Teaching smarter with AI: Deepen student learning

The future of nursing education isn’t just about using AI. It’s about learning how to supervise it.

In this episode of Lippincott Spark, host Dr. Kelly J. Dries welcomes back Dr. Judy Herrman, Senior Clinical Content Specialist in nursing at Wolters Kluwer and an expert in brain-based learning. Together, they explore how nurse educators can use AI to deepen learning, strengthen clinical judgment, and keep human thinking at the center of safe patient care.

1. How can AI support deeper learning in nursing education?

Students are already using AI, but they may reach for it to get a quick answer rather than work through a problem. Judy explains how intentional AI use can support the retrieval, repetition, and reflection that meaningful learning requires.

She shares practical strategies, including asking students to critique AI-generated mnemonics, identify inaccuracies, and add unexpected clinical twists to case studies. These activities keep students actively engaged rather than passively consuming information. She also makes the case for handwriting as a powerful brain-based learning tool in a digital world.

For more ideas, explore AI in nursing education: Promise, pitfalls, and possibilities, Ignite active learning in your classroom, and Immersive virtual reality transforming nursing education.

2. What should students do with AI?

The goal isn’t simply to use AI. It’s to use AI intentionally. It's important to design activities that ask students to question assumptions, apply clinical judgment, evaluate evidence, and explain their reasoning. When students critique and validate AI output instead of accepting it at face value, they develop stronger judgment and deeper understanding. Treat AI as a delegatee, not the decision-maker, and keep educators and students accountable for every output.

Lippincott® Nursing Education can help you put these ideas into practice. Listen to the full Lippincott Spark episode with Dr. Judy Herrman for practical strategies to help nursing students question, critique, and lead in an AI-driven world.