Chapter 4

Scholarship in Curriculum Work

Overview

• Scholarly work is an expectation in schools of nursing, as a foundation of evidence-informed, context-relevant, unified curriculum.

• In curriculum work, scholarliness is the careful appraisal and use of relevant theory and data.

• Scholarship is a central activity of curriculum work, and schools of nursing.

Scholarliness in Curriculum Work

• Scholarliness is the careful appraisal and use of relevant theory/data in curriculum work.

• Requires faculty to be knowledgeable about:– Curriculum development, implementation,

evaluation– Higher education, generally– Nursing education, specifically– Nursing practice; Health and health care– Societal and political trends

Scholarliness in Curriculum Work (cont.)

• Curriculum quality depends on the depth and breath of the developer’s knowledge and understanding of such matters.

• Scholarliness in curriculum work is careful intellectual work.

• Requires assessing and applying the evidence base for a nursing curriculum.

Scholarship in Curriculum Work (cont.)

• Scholarship in academia– Scholarship is the purposeful, methodical creation

of knowledge, its organization, and distribution.– Six standards of quality in scholarship include:

• Clear goals• Adequate preparation• Appropriate methods• Significant results• Effective presentation• Reflective technique

Scholarship in Curriculum Work (cont.)

• Scholarship in academia (cont.)– Scholarship is a central activity of academia,

expanded to include five types:• Scholarship of discovery• Scholarship of integration• Scholarship of application• Scholarship of teaching and learning• Scholarship of engagement

– Scholarship’s goal is to advance knowledge through inquiry, replication of previous work, and/or creation of new ideas.

Scholarship in Curriculum Work (cont.)

• Scholarship in curriculum work– Planned development and dissemination of

knowledge about curriculum development, implementation, evaluation.

– It is dependent upon, but extends beyond, scholarliness, and is a core process of all curriculum endeavors.

– Scholarship is the basis of evidence-based nursing education practice.

Scholarship in Curriculum Work (cont.)

• Scholarship in curriculum work (cont.)– Research about pedagogical practices and learning

may be seen as the only research necessary for evidence-based nursing education.

– Recent studies have called for more research into the effectiveness of multiple pathways to nursing licensure and curricular structures for students in accelerated programs.

Scholarship in Curriculum Work (cont.)

• Scholarship in curriculum work (cont.)– To achieve excellence, faculty must give attention

to scholarships of discovery, integration, application, teaching and learning, and engagement in curriculum work.

– Schools should identify paradigms, methods most aligned with their curriculum, so members can plan appropriate scholarship projects.

– Faculty responsibilities extend to advance, disseminate knowledge about curriculum.

From Curriculum Work to Scholarship

• Thinking and acting like a scholar– A nursing scholar is someone who:

• Is dedicated to knowledge development, and dissemination.

• Views self as having obligation to advance knowledge.• Is steeped in literature.• Questions constantly.• Maintain(s) an interactive connection between theory

and practice.• Thinks strategically about scholarship.

From Curriculum Work to Scholarship (cont.)

• Thinking and acting like a scholar (cont.)– In addition to thinking like a scholar, scholar

actions must reflect qualities of integrity, perseverance, and courage.

– Scholars must be honest in reporting their results, be truthful in presenting dissenting views, be persistent in scholarly work, and be ready to risk disapproval.

From Curriculum Work to Scholarship (cont.)

• Attending to initial practical aspects of scholarship– The importance of scholarship projects resulting

from curriculum development, implementation, evaluation processes should be discussed and agreed to in advance by all participants.

– Ongoing dialogue about scholarship is important.– Project timing is another consideration, with some

concurrent, and others, retrospectively.

From Curriculum Work to Scholarship (cont.)

• Attending to initial practical aspects of scholarship (cont.)– When organizing for curriculum development, all

members of the development team should:• Be aware that scholarship is expected.• Understand definitions, descriptions of scholarship.• Identify possible scholarship projects.• Know which projects will require ethics board approval.• Consider their interest in particular projects.• Accept participant responsibilities

From Curriculum Work to Scholarship (cont.)

• Attending to initial practical aspects of scholarship (cont.)– When organizing for curriculum development, all

members of the development team should (cont.):• Value the ethics of authorship.• Comprehend career implications of scholarship

activities, and author designation.• Feel free to raise questions about scholarship, and

authorship as development unfolds.

From Curriculum Work to Scholarship (cont.)

• Deciding on authorship– Development groups work collaboratively, building

on each other’s ideas.– Scholarship teams should discuss authorship as

early as possible and how authorship order is lined to project contributions.

– A process for reaching decisions should be made, as discussions on the order of authorship may arise repeatedly.

From Curriculum Work to Scholarship (cont.)

• Deciding on authorship (cont.)– Each scholarship team should determine its

leader, the order of authorship, authorship responsibilities, deadlines, and accountabilities.

– The curriculum is the intellectual product of many. Discussion about authorship should consider:• People to be involved in preparation, presentations.• Authorship, authorship order.• Contributor recognition.• Possibility of group authorship.