Leveraging Brightspace/D2L to Track AACN Essential Competency Achievement in Undergraduate Nursing Education
Presenter(s)
Elizabeth S. green-Kronebusch
Abstract
Background: The Commission on Collegiate Nursing Education (CCNE), the Department of Undergraduate Nursing's accrediting body, expects all accredited programs to ensure students are practice ready through the achievement of the competencies outlined in the American Association of Colleges of Nursing (AACN) 2021 Essentials. The AACN (2021) Essentials include 10 domains, 45 competencies, and over 200 entry-level sub competencies that guide competency-based nursing education. Programs must demonstrate systematic tracking of student achievement in all 45 competencies to ensure graduate readiness and meet accreditation expectations. Objective/Aim: The purpose of this project was to identify and use an accessible and low-cost platform for tracking student achievement of competence within each course and across the undergraduate nursing program. Methods: Brightspace/D2L's Learning Outcomes tool was designed to assist with assessment for course learning outcomes (Wang, 2025). For accreditation purposes, we have utilized this tool to map each AACN competency to course assignments and clinical evaluations. Each course has an assessment method in D2L to align with the mapped AACN competencies. A faculty member grades students' submission and/or observable behavior and determines a competency level. Competency levels include not met, in progress, meets or exceeds. The Mastery View function within the gradebook in D2L provides faculty the ability to track each student's progress on meeting the competencies associated with a given course. More specifically, faculty can identify unmet competencies requiring remediation or curricular reinforcement. This allows faculty to support students in achieving all required competencies within a course. Furthermore, the Nursing Administration can evaluate student achievement of competency across the Undergraduate Nursing Program. This feature provides key program-level data critical for accreditation reporting and program evaluation. Results/Conclusion: Brightspace/D2L provides an effective, cost-neutral platform for tracking competency achievement at both the course and program levels. Since the learning management system was already in use, implementation of learning outcome tracking required minimal additional training for faculty. This approach supports transparent documentation of student progress, enhances the program's ability to demonstrate competency attainment, and provides program-level data for ongoing quality improvement to support student success.
College
College of Nursing & Health Sciences
Department
Nursing
Campus
Winona
Location
Kryzsko, Minnesota Rooms 223-224, Winona, Minnesota; United States
Start Date
4-23-2026 11:20 AM
End Date
4-23-2026 11:39 AM
Presentation Type
Oral Presentation
Format of Presentation or Performance
In-Person
Leveraging Brightspace/D2L to Track AACN Essential Competency Achievement in Undergraduate Nursing Education
Kryzsko, Minnesota Rooms 223-224, Winona, Minnesota; United States
Background: The Commission on Collegiate Nursing Education (CCNE), the Department of Undergraduate Nursing's accrediting body, expects all accredited programs to ensure students are practice ready through the achievement of the competencies outlined in the American Association of Colleges of Nursing (AACN) 2021 Essentials. The AACN (2021) Essentials include 10 domains, 45 competencies, and over 200 entry-level sub competencies that guide competency-based nursing education. Programs must demonstrate systematic tracking of student achievement in all 45 competencies to ensure graduate readiness and meet accreditation expectations. Objective/Aim: The purpose of this project was to identify and use an accessible and low-cost platform for tracking student achievement of competence within each course and across the undergraduate nursing program. Methods: Brightspace/D2L's Learning Outcomes tool was designed to assist with assessment for course learning outcomes (Wang, 2025). For accreditation purposes, we have utilized this tool to map each AACN competency to course assignments and clinical evaluations. Each course has an assessment method in D2L to align with the mapped AACN competencies. A faculty member grades students' submission and/or observable behavior and determines a competency level. Competency levels include not met, in progress, meets or exceeds. The Mastery View function within the gradebook in D2L provides faculty the ability to track each student's progress on meeting the competencies associated with a given course. More specifically, faculty can identify unmet competencies requiring remediation or curricular reinforcement. This allows faculty to support students in achieving all required competencies within a course. Furthermore, the Nursing Administration can evaluate student achievement of competency across the Undergraduate Nursing Program. This feature provides key program-level data critical for accreditation reporting and program evaluation. Results/Conclusion: Brightspace/D2L provides an effective, cost-neutral platform for tracking competency achievement at both the course and program levels. Since the learning management system was already in use, implementation of learning outcome tracking required minimal additional training for faculty. This approach supports transparent documentation of student progress, enhances the program's ability to demonstrate competency attainment, and provides program-level data for ongoing quality improvement to support student success.
