Date of Award
2001
Document Type
Practicum
Degree Name
Doctor of Education
Department
Programs for Higher Education
Advisor
Dr. Anita Barrett
Keywords
adjunct faculty, adult nursing, clinical education, clinical syllabus, continuous quality improvement, course consistency, faculty development, faculty handbook, faculty orientation, handbook development, instructional consistency, new faculty, nursing education, nursing faculty, program evaluation, student assignments, student performance, syllabus development
Abstract
Guidelines for continuity in continuous quality improvement becomes critically apparent, when there was an increase in new/adjunct faculty. The problem was new faculty lacked knowledge about the Adult Nursing Courses which caused inconsistency in student assignments.
The purpose of this study was to develop a faculty handbook for the Adult Nursing Courses. The research questions were "What appropriate and valid criteria should be included in the adjunct faculty handbook for the Adult Nursing Courses?" Second, "What format is most appropriate for a handbook for adjunct faculty?"
A formative and a summative committee were utilized, in the procedural process, to establish and validate the criteria and final product. The resulting handbook provided new faculty with information that allows them to have similar expectations of student performance as the experienced course faculty.
Three conclusions were related to the first research question. First, the criteria would be primarily based on the clinical syllabus. Second, an overview of previous nursing courses would be included. Third, information concerning non-clinical Adult Nursing Courses would be included. Three conclusions were related to the second research question. First, the handbook would be in a loose-leaf notebook. Second, it would be printed in the nursing department. 12 Third, it would be divided into twelve sections.
There were four recommendations. First, the handbook would be given to new faculty. Second, it should be evaluated after being utilized. Third, the syllabus and the handbook should be revised at the same time. Fourth, a handbook should be created in other nursing courses.