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 faculty member is asked to join a program committee revising
the undergraduate nursing curriculum to reflect competency-
based education. She notes faculty vary widely in experience
and is concerned about inconsistent expectations. As a
curriculum participant, which initial approach best aligns
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,program design with faculty development and long-term
sustainability?
A. Recommend immediate adoption of a prebuilt competency
framework and require all faculty to use it without modification.
B. Facilitate a collaborative needs assessment with faculty to
map existing strengths and gaps before selecting or adapting a
competency framework.
C. Delegate curriculum decisions to the program director and
focus faculty development on assessment implementation only.
D. Hire external consultants to write the curriculum, and use
faculty time for classroom delivery.
Correct answer
B
Rationale — Correct (3–4 sentences)
Conducting a collaborative needs assessment engages faculty,
surfaces local strengths and gaps, and supports contextual
adaptation of competency frameworks — a best practice in
curriculum development. Halstead & Billings emphasize faculty
participation and alignment between curricular goals and
existing capacity; starting with assessment builds buy-in and
informs targeted faculty development. This approach promotes
sustainability because it leverages faculty expertise while
identifying concrete development needs.
Rationale — Incorrect
A. Mandating an unadapted framework risks poor fit, low buy-
in, and superficial implementation; it ignores local context.
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,C. Delegating decisions isolates faculty, undermines shared
governance and likely decreases ownership and quality.
D. Outsourcing curriculum writing without faculty involvement
bypasses educator competencies and reduces internal capacity
to sustain the curriculum.
Teaching Point
Start curriculum change with collaborative needs assessment
and faculty engagement.
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 — Faculty Role and Responsibilities in Curriculum
Development
Stem
During curriculum revision, a senior faculty argues faculty
should make all content choices because they best know what
to teach. A junior faculty counters that stakeholder input
(clinical partners, learners, regulators) is essential. As
curriculum lead, how should you resolve this conflict to uphold
curriculum quality while honoring faculty expertise?
A. Prioritize faculty judgment exclusively; stakeholders should
adapt to academic decisions.
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, B. Use a shared governance process that integrates faculty
expertise with stakeholder consultation to inform curricular
decisions.
C. Give final decision authority to clinical partners to ensure
real-world relevance.
D. Put decisions to a simple majority vote of all program staff,
excluding external stakeholders.
Correct answer
B
Rationale — Correct (3–4 sentences)
A shared governance model balances faculty professional
expertise with external stakeholder perspectives, improving
relevance and meeting accreditation and practice standards.
Halstead & Billings highlight faculty responsibility for curricular
quality but also stress the need to consult clinical partners,
employers, and regulators to ensure alignment with practice
expectations. Integrating both preserves academic judgment
while ensuring accountability and relevance.
Rationale — Incorrect
A. Exclusive faculty control risks misalignment with practice,
accreditation, and learner needs.
C. Ceding authority to clinical partners undermines academic
standards and faculty responsibility for pedagogy.
D. Majority votes without structured stakeholder input can
produce decisions lacking external validity and strategic
alignment.
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