NURS FPX 6107 Assessment 2 Course Development and Influencing Factors

The mission of higher institutes is education, research, and services. For example, the state-level university will adopt these three philosophies in curriculum development for providing services, education, and research opportunities at the state level. The economic state of the institute affects the curriculum design and determines its level of expansion and implication. The academic institutes seek financial aid, grants, and scholarships from government and private forums which ensure the viability of curriculum development. The institutional resources are equally important for curriculum development. For example, labs, libraries, computers and technologies, and resources for remote learning. These resources can make curriculum development successful. Support from institutes such as advertisements, learning resources, and technological services can develop high-quality curricula. The support of students also affects curriculum development and design. They affect the expansion and bring changes in the curriculum. Their response based on the number of enrollments, counseling, and placement of jobs determines the success of the curriculum (Themes, 2017).

The effect of the curriculum committee and review bodies are important for designing a curriculum. The approval protocol varies from institute to institute, however they aim at the evaluation and approval of the curriculum. For example, the institutes at a small scale have a less complex approach and review process of curriculum designing. They simply develop a panel that is comprised of two to three members and evaluate the curriculum. While the state-level institutes have a complex process and have different approval chambers within the institute. There is a senate of academic institutes which develops guidelines and policies for curriculum designing and recommends changes in curriculum according to instructions from the federal board. They have the authority to reject the curriculum if it does not meet the required criteria. The administration committee is also established to renew the curriculum. Whether the institute is present at the community or state level, the approval bodies affect the curriculum design and development (The Curriculum Committee, 2022).

Effect of External Factors on Curriculum Design

External factors are those factors that affect curriculum development based on its environment and outside the frame of an academic institute. The external factors include financial stakeholders, community and demographics, political framework, accreditation bodies, the healthcare needs of people, the need for the course, and academic settings. The demographics of the population affect the curriculum design such as age, gender, socio-economic status, education level, etc. This information identifies the characteristics of learners and the curriculum is designed based on these characteristics and requirements. The Census Bureau of the US has provided demographic statistics which help in designing an effective curriculum. Identification of features of academic settings allows the institutes to compare their characteristics with others such as the course cost, admission rate and retention ratio, rate of employment, and reputation. This comparison allows the institutes to develop the most successful design of the courses that higher education level institutes also developed (Themes, 2017a).

The political bodies also influence curriculum design and development. For example, if the political party head has worked in the healthcare profession earlier then he will realize the importance of curriculum development and will support the curriculum that can contribute to the healthcare of people. The healthcare needs of the population also influence curriculum design. The curriculum is developed based on the gaps that are identified in healthcare and the needs of the population in healthcare (Nevenglosky et al., 2019). The need for the program or rationale also determines the design of the curriculum. The faculty will assess the need for the course based on the number of students selecting the course and the need for the nurses in an organization and then will develop the curriculum.