Overcoming challenges to collaboration: nurse educators' experiences in curriculum change

Area of Science:

• Nursing Education
• Curriculum Development
• Collaborative Research

Background:

• Nurse educators in Taiwan initiated a curriculum transformation within a nursing school unit.
• Effective collaboration is crucial for successful educational reform.

Purpose of the Study:

• To describe challenges encountered by nurse educators during a unit transformation.
• To introduce collaborative action research as a method for curriculum change.
• To discuss strategies for overcoming collaborative challenges.

Main Methods:

• The study employed collaborative action research.
• Data were collected and illustrated with excerpts from study data.

Main Results:

• The team achieved positive outcomes in transforming the nursing unit.
• Four major challenges impeded the collaborative process: meaning, time, work culture, and conflicting views.

Conclusions:

• Despite challenges, collaborative action research facilitated positive curriculum change.
• Addressing issues of meaning, time, work culture, and conflicting views is essential for effective collaboration in nursing education.