Course Development and Influencing Factors

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Develop a 6 page course design to be included in the selected nursing curriculum chosen in Assessment 1.
Note: Each assessment in this course builds on the work you completed in the previous assessment. Therefore, you must complete the assessments in this course in the order in which they are presented.

According to Iwasiw and Goldenberg (2015), curriculum development in nursing education is a creative process intended to produce a unified, meaningful curriculum. It is an ongoing activity in nursing education, even in schools of nursing with established curricula (Iwasiw & Goldenberg, 2015, p. 3). This definition of curriculum development can be extended into the education of nurses in facilities other than a school of nursing. Nurses are also educated in clinical facilities and in many arenas providing continuing education units.
Billings and Halstead (2011) explain that many institutions that provide nursing education are reviewing how they can provide education that is consistent with their missions, provide for diversity in education, and be forward-thinking as they prepare for the future, while still maintaining a cost-effective, quality program.
Influencing factors fall into two categories: internal and external factors. External factors examine the larger environments that are outside of the organization. The internal factors influence the curriculum within organization (Keathing, 2014). The educator needs to have an understanding of the internal and external factors influencing curriculuar development.
This assessment provides you with an opportunity to outline the design of a course that will become part of the curriculum you selected and evaluated in the first assessment.

Assessment Instructions
Using the same nursing curriculum you selected in Assessment 1, design a course that could be added to the curriculum.
Requirements
Design a course to be included in your selected nursing curriculum. In your course design:
* Describe an appropriate course to include in a selected curriculum.
* Provide a rationale for adding a course to a selected curriculum.
* Suggest a topical outline for a course to be added to a selected curriculum.
* Explain with whom and how faculty members would collaborate when considering the new course within a selected curriculum design.
* Explain and describe how internal factors such as organizational processes, curriculum committees, and internal review bodies affect curriculum design.
* Explain and describe how external factors such as funding, stakeholders, and regulatory and accrediting agencies affect curriculum design.
* Explain how the mission, philosophy, and framework of the program and parent institution impact curriculum design.
* Describe the type of collaboration between external and internal stakeholders that will be needed throughout a process of curriculum development.
You will use this assessment to complete Assessment 3. Be sure to incorporate the feedback you receive before adding this assessment to Assessment 3.
Additional Requirements
* References: Include references from at least two peer-reviewed journals that are not listed in the Suggested Resources, cited in proper APA format.
* Length of design: The course design should be 6 pages in length, not including the title page and the reference page, and must follow proper APA style and formatting.
* Course outline: Include the course outline as an appendix. The appendix will not be included in the page count for the assessment.
* Font and font size: Times New Roman, 12 point.

Literature Review Draft

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  • Literature Review Draft
    Preparation
    In addition to the other helpful links provided in Resources, we recommend you use an organizing tool from the Capella University Library Services and Tools page, such as the Scholarly Research Log, to help you track the theories, methods, and findings of the articles you have read.
    Note: Be sure to post your draft of the literature review in the Unit 4 discussion and incorporate feedback from your instructor and peers before submitting this assignment.
    Instructions
    For this assignment, submit the current draft of your literature review for instructor feedback and grading. Using your literature search question (LSQ), the annotated bibliography, and the abstracted outline to support your review, identify themes that emerge from your analysis of what we know so far about your topic. Use these themes to describe how your research builds on prior knowledge.
    For instance, if your LSQ is What does the literature in psychology tell us about the utility of treating mild depression in adults with a combination of synchronous and asynchronous labyrinth walking and cognitive behavioral therapy? you might discuss literature that covers the themes of exercise and depression, cognitive behavioral therapy and depression, walking meditation and depression, mindfulness and depression, and so on. Do not organize the paper by referencing each article sequentially; your task is to synthesize concepts pertinent to the LSQ from the articles selected for this review.
    Plan to identify articles and research that:
    • Describe chosen area of research and provide rationale for choice.
    • Describe significance of chosen topic:
      • Explain and justify the implications of the new knowledge for stakeholders, including community members and those who serve the population.
    • Summarize sources applicable to the history of chosen topic:
      • Discuss historical context and dominant themes in the evolution of the topic; connect common themes and present counteropinions.
      • Consider theory in light of seminal works by theorists such as Urie Bronfenbrenner, Sigmund Freud, B.F. Skinner, Carol Gilligan, Jean Piaget, Erving Goffman, and Clark Moustakas. 
    • Summarize sources applicable to the theoretical background of the chosen topic:
      • Provide information about theoretical underpinnings such as empirical/behavioral or constructivist and humanistic orientations of the literature reviewed.
      • Consider theory in light of seminal works by theorists such as Urie Bronfenbrenner, Sigmund Freud, B.F. Skinner, Carol Gilligan, Jean Piaget, Erving Goffman, and Clark Moustakas.
    • Summarize sources applicable to best practices for engaging in research:
      • Describe data-collection strategies, research procedures, and approaches for conducting and reporting research.
    • Summarize sources that add significance and relevance to the knowledge base of psychology:
      • Indicate how the chosen sources help investigators identify topics that are well understood and other topics that represent gaps in the knowledge base and the need for further study.
      • Create a scenario that illustrates the need for new research.
    • Articulate guidelines of the profession applicable to ethical conduct in research practice:
      • Demonstrate ethical conduct associated with the protection of research subject vulnerabilities such as the need for data privacy.
    • Identify practices and research guidelines that address respect for individual differences and diversity:
      • Address individual variation and diversity within and across groups. For example, when writing about marriage and family therapy, acknowledge research choices that exclude or include subgroups such as gay and lesbian families or families of particular racial, ethnic, or cultural compositions.
    • Adhere to APA style and formatting guidelines, including concise and well-organized writing:
      • Organize paper to enhance the message and supporting points; writing should reflect the quality and expertise expected for academic work.
      • Organize and summarize sources thematically.
    • Your task is to present current considerations important to investigators and to indicate ramifications for stakeholders who rely on the current knowledge base. Use illustrative examples to explain and highlight key concepts. Good reviewers share evidence-based assessments of the current state of knowledge with their audiences.
      This assignment is one component of the integrated project. You are expected to refine this literature review before submitting the final project.
      Additional Requirements
    • Formatting:
      • Organize your assignment as follows:
        • Title page.
        • Chapter headings (should start on new page).
        • Subheadings.
    • Font: New Times Roman, 12 point, double-spaced.
    • APA: Use APA format and style throughout, including citations.
    • Review the assignment scoring guide to ensure that you meet all criteria.
      Note: Your instructor may also use the Writing Feedback Tool to provide feedback on your writing. In the tool, click the linked resources for helpful writing information.
      Resources
    • Literature Review Draft Scoring Guide.
    • Capella Library: More Services and Tools.
    • Capella University Library.
    • Capella Writing Center.
    • Writing Feedback Tool.
    • APA Style and Format.
    • Principles and Procedures for Writing a Literature Review [PDF].
  • Toggle DrawerUpdates and HandoutsPeriodically, information will be posted in this space for the good of the class.

Statement Of Problem, RQ Development, And Significance Of Proposed Study

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Statement of Problem, RQ Development, and Significance of Proposed Study

This discussion has three parts. You will be asked to articulate the need for your study, known as the research problem and include a draft of your research question (RQ) as well as the potential significance of the research. As we have discussed, it is the job of the scientific investigator to identify new areas of inquiry and ways to gain new knowledge in these areas. Research questions are used by scientists to frame potential areas of inquiry. 

But before developing a research question, the research problem must be identified and justified. To justify the research question, scientists will consider the implications of the problem for those who have a stake in the results of the investigation. The significance of the findings will be presented to the stakeholders and sponsors of the investigation.

Your task is to consider what you have learned as you reviewed the literature and to identify what must be learned if we are to advance the knowledge base.

Statement of Problem

Summarize the following in one or two short paragraphs:

  • What do we know so far about the area of the literature that you reviewed?
  • What do you think we need to know to advance the knowledge base?
  • How will this new knowledge serve the stakeholders (scientists, care providers, families, patients, institutions) that may in turn be served by implementation of new developments?

Distill your statement of the research problem to one or two sentences that describe what must be learned about the problem.

Refer to the qualitative or quantitative project guide (linked in Resources) for help placing the research problem in the context of your course project. Begin working independently on completion of the template to support your completion of the project.

Research Question (RQ) Development

Identify your research question by differentiating between qualitative and quantitative research questions. Refer to the appropriate qualitative or quantitative project guide (linked in Resources) for tips.

Characteristics of Qualitative Research Questions
  • Qualitative research questions ask for description and interpretation of phenomena through the identification of socially constructed themes and categories.
  • Qualitative questions address concepts associated with thoughts, feelings, and actions that are not necessarily accessible via empirical methods of measurement.
  • Qualitative data take the form of stories, narratives, and observations.
  • Qualitative questions identify the target population and phenomena under consideration.
  • Qualitative questions do not test empirically measured data.
Characteristics of Quantitative Research Questions
  • Quantitative research questions point to empirical methods that will test the hypothesis or hypotheses associated with the question.
  • Quantitative research questions have independent and dependent variables.
  • Quantitative research questions measure relationships or correlations and/or manipulate natural phenomena through experimentation.
  • Quantitative data are presented in numerical categories or quantities.
  • Quantitative research questions do not interpret socially constructed themes, narratives, and observations.

Significance of Proposed Study

Summarize the following in one or two short paragraphs:

  • Why is this proposed research important to your field of study?
  • If it were possible for this study to be conducted, what would it contribute to our understanding?
  • How would this research provide theoretical and/or practical knowledge, and why?

Response Guidelines

Offer substantive comments and detailed constructive feedback to one of your peers. Please respond to a new learner for each discussion.

Resources

  • Discussion Participation Scoring Guide.
  • Learner Guidelines for Evaluation of Discussion Contributions [DOC].
  • Professional Communications and Writing Guide [PDF].
  • Qualitative Integrated Project Guide [DOCX].
  • Quantitative Integrated Project Guide [DOCX].

Step 1: Literature Search Question (LSQ) Preparation

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Step 1: Literature Search Question (LSQ)

Preparation

What a Literature Search Question (LSQ) Does

A good LSQ is a rhetorical tool that scholars can use to identify the scope of an investigation. For investigations in the field of psychology, LSQs are designed to ask about phenomena associated with the behavior, thoughts, and feelings relevant to the experiences of the target population. The scope is described in the LSQ in terms of the target population (age, gender, specific qualities related to the phenomena under investigation such as diagnosis, relationship status, and educational level); variables of interest (such as specific behaviors, attitudes, emotions); psychological concepts (stimulus-response, developmental stage, stigma); and phenomena under investigation.

The LSQ is presented as a question that researchers can bring to a specific body of literature to clarify the goals of the investigation. Your LSQ should be somewhat broad, as you will later develop your Research Question (RQ) from your LSQ. Your RQ will be more narrowly defined, which will lead to your research methodology.

Your first step in the development of the integrated project will be to develop a plan for identifying what we know so far about your topic. Identify an area of the literature in psychology that you wish to explore in depth; choose an area that truly interests you and that connects with your area of specialization.

Examples:

  • Topic (broad): motivation.
  • Topic (narrow): motivation of first-year college students.
  • LSQ: What does the psychology literature tell us about the achievement motivation of first-year college students who are the first in their families to go to college?
  • Research question examples: See Unit 5 Studies.
  • Quantitative question: Is there a difference in the achievement motivation of first-year male students compared to female students who are the first in their families to attend college?
  • Qualitative question: What is the experience of attending college for first-year students who are the first in their families to attend college?

Note: In Chapter 3, you will provide a detailed explanation of the methodology you have chosen, but your RQ must align with this chosen methodology, as it is the first step.

Be careful to explain why you believe this topic will be of service to the field, psychology professionals, and those identified in the topic-selection process. Support your rationale with evidence from peer-reviewed research identified in your searches of the literature in psychology.

Your goal in this post is to begin the process of developing the literature search question (LSQ). Your instructor will help you to refine and further develop it as the course progresses.

Steps to writing a good LSQ:

  1. Choose an appropriate topic or issue that interests you and can be researched.
  2. Brainstorm a list of  questions related to the topic that you would like answered.
  3. Select the question that is clear and not too broad or narrow. 

LSQ examples:

  • What does the literature in psychology tell us about the utility of cognitive behavioral therapy for the prevention of poor mental health outcomes in children ages 912 who are living in shelters with their mothers as a result of partner violence?
  • What does the literature in psychology tell us about the best practices for teaching parents of preschool boys with autism how to use sign language when communicating with the older siblings as well as their autistic son?
  • What does the literature in psychology tell us about the value of combining synchronous and asynchronous labyrinth walking with traditional cognitive behavioral therapies for adults ages 2035 with moderate depression as defined by the Beck Depression Inventory (BDI)?

Instructions

For this discussion post, use these headings to organize your work:

Search Strategy

Explain your search strategy and identify search terms. Specify the databases you plan to search, such as EBSCO HOST and Academic Search Premier, and tools like Capellas Summon or Google Scholar. We recommend using the Capella library Database Research Log (linked in Resources) to keep track of databases searched and the keywords used.

Literature Search Question (LSQ)

Present your topic in the form of a question that will guide your search of the literature. As you identify your topic, be sure to identify the context that the population inhabits. Consider identifying gender, developmental stage, age range, region, diagnoses or health status, intervention or therapy, assessment tools, racial identity, ethnic identity, class, history, and other specifics associated with the questions that you wish to explore.

Scope and Number of Sources

Identifying the appropriate scope of the LSQ is important; developing a good LSQ will probably require a minimum of eight resources. Identify at least six sources as you start this first stepgood sources will be key to developing the foundation of the proposed study.

Remember that you are only proposing to do new and original research. You will not collect data.

Post your topic and description of your LSQ in a Word document. In addition, please copy and paste the document content into the message box for your post submission. Do not be concerned if Word formatting is not preserved.