As a CTE Health Science Theory teacher, you know how important it is to find the right curriculum for your classroom. After all, if you choose the proper course materials, your students will walk away with the foundational health science knowledge they need to pursue careers in the medical field.
While iCEV does offer a Health Science Theory course, we understand it may not be the right fit for everyone. Instead, there are other options that may better suit the needs of your class and students.
So what are these other Health Science Theory curriculum options? What are the pros and cons of each option, and who should consider using them in class?
In this review, you’ll discover how iCEV compares to several other Health Science Theory curriculum options, as well as the benefits and drawbacks of each:
- DHO Health Science from Cengage
- eDynamic Learning
- Health Science Theory from Savvas Learning Company
By the end of this article, you’ll have a more thorough understanding of each of these curriculum options, so you can choose the best one for your course.
iCEV for Health Science Theory
As a comprehensive CTE solution, iCEV offers extensive resources for teaching Health Science Theory. The iCEV curriculum introduces students to core concepts in a wide range of health science subjects to build their foundational knowledge.
With iCEV, teachers receive access to a state-approved Health Science Theory course that meets Texas Essential Knowledge and Skills (TEKS) standards. This course comes with pre-built lesson plans, interactive activities, and formative and summative assessments.
In addition, teachers receive access to a robust learning management system to track student activity and report on their progress. They can also use multiple health science courses to build students’ knowledge and create a cohesive learning experience over multiple years.
What Are the Benefits of iCEV?
iCEV provides an extensive curriculum for teachers to meet standards for Health Science Theory. In addition to a dedicated Health Science Theory course, with a single subscription instructors also receive access to a library of CTE health science courses complete with ready-to-use lessons, activities, and assessments.
Through varied courses, students are engaged with a variety of instructional methods in a blended learning environment. With iCEV, teachers have the ability to tailor their instruction to the needs of every student, including special populations.
The iCEV digital curriculum and platform are also continually updated to satisfy changes in standards and keep students prepared for future developments in health science.
What Are the Drawbacks of iCEV?
While our Health Science Theory curriculum is a great fit for many classrooms, it isn’t the right solution for everyone. Instructors who want to teach health science in a more traditional, text-focused format might prefer a print-based curriculum for their classes.
In addition, teachers who prefer to craft lesson plans from scratch might not utilize the full library of premade plans available in the iCEV curriculum system.
Who Should Consider iCEV?
Ultimately, iCEV is designed to give students a thorough introduction to Health Science Theory. Through age-appropriate multimedia content and engaging activities, students learn the fundamentals of body systems, medical terminology, ethics, and much more.
It’s a great choice for educators who want to teach students a variety of health science concepts with a comprehensive blended learning experience. It’s not for teachers who favor more traditional instruction methods with less interactivity.
1. DHO Health Science from Cengage
DHO Health Science is a comprehensive textbook published by Cengage, a well-known educational resource provider. This book was written by Louise Summers, a lifelong nurse and health science educator, and is currently in its ninth edition.
DHO Health Science offers in-depth information covering many different health science topics, and can be used to teach a Health Science Theory course. The textbook is split into 24 chapters across two parts. The first part is entitled “Basic Health Care Concepts and Skills,” and covers general medical subjects like anatomy and physiology, medical terminology, cultural diversity, health care systems, and more.
The second part of the textbook is entitled “Special Health Care Skills,” and provides information and skills training in more specialized health care occupations like dental assistant, medical assistant, physical therapist, and more.
What Are the Benefits of This Curriculum Option?
DHO Health Science is a strong textbook that provides in-depth knowledge of the subject areas it covers. Along with its accurate information, this textbook includes features like images, text callouts, case studies, career highlights, and more to gain the interest of students and help them understand how their course material applies to work in the medical field.
In addition to these features, if you purchase the MindTap package from Cengage, you’ll also gain access to interactive courseware and an instructor companion website which can provide students with a more engaging experience. This courseware allows students to search the textbook for key terms, make notes and highlights, and see what new assignments are on the horizon for their class.
Each chapter of the eTextbook also includes assessment questions and activities in order to deepen student understanding and help them hone their skills with hands-on work.
What Are the Drawbacks of This Curriculum Option?
One of the larger drawbacks of DHO Health Science is that many of its most interactive, engaging features aren’t a part of the textbook itself, but instead can be found in a supplementary package called MindTap.
In other words, you’ll have to purchase an additional product to gain access to useful features like the instructor’s manual, final exam, and companion website. Depending on your district, this could strain your budget more than you’d like, especially when other vendors include these features automatically within a single subscription.
In addition, DHO Health Science lacks other resources to help teachers, including lesson plans to help you structure each day in class. And while each chapter does include activities and projects, they’re fairly uniform, with little diversity to better catch student attention.
Who Should Consider This Curriculum?
DHO Health Science is a good fit for teachers who want the structure and reliability that a textbook can provide, in addition to interactive digital resources to better engage students and record their progress. In effect, this resource can serve as a solid middle ground between a print textbook and a digital curriculum system like eDL or iCEV.
However, with that level of flexibility comes an added cost, as purchasing the Student Workbook and MindTap packages may cost you an extra $35.95 and $90 per student, respectively. This is in addition to the $69.99 you’ll be paying per student to access the eTextbook by itself. When you factor in all of these costs, teachers with a lighter budget may find their districts unable or unwilling to spend so much on resources for their classrooms.
2. eDynamic Learning
eDynamic Learning is a digital curriculum provider for middle school, high school, and college classrooms. For CTE health science students, they offer a pair of courses covering this subject area, Health Science Theory 1a: Introduction and Health Science Theory 1b: Health Science Skills.
Between these two courses, your students will gain an introduction to essential health science concepts and career skills through a digitally-based learning environment guided by an included course syllabus.
What Are the Benefits of This Curriculum Option?
eDynamic Learning offers a solid digital learning experience through integrated assessments, an interactive textbook, and digital features like podcast-style summaries and embedded video content.
Teachers will appreciate the included lesson plans and assessments, which make managing student progress straightforward. Excellent accessibility features help ensure every student can use the curriculum.
Finally, the included materials lists, flashcards, and discussion prompts help instructors to offer a balanced, blended learning experience.
What Are the Drawbacks of This Curriculum Option?
A significant drawback of eDynamic Learning is that they split their Health Science Theory curriculum into two separate courses. You'll need to purchase and use both courses to comprehensively teach Health Science Theory, which can present budgeting or pacing issues.
In addition, because of eDynamic Learning’s rigid course structure, you won't be able to change the order of lessons within either of the classes. This would make it difficult to customize either course to better fit the needs of your students.
Lastly, this resource lacks many of the hands-on activities that other providers offer. Though there are some activities in eDL, they lack much of the depth that allows students to make connections between their coursework and the real-world medical industry.
Who Should Consider This Curriculum?
eDynamic Learning’s Health Science Theory courses would be good fits for new teachers or those looking for a heavily structured digital curriculum to help them teach their classes. With its carefully paced lessons and rigid design, this curriculum is perfect for teachers who need a strong structure to fall back on to keep their classes moving along.
On the other hand, more experienced teachers may find the rigidity of eDL to be too stifling for their classrooms. After all, it’s impossible to rearrange the lessons present in these Health Science Theory courses. For teachers who want to take their curriculum and customize it for their needs, eDL may not be flexible enough for their purposes.
3. Health Science Theory from Savvas Learning Company
Savvas Learning Company is a prominent textbook and resource provider for K-12 schools. They offer textbooks to cover many different health science topics, including one called Health Science Theory: Career Pathways and Essential Skills, which is available as an eTextbook.
Health Science Theory is divided into 22 chapters across two parts. The first part of the book is entitled “Becoming a Health Care Worker.” It provides students with an overview of the healthcare system, teaching them topics like medical ethics, communication, teamwork, and other general employability skills they can use no matter what healthcare career they pursue.
The second part of the book is entitled “Health Care Knowledge and Skills,” and trains students in the more clinical, scientific skills they’ll need to work in the medical field. Some of these topics include medical terminology, body functions, controlling infection, patient safety, and more.
What Are the Benefits of This Curriculum Option?
As a digital textbook, Health Science Theory provides many of the same advantages as print textbooks do. The information it contains is robust, accurate, and well-organized, and it provides frequent career highlights so students can draw connections between what they’re learning and the actual medical field.
In addition, it offers valuable activity prompts in order to get students thinking more deeply about the course content. Some of these prompts include discussion questions, bell ringers, critical thinking questions, and project suggestions.
What Are the Drawbacks of This Curriculum Option?
One of the biggest drawbacks of Health Science Theory is that it lacks many of the useful features that other products in this article provide. After all, this product is essentially a digital textbook, and therefore naturally won’t have some of the engaging assets of a true curriculum system like eDL’s or iCEV’s.
For instance, from the student perspective Health Science Theory may seem boring or otherwise unengaging because it lacks features like instructional videos and interactive courseware. Instead, students will largely be forced to read from the textbook itself, which can become bland and repetitive.
From the teacher's perspective, Health Science Theory doesn’t provide helpful pedagogical resources like lesson plans, final assessments, self-graded components, or even a gradebook. This, combined with the lack of Learning Management System (LMS) integrations, means that more responsibility is put on the teacher to compose their own resources and keep track of student progress.
Who Should Consider This Curriculum?
Health Science Theory would be a good fit for teachers who prefer using textbooks in their courses, or who otherwise have a more traditional style of teaching. For teachers like this, Health Science Theory is a strong choice of textbook that will help you train your students in the skills they need.
On the other hand, for teachers who want a more interactive digital experience for their students, Health Science Theory probably wouldn't be a good fit. It lacks many of the time-saving and engaging features that other resources in this list provide, leaving the impetus on you to compose your own lesson plans and assessments.
Prepare Your Students for Success with a Comprehensive Health Science Theory Curriculum
Choosing the best Health Science Theory curriculum for your students can be a stressful prospect. For your students to succeed, you must choose a curriculum that gives them a comprehensive education in crucial medical concepts. You'll also want to ensure their curriculum prepares them for future classes, certifications, and career opportunities.
Which curriculum you choose will ultimately depend on your specific classroom needs. What is your teaching style, and what type of content do your students most engage with? Do your standards require you to cover specific material? What curriculum will prepare your students best for certifications and work in their field?
Depending on your answers to these questions, you might favor one of these curriculum providers over the other.
But if you're looking for a comprehensive Health Science Theory curriculum to meet your standards and set your students up for success, consider iCEV. The iCEV health science curriculum includes a dedicated Health Science Theory course plus a library of additional resources. Together, you can use these resources to provide a seamless learning experience for your students.
If iCEV sounds like it could be right for you, sign up for a free trial. You'll receive full curriculum access so you can decide if it's a good fit for your program.
