Webinar: Designing Nursing Curricula for Competency-Based Education: The Role of Progression Indicators – The Elm – The University of Maryland, Baltimore

Report on a Professional Development Initiative in Nursing Education

Executive Summary

A professional development webinar, “Designing Nursing Curricula for Competency-Based Education: The Role of Progression Indicators,” is scheduled for October 27, 2025. This initiative, led by academic experts Dr. Dawn-Mueller Burke and Dr. McMillian-Bohler, focuses on advancing nursing education through the strategic use of Progression Indicators (PIs). The event’s objectives are directly aligned with strengthening educational frameworks to produce a competent healthcare workforce, thereby making a significant contribution to achieving the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).

Alignment with Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs)

The webinar’s focus on enhancing competency-based nursing education directly supports the following SDGs:

• SDG 3: Good Health and Well-being: By improving the quality of nursing training, this initiative helps build a robust and skilled healthcare workforce. Competent nurses are essential for delivering effective healthcare, promoting well-being, and addressing complex global health challenges.
• SDG 4: Quality Education: The session promotes advanced pedagogical strategies for higher education. It focuses on creating effective, competency-based curricula and equitable assessment methods, ensuring that nursing education is of the highest quality and relevant to modern healthcare needs.
• SDG 10: Reduced Inequalities: A well-educated nursing workforce is fundamental to providing accessible and equitable healthcare to all populations, including the most vulnerable. This helps reduce health disparities and promotes social inclusion.
• SDG 17: Partnerships for the Goals: This educational event represents a partnership between academic institutions and professional bodies to share knowledge and best practices, strengthening the global capacity for health and education in pursuit of sustainable development.

Program Details and Objectives

1. Event Title: Designing Nursing Curricula for Competency-Based Education: The Role of Progression Indicators
2. Date and Time: Monday, October 27, 2025, 11:00 a.m. ET
3. Keynote Presenters:
   • Dawn-Mueller Burke, PhD, CRNP, NNP-BC, Assistant Professor and UMSON’s AACN Essentials Champion
   • Dr. McMillian-Bohler
4. Primary Objective: To educate academic professionals on the use of Progression Indicators (PIs) for designing effective competency-based curricula and creating consistent, meaningful student assessment strategies that align with global health and education standards.

Analysis of SDGs in the Article

1. Which SDGs are addressed or connected to the issues highlighted in the article?

The article, which announces a webinar on improving nursing education, connects to several Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) centered on health, education, and professional development.

• SDG 3: Good Health and Well-being: The core subject is nursing education. Improving the curriculum and assessment for nurses directly contributes to strengthening the healthcare workforce, which is essential for ensuring healthy lives and promoting well-being for all.
• SDG 4: Quality Education: The article is explicitly about education. The webinar title, “Designing Nursing Curricula for Competency-Based Education,” highlights a focus on enhancing the quality and effectiveness of tertiary and vocational training for healthcare professionals.
• SDG 8: Decent Work and Economic Growth: By focusing on “Competency-Based Education,” the initiative aims to equip nursing students with relevant and practical skills for employment. This leads to a more skilled and effective workforce, contributing to decent work and sustainable economic growth within the healthcare sector.

2. What specific targets under those SDGs can be identified based on the article’s content?

The content of the article points to several specific SDG targets related to developing a skilled health workforce through quality education.

• Target 3.c: “Substantially increase health financing and the recruitment, development, training and retention of the health workforce…” The webinar’s focus on designing effective nursing curricula is a direct contribution to the “development” and “training” of the health workforce.
• Target 4.3: “By 2030, ensure equal access for all women and men to affordable and quality technical, vocational and tertiary education, including university.” The webinar itself, being offered for free, promotes accessible professional development. More broadly, improving nursing curricula enhances the quality of this form of tertiary and vocational education.
• Target 4.4: “By 2030, substantially increase the number of youth and adults who have relevant skills, including technical and vocational skills, for employment, decent jobs and entrepreneurship.” The emphasis on “Competency-Based Education” and using “Progression Indicators” is aimed squarely at ensuring nursing graduates have the relevant skills required for employment in the healthcare field.

3. Are there any indicators mentioned or implied in the article that can be used to measure progress towards the identified targets?

Yes, the article explicitly mentions specific tools and methodologies that function as indicators to measure educational quality and student progress, which align with the goals of the identified targets.

• Progression Indicators (PIs): The article’s main subject is the newly released “Progression Indicators (PIs).” These are direct, measurable tools designed to track student development and competency in nursing education.
• Competency-Based Education: This educational model is mentioned as the framework for the curriculum design. The adoption and implementation of competency-based curricula serve as an indicator of a shift towards more practical, skills-oriented education.
• Consistent Student Assessment Strategies: The article states that the webinar will discuss how PIs can be used to create “consistent student assessment strategies.” The development and application of such strategies are indicators of improved educational quality and accountability.

4. Table of SDGs, Targets, and Indicators

Source: elm.umaryland.edu