Reflective_Writing_on_Curriculum_Development

Curriculum Development Incidence The purpose of writing this incidence is to enhance critical thinking skills in order to develop higher cognitive abilities which include but not limited to analyzing, explaining evaluating, and synthesizing (Gabennesch, 2006,para.6 ). Through writing I will also develop academic writing skills which are a requirement in higher educational institutions. For purposes of confidentiality no names will be mentioned and hence no need to seek for permission to use the incidence for learning purposes A description of the incidence I was invited to a curriculum development workshop for two weeks in a nursing educational institution on the basis of having specialized in the area for which the curriculum was being developed. As (Harden, 1998) suggest curriculum development bring together professional with specific abilities in the area of concern and the team works together up to the end. The team was made up of ten professionals who were working in that institution. My role was to guide the team on the core content issues and how to implement the curriculum. Though I had the knowledge and had undergone the specific course, I had not participated in curriculum development there before but most of the other members had been involved in one way or other. Roles were not very well defined though there was a lead person. Weihrich and Koontz (2005) suggest that for effective accomplishment of work, tasks should be divided among team members which in this case did not happen. The exercise took a period of two weeks and went through three phases These phases included the development of the first draft, which was the hardest phase and involved selection of important content and putting it together in a meaningful order. This draft was presented to the stake holders for scrutiny who gave in their feedback verbally and out this feedback the second draft was developed. The draft was presented to the institutional curriculum development committee which has the responsibility of scrutinizing every new curriculum before the final draft is developed. This specific committee was not in the workshop and so required to generate minutes and commentary during their sitting and then give a feedback to the team that had worked on the curriculum for the next move. They however gave a general feedback with commentaries written on the draft. Amendment was done and a final draft was developed and was handed over procedurally with a letter to the CEO. It was signed and a copy sent to various stakeholders and was implemented. After a period of one year a quality evaluation exercise was conducted in this particular institution and the curriculum development exercise was randomly selected. Evaluation within the nursing profession is an on going process and anyone would agree with the team that there is need to continuously evaluate the teaching and learning in which the curriculum development plays a key role (Taylor, Lillis and LeMone,1997). The curriculum was very well done but lacked documentary evidence during the developmental stages. They wanted not only the curriculum but evidence of observance of curriculum development policy guidelines. This led to the blame game and a bit of tension was experienced among the team players. FEELINGS I felt upset and embarrassed at the same time since I was a part of this exercise that had taken much of my time and effort. I also felt like blaming myself for not seeking to understand the implications of taking part in the whole exercise. Members did not bother to follow policy guidelines as we developed the curriculum. This was a real embarrassment to all of us. Feelings are expressed in different ways depending on individuals as (Taylor, Lillis and LeMone, 1997) states. Some members just kept quiet while others looked for someone to blame. EVALUATION Any process has a good and bad side and so was this specific this. The good was not easily noticeable especially after audit queries but as I look at it today the curriculum was developed and used to train a special cadre of nurses who are out serving the community. The process of evaluation awakened the institutional leadership and made them alert in the observance of the policy guidelines whether they will be audited or not. This was a good experience for me since I had not participated in any such exercise before and if invited to another one I will seek to understand the policies of that particular institution. The bad side of the experience is that the pride of the institution was at stake and hence the shifting of blame since no one knew the consequences that would follow. The members’ morale was lowered by the blame game and good working relationships were interfered with for a while. ANALYSIS Though the policy guidelines were clearly spelt out, there was no effective leadership to ensure the process was followed. Leddy & Pepper,(1998) suggests that effective leadership must see that everything is being done the right way in order to achieve goals. I failed to seek clarity of the process before accepting the request and hence did not understand the implications of my participation. The need to understand and allocate task is important in accomplishment of goals. Taylor, Lillis and LeMone ( 1997) states that documentation is one of tools used to evaluate observance of the set standards and can be used by accrediting bodies to decide on the credibility of an institution. Failure to follow documentation rules could therefore imply that an institution is not credible. CONCLUSION As I reflect on this incidence it makes me see the dire need to be assertive in following the laid down procedures so as to avoid unpleasant outcomes in the future. I realize that omissions can lead to problems in the far future even after the concerned teams have dispersed. This was a good learning experience to reflect on. REFERENCE Gabennesch,H.(2006, march ). Critical Thinking. What is it for' Skeptical Inquirer 30. http://wwwcrisop.org/author/howardgabennesch retrieved on 22/10/ 2009. Harden, R.M. (1998) Multi professional education. Medical Teacher 20, 397-399 Leddy, S,and Pepper,M. (1998). Conceptual Bases of Professional Nursing 4thed Philadelphia: Lippincott Taylor, C.Lilis, C., and LeMonte, P.(1997). Fundamentals of nursing. the art and science of nursing care.3rd ed Stanley Thornes Ltd UK. Weihrich, H. and Koontz, H. (2005) Management a global perspective. 11th ed, Tata New Delhi: McGraw Hill,