The US is experiencing shortages of nurses and nurse educators. According to the National Academy of Medicine’s 2021 report on The Future of Nursing: 2020-2030, in order to provide sufficient care for an aging population over the next decade, a substantial increase in the nursing workforce is needed. The report also references hundreds of nursing faculty position vacancies that have contributed to tens of thousands of qualified nursing school applicants being turned away.
This growing gap was observed in Pearson’s Lost in Transition research. Economies and societies are facing large and growing skills gaps as rapid demographic change and technological advances are transforming the global skills outlook. This requires looking at learning differently.
To ensure nursing candidates are prepared for their NCLEX-RN licensure exam and, ultimately, Day 1 in the workforce, and that nurse educators have the means to scale their teaching further despite the challenging environment, students and instructors are embracing Pearson’s AI study tools as their study and teaching companion for knowledge and skill development.
AI as a teaching assistant
Educators are deeply aware that the rapid technological advances of innovations like AI are changing the landscape of learning. A key step in preparing their students to efficiently move into their future careers is embracing the new technology normal – and they see the potential: 77% of US higher education faculty members envision using AI to enhance their teaching methods.
“I love having Person’s AI study tool embedded in the eTextbook. Students are always asking for more challenging practice questions similar to those they’ll encounter on licensing exams, especially select-all-that-apply questions,” said Crystal Jones, PhD, MSN, RN, and Dean of Nursing at Ivy Tech Community College. “The study tool can provide the students with these questions, and I know the content they are given will be correct.”
As class sizes grow, nurse educators’ time is spread ever more thinly. Collaborating using Pearson’s AI study tools right alongside their students brings some relief. Because educators and students are using the same tools embedded within their courseware, instructors know the materials they’re preparing for class will match what students encounter while doing their own studying, with consistent language, examples, and lab values. This is key to more efficient, effective, and relevant study.
“At Pearson, we're embracing AI to meet the education and workforce needs of the future,” remarked Pearson’s Portfolio Manager for Nursing, Kevin Wilson. “By thoughtfully integrating generative AI tools into our educational experiences, we're helping students and instructors leverage technology backed by learning science to study more effectively and prepare more qualified professionals efficiently.”
Empowering students to become active learners
Students themselves come to nursing school from a variety of backgrounds. Many are non-traditional students, either pursuing a degree for the first time after delaying post-high school or looking to nursing as a second career. As a result, some may be parents or caregivers. Students are seeking the next best thing to help them use their limited study time most effectively. Students using the AI study tools were 4x as likely to remain or become active, efficient studiers compared to those who did not use the tools, demonstrating behaviors linked to better long-term recall and critical thinking.
Students can use the AI study tools to receive scaffolded, guided help when stuck on a homework problem, or personalized explanations, summaries, and practice problems for more efficient studying.
You can read Pearson’s 2024 End of Year AI report for more on how students and faculty are thinking about AI and how student usage of AI is impacting their study behaviors.