Pearson adds generative AI study tools to nursing concepts curriculum
Listen to this articleHoboken-based Pearson is adding study tools powered by generative AI into its nursing concepts curriculum, the learning company said in a May 17 press release.
Scheduled to be available by fall 2024, the artificial intelligence enhancements to Nursing: A Concept-Based Approach to Learning series will provide personalized support, including:
- Guided help with homework
- Summaries
- Practice problems
Anne Fahlgren is general manager of Pearson’s professional portfolio. She said integrating AI study tools into the concept-based nursing series will “enhance the learning experience.” According to Fahlgren, it gives nursing students and nurse educators “the resources they need to efficiently study and master course concepts.”
“This technology will help more nursing candidates prepare for and enter the workforce, while also giving nurse educators the means to scale their teaching further, addressing major challenges in nursing education and society,” Fahlgreen said.
In a 2021 report on the continuing shortage of nurses and nurse educators in the U.S., the National Academy of Medicine highlighted the need for nurses who can practice “in community-based settings with diverse populations that face a variety of lived experiences.”
NAM’s report also referenced hundreds of nursing faculty position vacancies. According to the study, the openings have contributed to tens of thousands of qualified applicants being turned away from nursing school admission due to the inability to adequately meet student demand.
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Concept-based nursing curriculums, Pearson pointed out, are designed to focus on key concepts of nursing principles that can be applied across different patient populations, health care settings, and situations. By introducing generative AI tools into its content, Pearson believes it’ll better support nurse educators in scaling their teaching and students’ ability to study more efficiently.
Dr. Michelle Aebersold is a clinical professor at the University of Michigan School of Nursing and contributor to Nursing: A Concept-Based Approach to Learning. “Technological advancements like generative AI are transforming the nursing profession,” she commented. “The ability to adapt in a rapidly changing environment is a critical healthcare skill, whether it’s in the course of patient care or in preparing our future nurses for the workforce.”
“The ability of the AI study tools to provide a more user-centered, customized experience is a huge benefit for our students. I’m glad they will have access to Pearson’s AI tools that accommodate the variety of ways students learn and provide personalized support in the moment students need it most. This is the future of individualized learning,” Aebersold added.
Pearson’s AI study tools are already available in more than 30 mastering titles. Another 40 titles across various subjects will also incorporate them by August 2024.
A survey of students using a beta version of the AI study tools “showed strong levels of engagement.” Seventy-five percent of respondents said the option was “helpful or very helpful to their studies,” according to Pearson.
