C920 Course Overview: Community Health Nursing & EPDM Module

Student Name

Western Governors University

C920 Contemporary Curriculum Design and Development in Nursing Education

Prof. Name

Date

Course Overview

What is the focus of the Community Assessment and Planning course?
The Community Assessment and Planning course is structured to prepare nursing students for effective practice in community and public health environments. The course emphasizes experiential and collaborative learning approaches that expose students to the evolving responsibilities of community health nurses. Key areas of focus include identifying vulnerable populations, understanding population-based health disparities, and analyzing the epidemiology of communicable diseases. Collectively, these components equip students with the foundational knowledge and skills necessary to deliver evidence-based, population-centered nursing care within diverse community settings.

How does this course ensure competency development?
Competency development is achieved through structured, interactive learning experiences that encourage teamwork, critical thinking, and practical application. Students collaborate with peers in guided activities that reinforce theoretical concepts. By the conclusion of the course module, learners are required to construct a comprehensive concept map for a selected community and formulate a community health assessment and planning strategy within a defined two-week timeframe. The curriculum aligns with the American Association of Colleges of Nursing (AACN) Essentials VI, ensuring that students develop competencies related to population health, prevention strategies, and patient-centered care across communities (Mailloux, 2008).

Course Objectives

The course objectives guide students in developing analytical and planning skills essential for community health nursing practice.

Objective Number	Description
1	How do students prioritize healthcare needs in a community? Students learn to prioritize community health concerns by conducting systematic and comprehensive community assessments that consider demographic, environmental, and socioeconomic factors.
2	What kind of interventions do students develop? Students design health promotion and disease prevention interventions that are customized to the identified needs and resources of specific community populations.
3	How are major health issues in the community identified? Students analyze qualitative and quantitative data gathered during community assessments to identify prevalent health problems and emerging risks.

Student Learning Outcomes

Student learning outcomes define the measurable competencies students are expected to demonstrate upon course completion.

Outcome Number	Description
1	How is the community of interest defined for assessment? Students demonstrate the ability to clearly define and delineate a community of interest, including its population boundaries and defining characteristics.
2	What components are essential in a community assessment? Students identify essential assessment components, such as health indicators, available resources, and risk factors, and apply appropriate data collection methods to support informed decision-making.

Content Overview

How is the nursing process applied at the community level?
The course introduces students to the application of the nursing process within a community context. This process begins with clearly defining the community and target population, which is essential for accurate data collection and meaningful analysis. Students then progress through assessment, diagnosis, planning, implementation, and evaluation phases, adapting traditional nursing frameworks to address population-level health needs rather than individual patient care.

What is the purpose of creating a concept map?
Concept mapping serves as a visual and analytical tool that allows students to place the selected community at the center of their analysis. Surrounding factors such as social determinants of health, environmental influences, healthcare access, and prevalent diseases are linked to demonstrate interrelationships. This approach enhances systems thinking, supports evidence-based planning, and assists students in identifying priority areas for targeted interventions.

Learning Resources

What textbook supports this course content?
The primary textbook supporting this course is Community/Public Health Nursing: Promoting the Health of Populations by Nies and McEwen (2018). Chapter 7 is particularly relevant, as it focuses on community health assessment planning, intervention development, and outcome evaluation. The text provides theoretical frameworks, real-world examples, and evidence-based strategies that strengthen students’ understanding of population-focused nursing practice.

Scenario-Based Learning Activity

How are students engaged in practical learning activities?
To reinforce applied learning, students are organized into five groups, each consisting of approximately eight members. Each group is assigned a specific population cohort, such as adults aged 65 years and older. Students collaboratively develop a concept map by placing the assigned community at the center of a visual display and researching health challenges, available resources, and risk factors affecting that population.

What are the benefits of this activity?
This experiential learning strategy promotes active engagement and deepens students’ understanding of complex community health dynamics. By working collaboratively, students enhance communication and leadership skills while applying theoretical knowledge to realistic scenarios. The activity fosters critical reflection on population-specific health needs and encourages the development of practical, culturally sensitive intervention strategies.

References

Mailloux, L. (2008). The essentials of baccalaureate education for professional nursing practice (Essential VI). American Association of Colleges of Nursing.

C920 Course Overview: Community Health Nursing & EPDM Module

Nies, M. A., & McEwen, M. (2018). Community health planning, implementation, and evaluation. In Community/Public Health Nursing: Promoting the Health of Populations (7th ed., pp. 107–122). Elsevier.