Charter College embraces Sherpath AI to support an accelerated path to nursing practice

Hybrid ADN program is helping faculty and students use AI responsibly, confidently, and effectively

At Charter College, speed and structure matter. The institution’s accelerated Associate Degree in Nursing program is designed to take students from day one to graduation in just 19 months, with no prerequisites and no academic breaks along the way. Originally founded in Alaska in 1985, Charter College now has ten campuses across six states.

For Dr. Cynthia Booher, Dean of Nursing at the Anchorage, Alaska campus, that intensity makes instructional clarity, consistency, and strong learning resources essential.

“This is not a traditional university model,” she explains. “Our students don’t get a summer break. One term ends on Sunday and the next starts on Monday. They need tools that meet them where they are and help them move forward quickly.”

A hybrid model built for access and momentum

The Anchorage campus nursing program serves 30 to 40 students per cohort, with new cohorts starting every 20 weeks.

“We’re a hybrid program,” says Dr. Booher. “Students don’t have to come in for lectures, but they do for labs and clinicals. Everything else is electronic, and we open it all up for them.”

Using Elsevier Sherpath and EAQs, faculty provide students with full access to lessons, readings, and videos, allowing them to choose how they engage with content.

“You know how you learn,” she tells students. “If you like videos, watch the videos. If you like reading, read. The only thing we require is the EAQs, because the more questions you do, the better off you are.”

Discovering Sherpath AI

When Dr. Booher first encountered Sherpath AI, what stood out immediately was the reliability of the information.

“It goes back to the resources the students already have,” she says. “That mattered to me. It’s not like going out to ChatGPT, where it could be right or it could be wrong. This is vetted content.”

She began experimenting with Sherpath AI herself, using it to generate NCLEX-style questions and dosage calculation problems for students.

“It was a whole lot easier for me as the instructor to put in what I wanted and refine it, instead of starting from scratch,” she says. “And the quality was there.”

Teaching students how to use AI, not avoid it

As AI tools became more visible, Charter faculty noticed students quietly turning to open AI platforms for discussion posts and assignments, often with mixed results.

“They were using words they would never use in conversation,” Dr. Booher says. “And sometimes the information was just wrong.”

Rather than banning AI, faculty took a different approach.

“We brought them into the lab and said, ‘Put this question into ChatGPT. Now put the same question into Sherpath AI. Let’s compare.’”

That side-by-side exercise changed the conversation.

“They started to see the difference,” she explains. “Sherpath AI is pulling from their textbooks and their course resources. If you can cite it, and it’s in your materials, we’re going to support you using it.”

For students still learning foundational nursing knowledge, that distinction matters.

“I’ve been a nurse for years. I can tell what’s false and what’s not,” she says. “They can’t yet. While they’re learning, this is their best resource.”

Supporting faculty and instructional design

As instructors grew more comfortable, Sherpath AI quickly became part of day-to-day course preparation.

• Faculty now use it to:

• Create unfolding case studies

• Generate classroom discussion questions

• Build test and retest exam banks

• Design realistic lab scenarios tailored to student skill levels

“One of our instructors comes from critical care,” Dr. Booher notes. “What he does in five minutes can take students three hours. He uses Sherpath AI to make scenarios more student-friendly without lowering expectations.”

Faculty are continuing to refine their prompts and expand their use.

“At first, it was, ‘Let me try ten questions that don’t count,’” she says. “Now it’s integral to how they plan. Every semester they tweak, improve, and build on what worked.”

Helping students think like nurses

Students also use Sherpath AI to support clinical paperwork and preparation, particularly when comparing textbook treatment plans to real-world patient care.

“They’ll ask for the top five medications for a condition, then compare that to what their patient is actually receiving,” Dr. Booher explains. “If it’s different, they have to tell me why. That’s critical thinking.”

The result is faster access to information and deeper analysis.

“They realize they have access to all of their books,” she says. “They’re not stuck in just one.”

A shift in mindset

After nearly a year of use, Sherpath AI has become a trusted resource across the program.

“The biggest hurdle was getting instructors comfortable,” Dr. Booher admits. “And students were worried we’d think they were cheating.”

Today, the message is clear.

“Use your resources,” she tells them. “That’s nursing. You won’t know everything, so you need to know where to find the right information.”

For an accelerated program built on momentum, that mindset makes all the difference.