Galen Ziegler

Galen David Ziegler, PhD, RN, CMSRN, CNE, is an Assistant Professor of Nursing at Harford Community College. He specializes in the integration of generative artificial intelligence into higher education and clinical training. As an innovator in educational technology, he designs custom AI chatbots that students use in-class and asynchonously for knowledge retention, critical thinking, and clinical training. His recent developments include a 24/7 digital tutor tethered to course blueprints and an AI-driven disaster bot that provides scalable, psychologically safe mass-casualty incident simulations. Dr. Ziegler frequently presents his research on academic AI tools, including recent and upcoming podium presentations at the UMSON Institute for Educators Conference, the National League for Nursing(NLN) Summit, and the Organization for Associate Degree Nursing (OADN). He recently completed his PhD in Nursing Education from Liberty University. His research focuses on leveraging AI tools that force active decision-making to bridge the gap between rote memorization and high-stakes physical application. He currently serves on his college's AI steering committee and has led their professional development efforts around AI for the past 2-3 years. 

Areas of Expertise

• Scalable Educational Technology for High-Stakes Training
• Integration of Generative AI in Higher Education
• Socratic Pedagogy and Clinical Reasoning
• Nursing Education and Curriculum Development
• Custom AI Chatbot Design and Prompt Architecture
• Virtual Clinical Simulations and Scenario-Based Learning