Designing the Future of Nursing Education with AI: Using Artificial Intelligence to Implement the AACN Essentials and Strengthen Competency-Based Learning

January 14-15, 2027

Nursing programs across the country are actively redesigning curricula to align with the 2021 AACN Essentials, a shift that requires significant work in competency mapping, authentic assessment design, and integration across courses and clinical experiences. At the same time, artificial intelligence (AI) tools are rapidly emerging as powerful faculty design partners, capable of accelerating curriculum development, analyzing program gaps, generating simulations, and supporting the design of competency-based assessments.

AACN, in collaboration with the Competency-Based Education Network (C-BEN), is offering this interactive post-conference workshop to provide faculty with practical, responsible approaches for leveraging AI to support Essentials implementation. The workshop emphasizes hands-on application, enabling participants to use AI to map competencies, conduct curriculum gap analyses, design performance-based assessments, develop simulations and clinical cases, and create rubrics and evaluation tools aligned with competency-based learning.

This workshop positions AI as a productivity and design accelerator while reinforcing the essential role of faculty expertise in validating and refining curriculum decisions. Participants will engage in guided activities and are encouraged to bring course syllabi or curriculum materials to apply strategies directly to their own programs.

Learning Outcomes

By the end of the workshop, participants will be able to:

• Use effective AI prompting strategies to support curriculum design and revision.
• Conduct an AI-assisted curriculum gap analysis to assess alignment with the AACN Essentials.
• Integrate Essentials competencies into course objectives, learning activities, and clinical experiences.
• Design authentic, performance-based assessments aligned with nursing competencies.
• Generate simulations, case studies, and role-plays that support clinical judgment development.
• Develop rubrics and evaluation tools that measure competency progression.

Conference Venue

Hotel del Coronado
1500 Orange Ave.
Coronado, CA 92118

See Hotel & Travel page for details.

Program Agenda

This event consists of two half-day sessions.

Speakers

Registration Fees