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 new graduate nursing program is forming its first curriculum
committee. As the appointed faculty lead, you must prioritize
early steps. Given limited faculty time and diverse stakeholder
interests, which initial action will best position the committee to
create an aligned, defensible curriculum?
Page | 1
,A. Draft a complete course sequence and submit it to
stakeholders for feedback.
B. Convene a stakeholder needs analysis and identify program-
level outcomes before designing courses.
C. Benchmark prestige programs’ syllabi and copy their course
objectives to save time.
D. Begin with faculty preferences for teaching methods and
adapt outcomes to fit those methods.
Correct answer: B
Rationale — Correct
Conducting a stakeholder needs analysis and identifying
program-level outcomes first ensures the curriculum is
grounded in learner, employer, accreditation, and population
needs. This outcome-first approach enables backward design
and alignment of courses, assessments, and resources—an
evidence-based curriculum development principle in Halstead &
Billings.
Rationale — Incorrect A
Drafting a complete course sequence before establishing
outcomes risks misalignment with stakeholder needs and
accreditation requirements; it inverts backward design.
Rationale — Incorrect C
Benchmarking can inform design, but copying objectives
without contextual needs analysis undermines validity and
program distinctiveness.
Page | 2
,Rationale — Incorrect D
Centering faculty preferences before clarifying outcomes leads
to method-driven rather than outcome-driven curriculum
design, decreasing learner-centered effectiveness.
Teaching Point
Begin with needs assessment and clear program-level outcomes
for backward alignment.
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 curricular planning, faculty disagree about whether to
prioritize immediate clinical skill competencies or foundational
conceptual knowledge. As curriculum co-chair, how should you
resolve this tension to produce a coherent curriculum?
A. Sequence courses so that foundational concepts are taught
only in the first year, then focus exclusively on skills.
B. Integrate conceptual threads with staged clinical
competencies using a competency-based progression map.
C. Let clinical faculty determine skill timing and let theory
faculty define conceptual courses separately.
Page | 3
, D. Defer the decision until after student cohorts begin, allowing
emergent needs to dictate emphasis.
Correct answer: B
Rationale — Correct
Integrating conceptual threads with staged competency
development aligns with spiral curriculum and competency-
based education principles: concepts are revisited at increasing
complexity while skills advance through entrustable
progression. This synthesis preserves coherence and supports
transfer to clinical practice.
Rationale — Incorrect A
Teaching concepts only early then skills later fragments
integration, reducing learners’ ability to apply theory in
practice.
Rationale — Incorrect C
Siloed faculty control creates parallel, misaligned tracks;
curriculum must be intentionally integrated, not delegated by
preference.
Rationale — Incorrect D
Deferring decisions until program implementation risks
inconsistency and accreditation problems; proactive design is
required.
Teaching Point
Use integrated, staged competency maps to link theory and
practice across the program.
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 new graduate nursing program is forming its first curriculum
committee. As the appointed faculty lead, you must prioritize
early steps. Given limited faculty time and diverse stakeholder
interests, which initial action will best position the committee to
create an aligned, defensible curriculum?
Page | 1
,A. Draft a complete course sequence and submit it to
stakeholders for feedback.
B. Convene a stakeholder needs analysis and identify program-
level outcomes before designing courses.
C. Benchmark prestige programs’ syllabi and copy their course
objectives to save time.
D. Begin with faculty preferences for teaching methods and
adapt outcomes to fit those methods.
Correct answer: B
Rationale — Correct
Conducting a stakeholder needs analysis and identifying
program-level outcomes first ensures the curriculum is
grounded in learner, employer, accreditation, and population
needs. This outcome-first approach enables backward design
and alignment of courses, assessments, and resources—an
evidence-based curriculum development principle in Halstead &
Billings.
Rationale — Incorrect A
Drafting a complete course sequence before establishing
outcomes risks misalignment with stakeholder needs and
accreditation requirements; it inverts backward design.
Rationale — Incorrect C
Benchmarking can inform design, but copying objectives
without contextual needs analysis undermines validity and
program distinctiveness.
Page | 2
,Rationale — Incorrect D
Centering faculty preferences before clarifying outcomes leads
to method-driven rather than outcome-driven curriculum
design, decreasing learner-centered effectiveness.
Teaching Point
Begin with needs assessment and clear program-level outcomes
for backward alignment.
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 curricular planning, faculty disagree about whether to
prioritize immediate clinical skill competencies or foundational
conceptual knowledge. As curriculum co-chair, how should you
resolve this tension to produce a coherent curriculum?
A. Sequence courses so that foundational concepts are taught
only in the first year, then focus exclusively on skills.
B. Integrate conceptual threads with staged clinical
competencies using a competency-based progression map.
C. Let clinical faculty determine skill timing and let theory
faculty define conceptual courses separately.
Page | 3
, D. Defer the decision until after student cohorts begin, allowing
emergent needs to dictate emphasis.
Correct answer: B
Rationale — Correct
Integrating conceptual threads with staged competency
development aligns with spiral curriculum and competency-
based education principles: concepts are revisited at increasing
complexity while skills advance through entrustable
progression. This synthesis preserves coherence and supports
transfer to clinical practice.
Rationale — Incorrect A
Teaching concepts only early then skills later fragments
integration, reducing learners’ ability to apply theory in
practice.
Rationale — Incorrect C
Siloed faculty control creates parallel, misaligned tracks;
curriculum must be intentionally integrated, not delegated by
preference.
Rationale — Incorrect D
Deferring decisions until program implementation risks
inconsistency and accreditation problems; proactive design is
required.
Teaching Point
Use integrated, staged competency maps to link theory and
practice across the program.
Page | 4
