Other Titles
Embedding the UN Sustainable Development Goals in Graduate Nursing Curricula: Experiential Learning With RealLives Virtual Simulation [Title Slide]
Abstract
Background: The United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) form a universal framework of 17 interconnected goals designed to address global challenges and achieve a sustainable future by 2030 [1]. For nursing education, these goals are relevant, emphasizing health, equity, and social justice domains central to the profession [2]. Graduate nursing programs face challenges in embedding SDGs into curricula through approaches that extend beyond traditional didactic methods [2-3]. Innovative strategies are needed to ensure nursing graduates develop the critical thinking, empathy, and reflective skills required to engage with these priorities.
Purpose: To evaluate the effectiveness of using the RealLives simulation in a graduate nursing course as a pedagogical tool to enhance experiential learning, strengthen and deepen student engagement with the SDGs.
Methods: This quality improvement project infused the RealLives simulation into a graduate nursing course to teach the SDGs. By immersing students in diverse socio-economic scenarios, the simulation prompts them to make challenging daily decisions that reveal the real-world effects of poverty and resource allocation. Students directly engage with themes related to all the SDGs as they navigate a virtual character's life and outcomes shaped by their choices. They also confront the difficulties of managing limited resources sustainably. Structured discussion forums encouraged reflection, enabling students to connect their challenges to larger global health issues. A rubric-guided evaluation of participation, focusing on depth of reflection, clarity of communication, engagement with peers, and linkage to SDGs. This framework ensured constructive feedback and accountability while fostering collaborative learning.
Results: Students demonstrated increased competence in global health concepts and an improved ability to analyze the interconnections between real-life challenges and the SDGs critically. Also, it improve their empathy, critical thinking skills, and strategic insight for realistic solutions. The rubric-guided discussions promoted deeper reflection, clarity in communication, and peer engagement.
Conclusion: Integrating RealLives into graduate nursing education aligns experiential learning with reflective practice and structured assessment, showing how nursing curricula can prepare students to engage with the SDGs and advocate for equitable, sustainable health outcomes.
Notes
References:
[1] United Nations. (2015). Transforming our world: the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development. Resolution adopted by the General Assembly on 25 September 2015, A/RES/70/1.https://sdgs.un.org/goals
[2] Hägg-Martinell A. (2025). Nursing Students' Experiences of and Attitudes to the Sustainable Development Goals: A Scoping Review. Public health nursing (Boston, Mass.), 42(3), 1421–1433. https://doi.org/10.1111/phn.13555
[3] Ramos-Pla, A., del Arco, I., Olondriz-Valverde, A., & Fornons Casol, L. (2025). Education and Nursing in the 2030 Agenda: Challenges and Opportunities for University Education. Sustainability, 17(6), 2757. https://www.mdpi.com/2071-1050/17/6/2757
Sigma Membership
Alpha Epsilon
Type
Presentation
Format Type
Text-based Document
Study Design/Type
Quality Improvement
Research Approach
Translational Research/Evidence-based Practice
Keywords:
Sustainable Development Goals, Health Equity or Social Determinants of Health, Curriculum Development, Sustainable Development Goals (United Nations), SDGs, Sustainable Development, Active Learning, Experiential Learning, Simulation Methods & Models, Graduate Nursing Education, Curriculum Planning
Recommended Citation
Akintomide, Modupe and Nandan, Monica, "Embedding the SDGs in Graduate Nursing Curricula: Experiential Learning With RealLives Simulation" (2026). International Nursing Research Congress (INRC). 287.
https://www.sigmarepository.org/inrc/2026/presentations_2026/287
Conference Name
37th International Nursing Research Congress
Conference Host
Sigma Theta Tau International
Conference Location
Toronto, Ontario, Canada
Conference Year
2026
Rights Holder
All rights reserved by the author(s) and/or publisher(s) listed in this item record unless relinquished in whole or part by a rights notation or a Creative Commons License present in this item record. All permission requests should be directed accordingly and not to the Sigma Repository. All submitting authors or publishers have affirmed that when using material in their work where they do not own copyright, they have obtained permission of the copyright holder prior to submission and the rights holder has been acknowledged as necessary.
Review Type
Abstract Review Only: Reviewed by Event Host
Acquisition
Proxy-submission
Date of Issue
2026-09-23
Embedding the SDGs in Graduate Nursing Curricula: Experiential Learning With RealLives Simulation
Toronto, Ontario, Canada
Background: The United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) form a universal framework of 17 interconnected goals designed to address global challenges and achieve a sustainable future by 2030 [1]. For nursing education, these goals are relevant, emphasizing health, equity, and social justice domains central to the profession [2]. Graduate nursing programs face challenges in embedding SDGs into curricula through approaches that extend beyond traditional didactic methods [2-3]. Innovative strategies are needed to ensure nursing graduates develop the critical thinking, empathy, and reflective skills required to engage with these priorities.
Purpose: To evaluate the effectiveness of using the RealLives simulation in a graduate nursing course as a pedagogical tool to enhance experiential learning, strengthen and deepen student engagement with the SDGs.
Methods: This quality improvement project infused the RealLives simulation into a graduate nursing course to teach the SDGs. By immersing students in diverse socio-economic scenarios, the simulation prompts them to make challenging daily decisions that reveal the real-world effects of poverty and resource allocation. Students directly engage with themes related to all the SDGs as they navigate a virtual character's life and outcomes shaped by their choices. They also confront the difficulties of managing limited resources sustainably. Structured discussion forums encouraged reflection, enabling students to connect their challenges to larger global health issues. A rubric-guided evaluation of participation, focusing on depth of reflection, clarity of communication, engagement with peers, and linkage to SDGs. This framework ensured constructive feedback and accountability while fostering collaborative learning.
Results: Students demonstrated increased competence in global health concepts and an improved ability to analyze the interconnections between real-life challenges and the SDGs critically. Also, it improve their empathy, critical thinking skills, and strategic insight for realistic solutions. The rubric-guided discussions promoted deeper reflection, clarity in communication, and peer engagement.
Conclusion: Integrating RealLives into graduate nursing education aligns experiential learning with reflective practice and structured assessment, showing how nursing curricula can prepare students to engage with the SDGs and advocate for equitable, sustainable health outcomes.
Description
The United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) provide a framework to address global challenges, highlighting health and social equity in nursing education. This quality improvement project integrated the RealLives simulation into a graduate nursing course to strengthen experiential learning of the SDGs. Findings revealed enhanced student empathy, critical thinking, and strategic insight for realistic solutions, along with deeper reflection, clearer communication, and peer engagement.