Running head: NORTHERN LIGHTS

UNIVERSITY 1

Northern Lights University

Case Study

Melissa Purchacki

SUNY Delhi

NURS 602 CRN 11217, Curriculum Development and Instruction Design

Katherine Quartuccio

September 15, 2018

NORTHERN LIGHTS UNIVERSITY 2

Abstract

Curriculum development and implementation is a difficult task for nursing institutions to take on.

The process requires a lot of resources and the help of administration, faculty, community

members, and stakeholders. To ensure there are measurable objectives and that these objectives

are being met in a timely manner, a curriculum leader is needed to guide the team. This paper will

explore the responsibilities of the curriculum leader as well as some obstacles they may face along

the way. Finally, there will be a reflection on how curriculum leader can impact my practice as an

emerging nurse educator.

NORTHERN LIGHTS UNIVERSITY 3

Northern Lights University

Northern Lights University is about to revise the curriculum for there undergraduate

baccalaureate program. Dr. Purset, the school leader has appointed Dr. Kraus a longstanding

faculty member to the position of curriculum leader. While many faculty members and

administrators support this appointment, some people are concerned that Dr. Kraus’ involvement

with the last curriculum design will impact her ability to be the leader on this project (Iwasiw &

Goldenburg, 2015).

Question 1

There is a lot to consider when a university decides to review and change their current

curriculum. According to Iwasiw and Goldenberg (2015), curriculum leaders should have

experience with curriculum development within nursing education. They should also be familiar

with the institution, have organizational skills, and be able to institute change (Iwasiw &

Goldenburg, 2015). It is essential to choose a leader who works well with current faculty

members and administrators to develop and implement the new curriculum.

Dr. Purset appointed Dr. Kraus an educator who has worked for Norther Lights

University for 22 years. She helped develop and implement the current curriculum, played an

integral role in the accreditation of the curriculum, and has developed professional relationships

throughout the institution. As the current curriculum chair, she is familiar with the processes

involved with curriculum development and is a strong candidate to lead this initiative.

It is necessary for the curriculum leader to have strong interpersonal skills as curriculum

development is a team-based process. Throughout her tenure at this university Dr. Kraus has

probably developed relationships with the faculty and administration that will help facilitate

participation in the curriculum development. According to Iwasiw and Goldenberg (2015),

curriculum leaders should have knowledge of the change process and how to support
NORTHERN LIGHTS UNIVERSITY 4

institutional, individual, and cultural changes during curriculum development and

implementation. I believe Dr. Kraus’ experience in curriculum design as well as her experience

with this institution will help current staff members adapt to changes in the curriculum. Her

experience in nursing education and dedication to the university makes her an obvious candidate

to lead the current curriculum development initiative.

Question 2

I think anytime an institution undergoes change there are employees who will believe the

wrong person appointed to lead the initiative. While most of the faculty believe Dr. Kraus is an

appropriate candidate to lead the new curriculum development, some members feel that she

might not be the right choice based on her involvement with the current curriculum. It is

important to explore the reservations of these faculty members.

Taking on a leadership role is not an easy task. While Dr. Kraus is invested in the current

curriculum, she like many other educators needs to be aware of the need for change. In her

acceptance speech she recognized that she will need continued support from faculty,

administrators and stakeholders to successfully take on this endeavor. I believe this is an

example of a transformational leadership style where Dr. Kraus realizes the importance of

working with faculty and stakeholders to achieve their goal (Iwasiw & Goldenburg, 2015).

While she did have an integral role in the current curriculum, by accepting this new position she

is showing her willingness to make necessary changes to meet the demands of the dynamic

nursing education field.

Dr. Purset appointed Dr. Kraus to take this position because she feels that her knowledge

on curriculum development and design will be an asset to the institution. She also mentioned

that her interpersonal skills with the staff and administration will aid in the revision of the current
NORTHERN LIGHTS UNIVERSITY 5

program. Having knowledge of the current policies and processes of the university helps

curriculum leaders design and implement changes. When someone is hired from outside of the

institution they face many challenges because not only are they working on the new curriculum,

they also must learn institutional policies, the culture of the nursing department, and develop

relationships with the staff (Iwasiw & Goldenburg, 2015).

Emerging nurse leaders face many challenges as they begin their roles. Nursing leaders

need to consider their leadership style, what they expect of themselves, what the expect of their

faculty and students, and what the faculty and students expect of them (Engleman, 2015). While

there may be some reservations about Dr. Kraus’ appointment, if she states her vision and works

with the faculty and administration to meet those goals, she should be successful in her role as

the curriculum leader.

Question 3

As the Northern Lights University begins on its path to developing and implementing a

new curriculum, the school leader, Dr. Purset, has an obligation to her staff to formally announce

who the curriculum leader will be. According to Iwasiw and Goldenburg (2015), the school

leader should announce the appointment of the curriculum leader to faculty, administration,

stakeholders, and community partners. During this time, she should discuss the curriculum

leaders’ roles and responsibilities (Iwasiw & Goldenburg, 2015).

The curriculum leader is an important role for this institution. I believe holding a

meeting or conference was the correct way to announce this appointment to the staff,

stakeholders, and community members. Many times, we have learned of the appointment of a

new leader via email or memo which is informal. Having Dr. Kraus attend the meeting and

formally announcing her role allows people to put a face to the name. I think this makes her
NORTHERN LIGHTS UNIVERSITY 6

more relatable instead of just a name in an email. This type of announcement also allows Dr.

Kraus to feel the support and encouragement of her peers as she transitions into her new role.

Question 4

This is one of the most challenging obstacles to overcome. In my experience, it is very

difficult to change someone’s opinion. I think the first step is to remind people who are opposed

to Dr. Kraus’ role of their commitment to the proposed curriculum changes. As nurse educators,

we need to be committed to teaching our students the most up to date and relative information.

Another way for Dr. Kraus to overcome these reservations is to act as a great leader. It is

important that she clearly states purpose of the curriculum change and remains transparent

throughout the process (McKimm & Jones, 2017). Dr. Kraus should also develop strategies that

involve the stakeholders and continue to include them in the process. This can develop a sense

of community and minimizes a disconnect between the leader and stakeholders (McKimm &

Jones, 2017). Finally, Dr. Kraus should maintain communication among the curriculum

development team and with key stakeholders. Open communication allows for ideas to be

shared and creates a creative atmosphere where all members of the team feel they contribute to

the program.

Dr. Kraus should be aware that not everyone is going to be supportive of her new role. I

think this comes with the territory of accepting a leadership position. One study found leader

humility influences team performance. Humility is defined as an interpersonal characteristic

where people can view themselves accurately, appreciate the strengths of others, and the ability

to teach and remain open to feedback (Heckman, 2016). This study showed leader humility

increased team performance and collaboration. Dr. Kraus will need to examine her strengths and

weaknesses as she takes on this new role. She will need to foster and environment that
NORTHERN LIGHTS UNIVERSITY 7

encourages communication and team work. Finally, one difficult challenge of being a leader is

knowing not everyone will support your role but as long as you remain professional and

supportive of the group you should be successful in your endeavors.

Question 5

There are many strategies Dr. Kraus can use to abilities to lead the curriculum team. As a

current faculty member, she has knowledge about nursing education as well as experience with

nursing curriculum development, implementation, and evaluation. She helped develop the

current accredited undergraduate program and has been the curriculum chair for eight years.

According to Isawsiw and Goldenburg (2015), curriculum leaders need to have strong

interpersonal skills and need to facilitate discussions that will shape the curriculum. She should

consult with the curriculum team to gather ideas for what the new nursing program will include.

Dr. Kraus needs to develop measurable objectives for the curriculum and a timeline for when

they will be met (Isawis & Goldenburg, 2015).

Curriculum development is a long process with a lot of information to be processed. In

order to meet these needs Dr. Kraus can form committees to work on specific goals. She can

then meet with the committees to determine what resources are needed to achieve these goals.

As the curriculum leader, Dr. Kraus will need to work with the institution and administrators to

allocate the resources for the curriculum development.

I believe Dr. Kraus’ experience with curriculum development as well as her employment

with Northern Lights University for over 20 years shows her commitment to the nursing program

and continued interest in improving education for the students. She will need to motivate the

staff and challenge them to be creative while developing the new curriculum. If she takes on a
NORTHERN LIGHTS UNIVERSITY 8

transformational leadership role she will can help the staff reach their full potential while

showing her own commitment to the task (Iwasiw & Goldenburg, 2015).

Finally, self-assessment is needed to ensure that she is following the curriculum vision.

She will have to ask herself if she is providing support to the team, is she following the

organizations policies, how is the staff responding to her leadership and are they accomplishing

their goals (Iwasiw & Goldenburg, 2015). Dr. Kraus will also have to look at her leadership

style and ask herself is there more that she should be doing to help the team. I think self-

appraisal is probably one of the toughest tasks to accomplish but a good leader needs to

constantly look at how they are helping their team accomplish their goals.

Question 6

While Dr. Kraus is the curriculum leader, she will have to depend on other members of

the team to help develop and implement the new curriculum. There are many opportunities for

her to help other faculty members take on leadership roles. She could designate faculty members

to be leaders in the individual committees that will work on specific parts of the curriculum

development.

The leaders in these committees take on the responsibility of ensuring tasks are being

met. They often report to the curriculum leader and look to her for guidance (Iwasiw &

Goldenburg, 2015). As the curriculum leader, Dr. Kraus should provide the committee leaders

with inspiration and motivation to help achieve their tasks.

I believe taking a transformational leadership approach is a great way to work on

curriculum development. This type of leadership style helps inspire collaboration among peers

and fosters teamwork (Fischer, 2017). Transformational leaders recognize when a team needs

help and can assist with getting them back on track and moving towards the original vision of the
NORTHERN LIGHTS UNIVERSITY 9

project (Iwasiw & Goldenberg, 2015). Acting as a transformational leader will help Dr. Kraus

identify and encourage emerging leaders in the curriculum develop team.

Reflection

I think I chose the right case study as I can relate to Dr. Kraus as I transition from a

bedside nurse to the nurse educator of my unit. I have worked in the PACU for almost two years

and in two days, I will become the educator for this floor and two other units. While this is an

exciting opportunity, I am worried about how I will transition from a bedside nurse to a nurse

educator.

This case study hit home when I read the portion about some people feeling Dr. Kraus

was not the right fit for the job. While many of my co-workers are excited for me, I know there

are people who believe my lack of experience makes me not qualified to take this position. A

few people even asked me how I got this position without having a master’s degree. Honestly,

this makes me want to do even better.

I realize there are many challenges when you transition into a new role. Change is one of

the most difficult things for most people. This is a period when you are uncomfortable, and you

feel like you do not know what you are doing. It is times like these when I like to reflect on how

far I have come in my nursing career. I started out as a medical surgical nurse 11 years ago and I

have managed to work myself up a nurse educator! While I have a lot to learn about my new

position, I am confident that my dedication to nursing and to continuing education will help me

become proficient in my new role.

I think it is great that I am taking this course during this time in my career. We have not

had an educator for over a year and there will be a lot of changes that need to be made. While I

will not be designing a new curriculum, I will be overhauling the current education practices in
NORTHERN LIGHTS UNIVERSITY 10

the department and starting from scratch. This case study gave me a lot of great ideas that I will

utilize in my current position.

While I was working on this case study I thought about the kind of leadership role I

would like to take. I have always felt that transformational leaders work best in the nursing

profession. These types of leaders help influence change by providing people with a vision and

challenging them to help meet that vision (Iwasiw & Goldenburg, 2015). I hope I can motivate

the nurses on my unit to make positive changes that will allow them to provide better patient

care.

The case study also made me consider what it takes to instill change in the current culture

of an institution. There needs to be clear measurable objectives that I can complete within a

designated timeframe. Initiating change can be difficult, but when there are defined objectives to

meet, it makes it easier to implement. Many of the nurses on the unit do not participate in

continuing education. Eventually, I would like to set up in services to help the staff gain

continuing education practices. The nurse manager approached me about assigning a monthly

education presentation that nurses on the clinical ladder would present at staff meetings. I think

this is a great way to get the staff involved in bringing new practices to the PACU.

There was a lot of discussion in the case study about the value of teamwork. This

concept is important throughout the nursing profession. We need to be able to work as a team to

improve patient care across the healthcare continuum. While working on this case study I started

to consider the members on my team. For the first few weeks I will be working with other

educators who will orient me to nursing education in the hospital setting. I will also work with

the managers of the units I am covering to discuss their needs and expectations for the job. Once
NORTHERN LIGHTS UNIVERSITY 11

I am settled into my new role I hope to provide them with my goals for each unit and will

identify members of the floor who will help me achieve these goals.

Conclusion

In her acceptance speech for the nomination of curriculum leader Dr. Kraus states her

responsibilities and asks the faculty and stakeholders for their support and commitment. I

thought this was the characteristic a strong leader. A person who acknowledges their role and

asks for support in achieving their goals. I hope to do the same in my new role. I believe I will

be more successful if I have the support of my peers and the managers of the nursing units.

While the transition may be rocky at first, I think this is a great opportunity to take what I have

learned as a nurse and in my education to be an effective nurse leader at my institution.

NORTHERN LIGHTS UNIVERSITY 12

References

Engelmann, L. (2015). Leadership in nursing education. Teaching and Learning in Nursing, 9(3),

101-102. doi.org/10.1016/j.teln.2015.04.002

Fischer, S. A. (2017). Transformational leadership in nursing education: Making the

case. Nursing Science Quarterly, 30(2), 124-128. doi:10.1177/0894318417693309

Iwasiw, C. L. & Goldenburg, D. (2015). Curriculum development in nursing education (3rd ed.).

Jones and Bartlett: Burlington, MA

McKimm, J., & Jones, P. K. (2018). Twelve tips for applying change models to curriculum

design, development and delivery. Medical Teacher, 40(5), 520-526.

doi:10.1080/0142159X.2017.1391377

Owens, B. P., & Hekman, D. R. (2016). How does leader humility influence team performance?

Exploring the mechanisms of contagion and collective promotion focus. Academy of

Management Journal, 59(3), 1088-1111. doi:10.5465/amj.2013

NORTHERN LIGHTS UNIVERSITY 13