Applying INACSL’s Healthcare Simulation Standards of Best Practice® in CBE
October 16, 2025
1:00 PM - 2:00 PM (ET)
Webinar Details
As nursing education transforms to embrace competency-based education (CBE), simulation emerges as a vital strategy for advancing experiential learning across the classroom, lab, and clinical environment. This webinar, offered in collaboration with leaders from the International Nursing Association for Clinical Simulation and Learning (INACSL), will guide AACN members in exploring how simulation can elevate instructional approaches and strengthen learner outcomes. Designed for faculty at every level—including classroom instructors, course coordinators, clinical faculty, and simulation educators—this session will highlight the Healthcare Simulation Standards of Best Practice® and their application across diverse educational settings. Participants will gain evidence-based insights, practical strategies, and innovative examples of how simulation fosters meaningful learning, competency development, and rigorous evaluation. Attendees will also be introduced to INACSL resources to support continued growth and integration of simulation as a cornerstone of CBE in nursing education.
Outcomes:
- Apply the Healthcare Simulation Standards of Best Practice® across multiple modalities to support experiential learning and competency-based education.
- Evaluate strategies for integrating best practices in teaching, learning, and assessment to improve outcomes in nursing and healthcare simulation.
- Integrate INACSL resources and evidence-based strategies to support faculty growth and the adoption of simulation as a cornerstone of competency-based education (CBE).
Note: Recording of the webinar will be available soon after the webinar airs. Visit AACN's On-Demand Webinars to watch.
Speakers
Speakers
Fara Bowler, DNP, APRN
Associate Professor, Assistant Dean of Clinical Simulation Science Sr. Director of Clinical Partnerships and Placements
University of Colorado Anschutz
Dr. Fara Bowler is an Associate Professor at the University of Colorado College of Nursing, where she serves as Assistant Dean of Clinical Simulation Science and Senior Director of Clinical Partnership and Placements. A recognized leader in clinical and simulation-based education, she has advanced academic-clinical integration through her dual leadership roles. She is serving her second elected term on the INACSL Board of Directors, where she champions international member engagement through the International Community of Practice, and was an author of the 2021 INACSL Standards of Best Practice: Simulation?. Dr. Bowler has also contributed as a member of the Standards Committee, served as liaison to the Governance and Financial Oversight Committees, and was an early collaborator in developing INACSL’s innovative Healthcare Simulation Standards of Best Practice Endorsement™.
Ashley Franklin, PhD, RN
Polly & Tex Rankin Endowed Professor of Nursing
Texas Christian University
Dr. Ashley Franklin serves INACSL as the Immediate Past President and liaison to the Healthcare Simulation Standards of Best Practice Endorsement™ Committee. Her experience as a simulation leader at Texas Christian University includes curriculum, faculty development, program evaluation, and competency assessment in formative simulation. Dr. Franklin is a past author of the Healthcare Simulation Standards of Best Practice®.
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Development, Implementation, and Evaluation of a DEI Toolkit for Simulation
March 13, 2024
2:00 PM - 3:00 PM (ET)
Webinar Details
This webinar will describe the process for developing, implementing, and evaluating a DEI Toolkit specifically for use in simulation programs. The content of the Toolkit will be discussed, including the purpose, glossary of terms and conceptual model with application to simulation scenarios, faculty self-assessment of DEI content knowledge, student evaluations of their experiences, and DEI resources for simulation.
Objectives:
- Discuss an approach to systematically integrate DEI Concepts into a simulation curriculum.
- Identify essential components of a DEI toolkit for simulation.
- Discuss a framework for guiding the development of simulation scenarios.
Note: Recording of the webinar will be available soon after the webinar airs. Visit AACN's On-Demand Webinars to watch.
Speakers
Speakers

Joanne O. Dunderdale, DNP, RN
Assistant Professor
Marcella Niehoff School of Nursing
Loyola University Chicago
Joanne O. Dunderdale is an Assistant Professor teaching in simulation education at the Marcella Niehoff School of Nursing, Loyola University Chicago for the past 10 years. She teaches every aspect of simulation in undergraduate nursing education including: medical-surgical I & II, mental health, community, maternal/child, women's & older adult health, pediatrics, leadership and intra- and inter-professional simulation. Dr. Dunderdale has extensive experience creating simulation scenarios, facilitating simulation activities, and leading debriefing sessions. Her research interests are in simulation, transition to practice and Ignatian Pedagogy application in nursing simulation education. Dr. Dunderdale has over 30 years experience as a registered nurse and currently maintains a clinical practice in the emergency nursing setting.

Carol T. Kostovich, PhD, RN, CHSE
Associate Professor
Assistant Dean of Innovative Educational Strategies& Simulation
Marcella Niehoff School of Nursing
Loyola University Chicago
Dr. Carol Kostovich is an Associate Professor and Assistant Dean of Innovative Educational Strategies and Simulation in the Marcella Niehoff School of Nursing, Loyola University Chicago. In addition to teaching courses at the undergraduate and graduate level, she oversees nursing simulation within the pre-licensure and graduate programs. Dr. Kostovich has over 25 years of teaching experience in higher education. She holds undergraduate and graduate degrees in nursing and a post-graduate certificate in Educational Research Methodology. Dr. Kostovich's research focuses on the phenomenon of nursing presence, creating psychologically safe spaces for students and patients and designing, implementing and evaluating innovative approaches to teaching. She is a certified healthcare simulation educator.
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Development, Implementation, and Evaluation of a DEI Toolkit for Simulation
March 13, 2024
2:00 PM - 3:00 PM (ET)
Webinar Details
This webinar will describe the process for developing, implementing, and evaluating a DEI Toolkit specifically for use in simulation programs. The content of the Toolkit will be discussed, including the purpose, glossary of terms and conceptual model with application to simulation scenarios, faculty self-assessment of DEI content knowledge, student evaluations of their experiences, and DEI resources for simulation.
Objectives:
- Discuss an approach to systematically integrate DEI Concepts into a simulation curriculum.
- Identify essential components of a DEI toolkit for simulation.
- Discuss a framework for guiding the development of simulation scenarios.
Note: Recording of the webinar will be available soon after the webinar airs. Visit AACN's On-Demand Webinars to watch.
Speakers
Speakers

Joanne O. Dunderdale, DNP, RN
Assistant Professor
Marcella Niehoff School of Nursing
Loyola University Chicago
Joanne O. Duunderdale is an Assistant Professor teaching in simulation education at the Marcella Niehoff School of Nursing, Loyola University Chicago for the past 10 years. She teaches every aspect of simulation in undergraduate nursing education including: medical-surgical I & II, mental health, community, maternal/child, women's & older adult health, pediatrics, leadership and intra- and inter-professional simulation. Dr. Dunderdale has extensive experience creating simulation scenarios, facilitating simulation activities, and leading debriefing sessions. Her research interests are in simulation, transition to practice and Ignatian Pedagogy application in nursing simulation education. Dr. Dunderdale has over 30 years experience as a registered nurse and currently maintains a clinical practice in the emergency nursing setting.

Carol T. Kostovich, PhD, RN, CHSE
Associate Professor
Assistant Dean of Innovative Educational Strategies& Simulation
Marcella Niehoff School of Nursing
Loyola University Chicago
Dr. Carol Kostovich is an Associate Professor and Assistant Dean of Innovative Educational Strategies and Simulation in the Marcella Niehoff School of Nursing, Loyola University Chicago. In addition to teaching courses at the undergraduate and graduate level, she oversees nursing simulation within the pre-licensure and graduate programs. Dr. Kostovich has over 25 years of teaching experience in higher education. She holds undergraduate and graduate degrees in nursing and a post-graduate certificate in Educational Research Methodology. Dr. Kostovich's research focuses on the phenomenon of n ursing presence, creating psychologically safe spaces for students and patients and designing, implementing and evaluating innovative approaches to teaching. She is a certified healthcare simulation educator.
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Essentials & CBE: Enhancing Nursing Education with VR/AR
September 12, 2023
12:00 PM - 1:00 PM (ET)
Webinar Details
Join nurse educators Dr. Michael Ackerman and Dr. Stephanie Justice to review and discuss utilizing virtual and augmented reality to transition to competency-based education (CBE). Learn how integrating the latest technology can support faculty to transition to CBE and elevate the student learning experience. Hear how allowing educators to assess each student’s competencies adequately will better prepare tomorrow's nursing workforce.
Objectives:
- Describe extended reality technology and the metaverse.
- Discuss decision-making about selecting appropriate hardware and software.
- Develop use cases for emerging technology in nursing education.
- Discuss the role of extended reality in implementing the Essentials (competency-based education)
Note: Recording of the webinar will be available soon after the webinar airs. Visit AACN's On-Demand Webinars to watch.
Speakers
Speakers

Michael Ackerman, PhD, RN, FCCM, FNAP, FAANP, FAAN
Director, Center for Healthcare Innovation and Leadership
The Ohio State University
Michael Ackerman is currently the Director of the Master in Healthcare Innovation Program and Professor of Clinical Nursing, and the Director of the Center for Healthcare Innovation and Leadership at the Ohio State University College of Nursing. He also maintains a clinical practice as an acute care nurse practitioner at St Joseph’s Neighborhood in Rochester, NY. He is also the Owner of Ackerman Consultants.Dr. Ackerman has held just about every position a nurse could hold in academia and clinical practice, from candy striper to senior director. His entire career has been dedicated to critical care, with numerous publications as well as invitations to speak nationally and internationally. His research and writing have focused on a variety of clinical topics, including sepsis, airway management, hemodynamics, innovation, and leadership. His innovative work has led to many disruptions in clinical practice and health system change. He has been recognized for his various contributions with various fellowships, including Fellow in Critical Care Medicine, Fellow in the National Academy of Practice, Fellow in the American Academy of Nurse Practitioners, and The American Academy of Nursing.

Stephanie Justice, DNP, RN, CHSE
Assistant Clinical Professor
The Ohio State University
Dr. Stephanie Justice is an Assistant Clinical Professor at The Ohio State University College of Nursing. She worked in the simulation lab for several years and served as the Graduate Simulation Coordinator. She helped to plan and currently works in the XR lab, teaches courses, and is part of the Center for Healthcare Innovation and Leadership. She is a Certified Healthcare Simulation Educator (CHSE), virtual reality educator, and moulage artist. She volunteers with the Central American Medical Associati on (CAMO), co-chairs Champions in Higher Education for XR (CHEX), and is a faculty advisor for Buck-I-SERV alternative break trips to Antigua, Guatemala, and Akokwa, Ghana. Dr. Justice participated in the National League for Nursing (NLN) Sim Leaders program in 2022. Dr. Justice is working on several grants, including the Disrupting Nursing Education Using Extended Reality (XR), Artificial Intelligence, and Machine Learning grant sponsored by the American Nurses Foundation Reimagining Nursing Initiative.
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Enhancing Competency-Based Education and Assessment with Video Simulations
December 13, 2022
2:00 PM - 3:00 PM (ET)
Webinar Details
Dr. Laurie Kennedy-Malone highlights a year-long project funded by AACN’s Faculty Scholar Grant Program at the University of North Carolina-Greensboro (UNCG). During this project, five new clinical simulations, with faculty guides, were developed with the goal of designing competency-based video simulations that facilitate formative assessment of nurse practitioner students’ clinical decision-making skills. The simulations come with a guide, written by UNCG nurse practitioners, which lists the specific Essentials domains and concepts for advanced-level nursing education sub-competencies, used to enhance the student learning experience.
Objectives:
- Describe the process of developing clinical video simulations and faculty guides developed for nurse practitioner curriculum
- Summarize the process used to validate the AACN Advanced Essentials with the clinical video simulations/faculty guides
- Discuss the use of clinical video simulations in nurse practitioner curriculum
Speakers
Speakers

Laurie Kennedy-Malone, PhD, GNP-BC, FAANP, FGSA, FAAN
Professor of Nursing
University of North Carolina at Greensboro
Laurie Kennedy-Malone has been a certified gerontological nurse practitioner since 1982 and a professor of nursing at the University of North Carolina at Greensboro (UNCG) since 1990. She was the 2007 recipient of the John A. Hartford Foundation Institute for Geriatric Nursing Faculty Champion and the National Conference of Gerontological Nurse Practitioners' Excellence in Education Award in 2006. In November 2018, she was awarded a Certificate of Recognition for Excellence as a Distinguished Educator in Gerontological Nursing by the National Hartford Center of Gerontological Nursing Excellence. She coauthored Integrating Gerontological Content into Advanced Practice Nursing Education and Advanced Practice Nursing in the Care of Older Adults. Both books received AJN Book of the Year Awards. She has authored over 40 peer-reviewed publications. A former president of the National Conference of Gerontological Nurse Practitioners, she later served as a Director at Large of the Gerontological Advanced Practice Nurses Association (GAPNA). In 2020, Dr. Kennedy-Malone received the Excellence in Leadership Award from GAPNA and, in 2021, the Excellence in Creativity & Innovation, Edith Moore Copeland Founders Award from Sigma Theta Tau International. Dr. Kennedy-Malone is a recent recipient of the AACN Faculty Scholars Grant Program for her work on Enhancing Nurse Practitioner Competency-Based Education and Assessment with Innovative Video Simulations.
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