Here is how Jefferson College of Nursing (JCN) proactively uses Exxat Prism to map its Bachelor of Science in Nursing (BSN) Curriculum to the National Council Licensure Examination (NCLEX-RN) Next Generation Blueprint

Client Background

Jefferson College of Nursing (JCN) is a highly-ranked nursing program in Philadelphia with multiple undergraduate and graduate paths to licensure. This includes baccalaureate and graduate programs, each with over 700 students enrolled (1,400+ combined) on two Philadelphia-area campuses (Center City Philadelphia and Dixon in Horsham, PA). A third campus (East Falls, Philadelphia) offers a pre-nursing program track.

Heading JCN’s curriculum development is Hannah Smith, Ph.D. With over eight years of experience in the field, Dr. Smith holds a Ph.D. from Thomas Jefferson University and a BS from Cornell University. An Assistant Dean and Assistant Professor at JCN, she oversees curriculum development, instructional design, and academic technology.

The Challenge

Historically, curriculum mapping has involved the use of spreadsheets to meet Commission on Collegiate Nursing Education (CCNE) standards, but the spreadsheet method makes recording, maintaining, and using such data very time intensive. Drawing on JCN’s status as an Apple Distinguished School and leveraging the latest technology, Dr. Smith has led changes across the college to more technologically efficient processes, including those for curriculum mapping.

The new Next Generation NCLEX-RN (NGN) integrates clinical judgment throughout the credentialing exam that all new nurses must pass in order to enter clinical practice. It also incorporates new question types to best assess each RN candidate’s ability to make critical decisions. The JCN faculty team completed a self-study to assess which, if any, curriculum changes were needed to prepare graduates best. This included comprehensive curriculum mapping - comparing JCN students’ course topics, exemplars, and applications to the NCLEX-RN content as outlined in Appendix A of the 2023 NCLEX-RN Blueprint.

Because NGN was not implemented until April 2023 and JCN’s curriculum updates needed to be implemented quickly, a partner was needed to help execute curriculum mapping and analyze results. This prompted JCN to engage Exxat, an innovative technology partner.

Best Practices for Curriculum Mapping

Based on her extensive experience, Dr. Smith listed a few criteria for how curriculum mapping should be done and provided several insights into how effective curriculum mapping can help improve student outcomes:

“We mapped 11 courses in 1 day; it was great! Exxat Prism is quite user-friendly. The ability to create reports and glean insights from them is one of its best features.”

– Dr. Hannah Smith, Assistant Dean and Assistant Professor at Thomas Jefferson University, Jefferson College of Nursing

The Implementation

The Exxat team collaborated closely with Dr. Smith and her peers to review the new NCLEX standards and map them to JCN curriculum measures in the Exxat platform.

Multiple steps were taken to ensure that Exxat Prism implementation went according to plan. These included:

Gathering curriculum measures from the courses and mapping them to the correct standards.

Exxat entered the NCLEX standards into the mapping software.

Training the faculty and staff on the mapping software exactly how JCN needed it, and that helped with accurate curriculum mapping.

Consistent review of the data with the faculty to ensure precise and error-free mapping.

Exxat’s software was implemented quickly, and Exxat’s team ensured prompt uploading of all data. Consequently, the JCN team was able to learn and work with the system in a matter of days. Curriculum mapping was streamlined, making the entire process faster and more efficient.

The Impact

Exxat’s platform streamlined curriculum mapping, allowing the college to map courses quickly and accurately. This freed up valuable time for faculty and staff to focus on essential tasks.

The Exxat Platform allows faculty and staff to input curriculum data and map courses, programs, and outcomes. It provides real-time access to curriculum data, enabling faculty and staff to make necessary updates and adjustments. Exxat also provides detailed reports and analytics, allowing the college to track curriculum trends and identify areas for improvement.

Also, the faculty can do more than just look at the topic and determine where to introduce it, where to reinforce it, and where the students will master it. Exxat established better communication with the faculty and updated them on best practices. The entire administrative team was empowered to work with Dr. Smith to improve student outcomes.

The Way Forward

In moving to adopt Exxat, Dr. Smith —who is both an administrator and a researcher – recognized the issues programs face while meeting the needs of accreditation bodies and professional bodies. Curriculum mapping should not just meet compliance norms; it should help faculty see clearly the changes that can be made to streamline and update curricula.

While some educational institutions still rely on Microsoft Excel or Google Sheets for curriculum mapping, JCN’s experience with Exxat demonstrates the value of a customizable data management system. Maintaining multiple spreadsheets heightens the likelihood of errors in recording and reading data.