competence but risks
poor curricular integration and doesn’t identify which courses
need changes.
C. Increasing simulation hours may improve skills but won’t
ensure assessments measure program competencies or fix
mapping problems.
Page | 2
,D. Delegation without a coordinated mapping framework risks
inconsistent approaches and preserves misalignment across
courses.
Teaching point
Use curriculum mapping to reveal and fix outcome–assessment
misalignment.
Citation
Halstead, J. A., & Billings, D. M. (2025). Getting Started in
Teaching for Nursing and the Health Professions (1st Ed.). Ch. 1.
2
Reference
Ch. 1 — Introduction to curriculum development
Stem
During initial stakeholder meetings for a new competency-
based track, clinical partners request more emphasis on
interprofessional communication. Faculty are divided about
where to place interprofessional learning. As curriculum
designer, which strategy best balances stakeholder input and
curricular constraints?
A. Insert a mandatory one-credit interprofessional course at the
program end.
B. Integrate interprofessional communication objectives across
existing clinical and theory courses and map assessments
accordingly.
Page | 3
, C. Offer interprofessional workshops as electives to keep
required curriculum intact.
D. Add interprofessional objectives to the program handbook
without changing courses.
Correct answer: B
Rationale — Correct (B)
Integrating interprofessional communication across courses
embeds skills in authentic contexts, aligns with competency-
based approaches, and respects curricular constraints. Halstead
& Billings advocate distributed integration for durable
competence and stakeholder responsiveness.
Rationales — Incorrect
A. A single course isolates the skill and may not provide
authentic practice across contexts.
C. Electives limit exposure for all learners and weaken program-
level competency attainment.
D. Handbook statements without curricular change produce
rhetorical alignment only, not measurable learning.
Teaching point
Embed competencies across courses for authentic, assessed
learning.
Citation
Halstead, J. A., & Billings, D. M. (2025). Getting Started in
Teaching for Nursing and the Health Professions (1st Ed.). Ch. 1.
Page | 4
NURSING AND THE HEALTH
PROFESSIONS
1ST EDITION
• AUTHOR(S)JUDITH A. HALSTEAD;
DIANE M. BILLINGS
TEST BANK
1
Reference
Ch. 1 — Introduction to curriculum development
Stem
A nursing program is revising its curriculum to better prepare
graduates for clinical reasoning in complex settings. As the
faculty lead, you review program outcomes and notice a
misalignment between course assessments and program-level
Page | 1
,competencies. Which curriculum action best addresses this gap
while maintaining program coherence?
A. Replace current assessments with a single, high-stakes end-
of-program clinical exam.
B. Conduct a curriculum mapping exercise to align course
objectives, learning activities, and assessments with program
competencies.
C. Add more simulation hours to clinical courses without
changing assessment formats.
D. Delegate alignment tasks to individual course coordinators
and ask them to submit revised syllabi.
Correct answer: B
Rationale — Correct (B)
Curriculum mapping systematically reveals alignment (or
misalignment) among outcomes, objectives, activities, and
assessments. It enables coherent, program-level changes and
informs where to revise instruction or assessment. Halstead &
Billings emphasize alignment as core to effective curriculum
design.
Rationales — Incorrect
A. A single high-stakes exam may test competence but risks
poor curricular integration and doesn’t identify which courses
need changes.
C. Increasing simulation hours may improve skills but won’t
ensure assessments measure program competencies or fix
mapping problems.
Page | 2
,D. Delegation without a coordinated mapping framework risks
inconsistent approaches and preserves misalignment across
courses.
Teaching point
Use curriculum mapping to reveal and fix outcome–assessment
misalignment.
Citation
Halstead, J. A., & Billings, D. M. (2025). Getting Started in
Teaching for Nursing and the Health Professions (1st Ed.). Ch. 1.
2
Reference
Ch. 1 — Introduction to curriculum development
Stem
During initial stakeholder meetings for a new competency-
based track, clinical partners request more emphasis on
interprofessional communication. Faculty are divided about
where to place interprofessional learning. As curriculum
designer, which strategy best balances stakeholder input and
curricular constraints?
A. Insert a mandatory one-credit interprofessional course at the
program end.
B. Integrate interprofessional communication objectives across
existing clinical and theory courses and map assessments
accordingly.
Page | 3
, C. Offer interprofessional workshops as electives to keep
required curriculum intact.
D. Add interprofessional objectives to the program handbook
without changing courses.
Correct answer: B
Rationale — Correct (B)
Integrating interprofessional communication across courses
embeds skills in authentic contexts, aligns with competency-
based approaches, and respects curricular constraints. Halstead
& Billings advocate distributed integration for durable
competence and stakeholder responsiveness.
Rationales — Incorrect
A. A single course isolates the skill and may not provide
authentic practice across contexts.
C. Electives limit exposure for all learners and weaken program-
level competency attainment.
D. Handbook statements without curricular change produce
rhetorical alignment only, not measurable learning.
Teaching point
Embed competencies across courses for authentic, assessed
learning.
Citation
Halstead, J. A., & Billings, D. M. (2025). Getting Started in
Teaching for Nursing and the Health Professions (1st Ed.). Ch. 1.
Page | 4
