| The purpose of this study was to design, develop, and evaluate a process and a supporting handbook for developing a nursing curriculum. To that end, this study attempted to achieve two closely related objectives: (1) To design a set of processes for developing a conceptually based nursing education curriculum and to embody those processes in materials readily usable by curriculum workers. (2) To evaluate those processes and those materials for soundness and utility.;In order to achieve these objectives several activities were undertaken. First, a systematic review of the literature was conducted for the purpose of identifying those curriculum development processes useful for the development of a nursing curriculum based on a nursing model. Once the major components of a curriculum development process were identified, a curriculum handbook was designed. The process addressed in the handbook consisted of five phases: (1) analysis phase, (2) design phase, (3) planning phase, (4) operation phase, and (5) evaluation phase.;The handbook was evaluated for its soundness and utility by four nurse educators, with experience in the field of curriculum and instruction, and by seven workshop participants. Data were collected from the panel of experts through the use of a questionnaire. A questionnaire and an interview were used to collect data from the workshop participants. The findings of the study indicated that general agreement existed among the panel of experts and workshop participants that the curriculum handbook is a valuable guide for those engaged in curriculum development.;The workshop which was designed as a format for field testing the handbook was evaluated by the participants. Data relative to the workshop were collected using a questionnaire. The findings indicated that the workshop was perceived by all participants as contributing to their knowledge of and skills in curriculum development.;Further research is needed to evaluate the effectiveness of the curriculum handbook. Testing of the handbook by teaching faculty engaged in curriculum development could provide further data relative to the soundness and utility of this manual. |
