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. Intro — Participating in Curriculum Development:
Introduction
Stem
A nursing program’s curriculum committee is reviewing a 5-year
curriculum that has declining clinical performance outcomes. As
the new faculty member on the committee, you must
recommend a first-step strategy to engage faculty in diagnosing
curricular gaps while promoting shared ownership. Which
Page | 1
,approach best balances rigorous evaluation with faculty
engagement?
Options
A. Commission an external curriculum audit and defer internal
discussion until results are available.
B. Convene faculty workshops to review outcome data and
facilitate root-cause analysis with cross-functional teams.
C. Replace current clinical course leaders with faculty
experienced in clinical performance improvement.
D. Add additional clinical hours to all courses immediately to
address performance deficits.
Correct Answer
B
Rationales
Correct (B): Facilitating faculty workshops to examine outcomes
and lead root-cause analysis fosters shared ownership, supports
capacity building, and aligns with collaborative curriculum
development practices advocated by Halstead & Billings. This
approach uses faculty expertise, promotes transparent
interpretation of data, and positions improvement as a
collective responsibility.
A: An external audit can be useful, but deferring internal faculty
involvement delays ownership and reduces capacity to sustain
changes; Halstead & Billings emphasize early faculty
engagement.
C: Replacing leaders is a disruptive, blame-oriented action that
Page | 2
,may erode morale; capacity building and role support are
preferred initial steps.
D: Increasing clinical hours is a superficial solution that may not
target specific gaps and consumes resources without diagnostic
justification.
Teaching Point
Engage faculty in data-driven root-cause analysis to build
ownership and sustainable curricular change.
Citation
Halstead, J. A., & Billings, D. M. (2025). Getting Started in
Teaching for Nursing and the Health Professions (1st Ed.). Ch.
Intro.
2
Reference
Ch. 1 — Introduction to Curriculum Development
Stem
An MSN-level faculty team is redesigning a course to move from
teacher-centered lectures to competency-based learning.
Faculty disagree about prioritizing content breadth versus
depth of competency. As curriculum lead, which decision best
reflects sound curriculum design principles?
Options
A. Preserve the full breadth of content but add competency
assessments at the end of the course.
Page | 3
, B. Reduce content breadth strategically to focus on essential
competencies and align assessments accordingly.
C. Leave content unchanged and hire adjunct clinical experts to
provide depth in optional seminars.
D. Split the course into two—one for content breadth and one
for competency practice—without changing assessments.
Correct Answer
B
Rationales
Correct (B): Strategic narrowing to focus on essential
competencies with aligned assessments reflects backward
design and intentionality; it promotes mastery rather than
surface coverage, consistent with Halstead & Billings’ emphasis
on outcome alignment.
A: Adding assessments without reducing content likely
overwhelms learners and fails to ensure competency
attainment.
C: Hiring adjuncts doesn’t address misalignment between
intended competencies and core curriculum; optional seminars
risk creating inequitable learning experiences.
D: Splitting the course without assessment realignment
perpetuates misalignment and may fragment learning
progression.
Teaching Point
Prioritize essential competencies and align content and
assessment for depth over unfocused breadth.
Page | 4
NURSING AND THE HEALTH
PROFESSIONS
1ST EDITION
• AUTHOR(S)JUDITH A. HALSTEAD;
DIANE M. BILLINGS
TEST BANK
1
Reference
Ch. Intro — Participating in Curriculum Development:
Introduction
Stem
A nursing program’s curriculum committee is reviewing a 5-year
curriculum that has declining clinical performance outcomes. As
the new faculty member on the committee, you must
recommend a first-step strategy to engage faculty in diagnosing
curricular gaps while promoting shared ownership. Which
Page | 1
,approach best balances rigorous evaluation with faculty
engagement?
Options
A. Commission an external curriculum audit and defer internal
discussion until results are available.
B. Convene faculty workshops to review outcome data and
facilitate root-cause analysis with cross-functional teams.
C. Replace current clinical course leaders with faculty
experienced in clinical performance improvement.
D. Add additional clinical hours to all courses immediately to
address performance deficits.
Correct Answer
B
Rationales
Correct (B): Facilitating faculty workshops to examine outcomes
and lead root-cause analysis fosters shared ownership, supports
capacity building, and aligns with collaborative curriculum
development practices advocated by Halstead & Billings. This
approach uses faculty expertise, promotes transparent
interpretation of data, and positions improvement as a
collective responsibility.
A: An external audit can be useful, but deferring internal faculty
involvement delays ownership and reduces capacity to sustain
changes; Halstead & Billings emphasize early faculty
engagement.
C: Replacing leaders is a disruptive, blame-oriented action that
Page | 2
,may erode morale; capacity building and role support are
preferred initial steps.
D: Increasing clinical hours is a superficial solution that may not
target specific gaps and consumes resources without diagnostic
justification.
Teaching Point
Engage faculty in data-driven root-cause analysis to build
ownership and sustainable curricular change.
Citation
Halstead, J. A., & Billings, D. M. (2025). Getting Started in
Teaching for Nursing and the Health Professions (1st Ed.). Ch.
Intro.
2
Reference
Ch. 1 — Introduction to Curriculum Development
Stem
An MSN-level faculty team is redesigning a course to move from
teacher-centered lectures to competency-based learning.
Faculty disagree about prioritizing content breadth versus
depth of competency. As curriculum lead, which decision best
reflects sound curriculum design principles?
Options
A. Preserve the full breadth of content but add competency
assessments at the end of the course.
Page | 3
, B. Reduce content breadth strategically to focus on essential
competencies and align assessments accordingly.
C. Leave content unchanged and hire adjunct clinical experts to
provide depth in optional seminars.
D. Split the course into two—one for content breadth and one
for competency practice—without changing assessments.
Correct Answer
B
Rationales
Correct (B): Strategic narrowing to focus on essential
competencies with aligned assessments reflects backward
design and intentionality; it promotes mastery rather than
surface coverage, consistent with Halstead & Billings’ emphasis
on outcome alignment.
A: Adding assessments without reducing content likely
overwhelms learners and fails to ensure competency
attainment.
C: Hiring adjuncts doesn’t address misalignment between
intended competencies and core curriculum; optional seminars
risk creating inequitable learning experiences.
D: Splitting the course without assessment realignment
perpetuates misalignment and may fragment learning
progression.
Teaching Point
Prioritize essential competencies and align content and
assessment for depth over unfocused breadth.
Page | 4
