Create and manage templates that define competency objectives for curriculum mapping and skills tracking

Curriculum Objective Templates

The Curriculum Objective Templates page allows administrators to create and manage templates that define competency objectives for curriculum mapping and skills tracking.

Overview

Curriculum objective templates provide a standardized way to organize and track learning objectives across your institution. Templates contain:

Domain: High-level category (e.g., "Knowledge for Nursing Practice")
Competency ID: Unique identifier for the competency (e.g., "1.1")
Competency Name: High-level competency description
Subcompetency ID: Unique identifier for the subcompetency (e.g., "1.1a")
Subcompetency Name: Specific learning objective description

Templates are used in:

Skills templates (for skills checkoffs)
Curriculum mapping
Accreditation reporting
Student progress tracking
Program outcome mapping

Getting Started

Viewing Templates

The main page shows all curriculum objective templates for your institution in a sortable table:

Table Columns:

Name: Template name
Objectives Count: Number of objectives in the template (shown as a badge)
Created: Creation date
Status: Active or Archived
Actions: Dropdown menu with available actions

Filtering Templates

Search:

Use the search box to find templates by name or description
Search is case-insensitive and matches partial text

Archive Filter:

Active Templates: Shows only non-archived templates (default)
Archived Templates: Shows only archived templates
All Templates: Shows both active and archived

Sorting

Click column headers to sort by:

Name: Alphabetical order (A-Z or Z-A)
Objectives Count: Number of objectives (low to high or high to low)
Created: Date created (newest first or oldest first)

Creating Templates

Method 1: Create Empty Template

Click the "+" button (New Template)
Enter a template name (required)
Optionally enter a description
Click "Create Template"
You'll be redirected to edit the template and add objectives

Method 2: Import Official Templates

Pre-configured templates are available for common accreditation standards:

Click "Import" button
Select from "Official Templates":
- AACN Essentials (Entry-Level): ~230 entry-level nursing competencies
- AACN Essentials (Advanced-Level): ~204 advanced-level nursing competencies
A confirmation dialog appears showing:
- How many competencies will be added
- Legal notice about AACN copyright and terms
- Warning if adding to existing template (may create duplicates)
Click "Continue with Import" to proceed
The template is created and you're redirected to the editor
All competencies are imported and ready to use

Note:

Official templates are pre-populated with standard competencies and subcompetencies
Templates include domains, competency IDs, and subcompetency IDs
You can customize the imported template after creation
AACN materials are subject to copyright - see the legal notice in the dialog

Method 3: Import from File

Import templates from Excel or CSV files:

Click "Import" button
Select "Import templates (.xlsx, .xls, .csv)"
Choose your file
Templates are created automatically

File Format:

Required Column: name (or template_name)
Optional Column: description (or template_description)
First row should be headers
Each subsequent row is a template

Example CSV:

name,description
Nursing Fundamentals,Basic nursing competencies
Medical-Surgical Nursing,Advanced medical-surgical competencies

Example Excel: Same format, saved as .xlsx or .xls

Download Template:

Click "Download template (.xlsx)" to get a sample file with example data
Use this as a starting point for your own templates

Managing Templates

Viewing a Template

Click the actions menu (three dots) on a template
Select "View"
See all objectives in the template
View competency structure and organization

Editing a Template

Click the actions menu on a template or click anywhere on the template row
Select "Edit" (or you'll be automatically redirected)
You'll be redirected to the template editor

Template Editor Features:

The editor page provides comprehensive tools for managing curriculum objectives:

Template Information Section

Template Name: Edit the template name (auto-saves on blur)
Changes are automatically saved after 1 second of inactivity
A success toast notification confirms when the name is saved

Adding Objectives

Manual Entry:

Scroll to the "Add New Competency Objective" card
Fill in the fields:
- Domain (optional): Category like "Knowledge for Nursing Practice"
- Competency ID (required): Unique identifier (e.g., "1.1")
- Competency Name (required): Description of the competency
- Subcompetency ID (required): Unique identifier (e.g., "1.1a")
- Subcompetency Name (required): Specific learning objective
Click the "+" button to add the objective
The objective appears in the table below

Note: In edit mode, objectives are saved immediately to the database. In create mode, they're stored locally until you save the template.

Editing Objectives

Inline Editing:

All objective fields are editable directly in the table
Click any field to edit
Changes auto-save when you click outside the field (blur event)
Auto-save occurs after 1 second of inactivity
A success toast confirms when changes are saved

Fields You Can Edit:

Domain
Competency ID
Competency Name
Subcompetency ID
Subcompetency Name

Deleting Objectives

Individual Deletion:

Find the objective in the table
Click the trash icon in the Actions column
The objective is immediately deleted (in edit mode)
A success toast confirms deletion

Bulk Deletion:

Check the boxes next to objectives you want to delete
A banner appears showing how many are selected
Click "Delete Selected" button
Confirm deletion in the dialog
All selected objectives are deleted at once

Select All:

Check the box in the table header to select all objectives
Uncheck to deselect all

Importing Objectives

Import into Existing Template:

Click the "Import" button in the editor
Choose an import method:

Official Templates:

AACN Essentials (Entry-Level): Adds ~230 entry-level competencies
AACN Essentials (Advanced-Level): Adds ~204 advanced-level competencies
A confirmation dialog appears before importing
Shows how many competencies will be added
Includes legal notice about AACN copyright
Click "Continue with Import" to proceed

File Import:

Select "Import objectives (.xlsx, .xls, .csv)"
Choose your file
Objectives are added to the existing template

File Format for Objectives:

Required columns:

competency_id: Unique identifier (e.g., "1.1")
competency_name: Competency description
subcompetency_id: Unique identifier (e.g., "1.1a")
subcompetency_name: Specific learning objective

Optional columns:

domain: Category name

Example CSV:

domain,competency_id,competency_name,subcompetency_id,subcompetency_name
Knowledge for Nursing Practice,1.1,Demonstrate understanding of nursing,1.1a,Identify concepts from nursing theories
Knowledge for Nursing Practice,1.2,Apply theory and research,1.2a,Apply knowledge from nursing science

Download Template:

Click "Download template (.xlsx)" to get a sample file
Includes example data showing the correct format

Saving the Template

Auto-Save:

Template name auto-saves on blur
Individual objective changes auto-save on blur
No need to manually save for these changes

Manual Save:

Use the floating Save button (bottom-right corner)
Click to save all changes at once
Useful when:
- Creating a new template
- Making bulk changes
- Ensuring all changes are persisted

What Gets Saved:

Template name
New objectives (with temp IDs)
Modified objectives
Deleted objectives are removed

Empty Templates:

Templates can be saved with no objectives
Useful for creating a structure first, then adding objectives later

Archiving Templates

Archive templates that are no longer actively used:

Click the actions menu on an active template
Select "Archive"
The template is marked as archived
Archived templates are hidden by default (use filter to view)

Unarchiving:

Filter to show "Archived Templates"
Click the actions menu on an archived template
Select "Unarchive"
The template becomes active again

Why Archive?

Keep historical templates without deleting them
Hide templates that are no longer in use
Maintain data integrity for past curriculum mappings

Deleting Templates

Warning: Deleting a template also deletes all associated objectives. This cannot be undone.

Click the actions menu on a template
Select "Delete"
Confirm deletion in the dialog
The template and all its objectives are permanently removed

What Gets Deleted:

The template record
All curriculum objectives in the template
Any curriculum mappings using these objectives (objectives are removed from mappings)

Before Deleting:

Consider archiving instead if you might need the data later
Verify no active curriculum mappings depend on this template
Export the template data if you need a backup

Importing Objectives

Importing into New Templates

When creating a new template from the list page, you can import objectives:

Click "Import" → "Import templates (.xlsx, .xls, .csv)"
Select a file with template names (creates empty templates) OR

Use the CSV import dialog for a simple format:

Name,Description
Patient Assessment,Complete initial patient assessment
Medication Administration,Administer prescribed medications safely

A new template is created with the filename (without extension)
Objectives are imported as:
- Name → Competency Name
- Description → Subcompetency Name

Importing into Existing Templates

When editing a template, you can import additional objectives:

Click "Import" button in the editor
Choose from:
- Official Templates: AACN Essentials (Entry-Level or Advanced-Level)
- File Import: Upload .xlsx, .xls, or .csv file

File Format for Objectives:

Required columns:

competency_id: Unique identifier (e.g., "1.1", "2.3")
competency_name: Full competency description
subcompetency_id: Unique identifier (e.g., "1.1a", "1.1b")
subcompetency_name: Specific learning objective description

Optional columns:

domain: Category or domain name

Example CSV:

domain,competency_id,competency_name,subcompetency_id,subcompetency_name
Knowledge for Nursing Practice,1.1,Demonstrate an understanding of the discipline of nursing's distinctive perspective,1.1a,Identify concepts, derived from theories from nursing and other disciplines, which distinguish the practice of nursing.
Knowledge for Nursing Practice,1.2,Apply theory and research-based knowledge from nursing, the arts, humanities, and other sciences,1.2a,Apply or employ knowledge from nursing science as well as the natural, physical, and social sciences to build an understanding of the human experience and nursing practice
Person-Centered Care,2.1,Engage with the individual in establishing a caring relationship,2.1a,Demonstrate qualities of empathy

Download Template:

Click "Download template (.xlsx)" in the import menu
Provides a sample file with example data and correct format

Import Process:

Objectives are validated before import
Invalid rows are skipped with error messages
Successfully imported objectives appear in the table immediately
In edit mode, objectives are saved to the database right away

Template Structure

Templates contain curriculum objectives organized hierarchically:

Structure:

Domain (optional): High-level category grouping competencies
Competency ID: Unique identifier (e.g., "1.1", "2.3")
Competency Name: High-level competency description
Subcompetency ID: Unique identifier (e.g., "1.1a", "1.1b")
Subcompetency Name: Specific, measurable learning objective

Example:

Template: AACN Essentials (Entry-Level)
├── Domain: Knowledge for Nursing Practice
│   ├── Competency 1.1: Demonstrate understanding of nursing
│   │   ├── Subcompetency 1.1a: Identify concepts from nursing theories
│   │   ├── Subcompetency 1.1b: Distinguish nursing perspectives
│   │   └── Subcompetency 1.1c: Apply nursing concepts
│   └── Competency 1.2: Apply theory and research
│       ├── Subcompetency 1.2a: Apply knowledge from nursing science
│       └── Subcompetency 1.2b: Integrate research findings
├── Domain: Person-Centered Care
│   └── Competency 2.1: Engage in caring relationships
│       ├── Subcompetency 2.1a: Demonstrate empathy
│       └── Subcompetency 2.1b: Establish therapeutic communication
└── ...

Key Points:

Competency IDs should be unique within a template
Subcompetency IDs should be unique within a template
Multiple subcompetencies can share the same competency ID
Domains help organize related competencies
The structure supports hierarchical curriculum mapping

Editor Interface

Table View

The objectives table displays all objectives in your template with the following columns:

Checkbox: Select objectives for bulk actions
Domain: Category or domain name (editable inline)
Competency ID: Unique identifier (editable inline)
Competency Name: Full competency description (editable inline, textarea)
Subcompetency ID: Unique identifier (editable inline)
Subcompetency Name: Specific learning objective (editable inline, textarea)
Actions: Delete button for individual objectives

Table Interactions

Inline Editing: Click any field to edit directly in the table
Auto-Save: Changes save automatically when you click outside a field
Bulk Selection: Use checkboxes to select multiple objectives
Select All: Check the header checkbox to select all objectives
Responsive Design: Table scrolls horizontally on smaller screens

Empty State

If no objectives have been added yet, the table shows:

"No objectives added yet. Add your first objective above."
Use the "Add New Competency Objective" card to get started

Best Practices

Use Official Templates: Start with AACN Essentials templates when applicable - they include all required fields and proper structure
Consistent Naming: Use clear, descriptive template names that indicate the purpose
Organize with Domains: Use domains to group related competencies (e.g., "Knowledge for Nursing Practice", "Person-Centered Care")
Unique IDs: Ensure competency IDs and subcompetency IDs are unique within each template
Descriptive Names: Write clear, measurable competency and subcompetency names
Archive, Don't Delete: Archive unused templates to preserve historical data and curriculum mappings
Regular Updates: Keep templates current with accreditation standards and curriculum changes
Use Auto-Save: Take advantage of auto-save - changes are saved automatically as you work
Bulk Operations: Use bulk selection and deletion for managing large numbers of objectives
Import First: Import official templates or use file imports for large sets of objectives rather than manual entry
Verify Imports: After importing, review the imported objectives to ensure accuracy
Save Regularly: While auto-save handles most changes, use the manual save button for important milestones

Integration with Other Features

Skills Templates

Curriculum objective templates are used when creating skills templates
Objectives from templates can be linked to skills
This enables curriculum mapping and accreditation reporting

Curriculum Mapping

Templates provide the structure for curriculum mapping
Objectives are mapped to courses, modules, and learning activities
Used for accreditation compliance reporting

Skills Checkoffs

Skills can be linked to curriculum objectives
Tracks student progress toward competency achievement
Enables reporting on objective completion

Troubleshooting

Import Failed

Check file format matches requirements
Ensure "name" column exists (case-insensitive)
Verify file is not corrupted
Try downloading the template file first to see the format

Template Not Appearing

Check archive filter (might be set to "Active" only)
Verify search terms
Ensure you have admin permissions
Refresh the page

Can't Delete Template

Verify you have institution admin permissions
Check that the template isn't being used elsewhere
Try archiving instead of deleting

Objectives Count Wrong

The count updates automatically
Refresh the page if count seems incorrect
Count includes all objectives in the template

Duplicate Objective Error

If you see an error about duplicate objectives:

Each combination of competency ID and subcompetency ID must be unique within a template
Check if you're trying to add an objective that already exists
Edit the existing objective instead of creating a duplicate
Use different IDs if you need similar objectives

Auto-Save Not Working

Auto-save triggers when you click outside a field (blur event)
Wait 1 second after making changes for auto-save to complete
Check for success toast notifications
Use the manual save button if auto-save seems delayed
Refresh the page if changes don't appear to be saving

Import Failed or Partial Import

Check that your file has all required columns (competency_id, competency_name, subcompetency_id, subcompetency_name)
Verify column names match exactly (case-insensitive)
Ensure no duplicate competency_id + subcompetency_id combinations
Check for empty or invalid rows in your file
Try downloading the template file first to see the correct format
For official templates, ensure you have a stable internet connection

Can't Edit Objectives

Verify you have institution admin permissions
Check that you're in edit mode (not just viewing)
Refresh the page if fields appear locked
Ensure the template isn't archived

Skills Templates: Use objective templates when creating skills templates
Curriculum Mapping: Map objectives to courses and learning activities
Skills Checkoffs: Track student progress on objectives
Accreditation Suite: Use objectives for accreditation reporting

Curriculum Objective Templates

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