GETTING STARTED IN TEACHING FOR
NURSING AND THE HEALTH
PROFESSIONS
1ST EDITION
• AUTHOR(S)JUDITH A. HALSTEAD;
DIANE M. BILLINGS
TEST BANK
1
Reference
Ch. 1 — Introduction to curriculum development
Stem
A nursing program committee must decide whether to adopt a
competency-based curriculum that shifts assessment from
point exams to programmatic, longitudinal assessment across
clinical courses. As the graduate nurse educator on the
committee, evaluate the major curricular implications for
Page | 1
,assessment design, faculty workload, and learner progression
when recommending this change.
A. Recommend immediate adoption; competency-based
assessment reduces test anxiety and therefore is superior
overall.
B. Recommend phased adoption with faculty development,
mapped assessments, and piloting for key competencies.
C. Recommend rejecting competency-based models because
they are resource-intensive and threaten standards.
D. Recommend adoption only if external accreditation bodies
mandate it.
Correct answer
B
Rationales
Correct (B): Phased adoption with targeted faculty
development, mapping of assessments to competency
frameworks, and piloting aligns with standard curriculum
change management. This approach addresses assessment
validity, ensures faculty can reliably rate competencies, and
allows iterative improvement—consistent with evidence on
implementing competency-based curricula.
A (incorrect): Immediate adoption ignores necessary faculty
training, assessment mapping, and psychometric reliability
concerns; reducing test anxiety does not, by itself, guarantee
valid, reliable competence judgments.
C (incorrect): While resource demands are real, rejecting the
Page | 2
,model outright neglects potential benefits and strategies
(phasing, pilots) for mitigation; Halstead & Billings emphasize
systematic planning over blanket rejection.
D (incorrect): Waiting for external mandates cedes curricular
leadership and ignores local needs and benefits; accreditation is
one input but not the sole driver of sound instructional design.
Teaching point
Phase implementation: train faculty, map competencies, and
pilot before full-scale rollout.
Citation
Halstead, J. A., & Billings, D. M. (2025). Getting Started in
Teaching for Nursing and the Health Professions (1st Ed.). Ch. 1.
2
Reference
Ch. 1 — Introduction to curriculum development
Stem
During curriculum review, faculty discover gaps between
program outcomes and clinical preceptor expectations. You are
asked to lead a gap analysis and propose corrective curriculum
changes that preserve program coherence and accreditation
standards.
A. Revise course learning objectives autonomously in each
course to match preceptor expectations.
B. Conduct a structured gap analysis mapping program
Page | 3
, outcomes to course objectives, clinical experiences, and
assessments before proposing changes.
C. Replace preceptor orientation with module-level clinical
checklists so students meet preceptor expectations.
D. Defer aligning with preceptor expectations unless
accreditation citations result.
Correct answer
B
Rationales
Correct (B): A structured gap analysis aligns with curriculum
design principles: it examines vertical and horizontal alignment
among program outcomes, course objectives, learning
experiences, and assessments, producing targeted, coherent
changes that also consider accreditation requirements.
A (incorrect): Autonomous, uncoordinated course revisions risk
misalignment across the program and compromise coherence
and assessment comparability.
C (incorrect): Checklists for preceptors may help consistency but
do not address curriculum-level alignment or assessment
validity; they are an incomplete, downstream fix.
D (incorrect): Waiting for accreditation issues ignores proactive
curriculum stewardship and risks student learning and program
reputation.
Teaching point
Use a mapping/gap-analysis approach to align outcomes,
experiences, and assessments program-wide.
Page | 4
NURSING AND THE HEALTH
PROFESSIONS
1ST EDITION
• AUTHOR(S)JUDITH A. HALSTEAD;
DIANE M. BILLINGS
TEST BANK
1
Reference
Ch. 1 — Introduction to curriculum development
Stem
A nursing program committee must decide whether to adopt a
competency-based curriculum that shifts assessment from
point exams to programmatic, longitudinal assessment across
clinical courses. As the graduate nurse educator on the
committee, evaluate the major curricular implications for
Page | 1
,assessment design, faculty workload, and learner progression
when recommending this change.
A. Recommend immediate adoption; competency-based
assessment reduces test anxiety and therefore is superior
overall.
B. Recommend phased adoption with faculty development,
mapped assessments, and piloting for key competencies.
C. Recommend rejecting competency-based models because
they are resource-intensive and threaten standards.
D. Recommend adoption only if external accreditation bodies
mandate it.
Correct answer
B
Rationales
Correct (B): Phased adoption with targeted faculty
development, mapping of assessments to competency
frameworks, and piloting aligns with standard curriculum
change management. This approach addresses assessment
validity, ensures faculty can reliably rate competencies, and
allows iterative improvement—consistent with evidence on
implementing competency-based curricula.
A (incorrect): Immediate adoption ignores necessary faculty
training, assessment mapping, and psychometric reliability
concerns; reducing test anxiety does not, by itself, guarantee
valid, reliable competence judgments.
C (incorrect): While resource demands are real, rejecting the
Page | 2
,model outright neglects potential benefits and strategies
(phasing, pilots) for mitigation; Halstead & Billings emphasize
systematic planning over blanket rejection.
D (incorrect): Waiting for external mandates cedes curricular
leadership and ignores local needs and benefits; accreditation is
one input but not the sole driver of sound instructional design.
Teaching point
Phase implementation: train faculty, map competencies, and
pilot before full-scale rollout.
Citation
Halstead, J. A., & Billings, D. M. (2025). Getting Started in
Teaching for Nursing and the Health Professions (1st Ed.). Ch. 1.
2
Reference
Ch. 1 — Introduction to curriculum development
Stem
During curriculum review, faculty discover gaps between
program outcomes and clinical preceptor expectations. You are
asked to lead a gap analysis and propose corrective curriculum
changes that preserve program coherence and accreditation
standards.
A. Revise course learning objectives autonomously in each
course to match preceptor expectations.
B. Conduct a structured gap analysis mapping program
Page | 3
, outcomes to course objectives, clinical experiences, and
assessments before proposing changes.
C. Replace preceptor orientation with module-level clinical
checklists so students meet preceptor expectations.
D. Defer aligning with preceptor expectations unless
accreditation citations result.
Correct answer
B
Rationales
Correct (B): A structured gap analysis aligns with curriculum
design principles: it examines vertical and horizontal alignment
among program outcomes, course objectives, learning
experiences, and assessments, producing targeted, coherent
changes that also consider accreditation requirements.
A (incorrect): Autonomous, uncoordinated course revisions risk
misalignment across the program and compromise coherence
and assessment comparability.
C (incorrect): Checklists for preceptors may help consistency but
do not address curriculum-level alignment or assessment
validity; they are an incomplete, downstream fix.
D (incorrect): Waiting for accreditation issues ignores proactive
curriculum stewardship and risks student learning and program
reputation.
Teaching point
Use a mapping/gap-analysis approach to align outcomes,
experiences, and assessments program-wide.
Page | 4
