STEPS-program

Overview

The Simulation Technology Educational Practices and Safety (STEPS) program is an educational ecosystem designed to prepare the next generation of Simulation Operations Specialists (SOS)—workforce who orchestrate the educational, technological, operational, and human systems that make meaningful experiential learning possible. Hosted within Ontario Tech University's Faculty of Health Sciences, STEPS responds to the growing need for professionals who can adapt to increasingly complex simulation environments across healthcare, higher education, and industry.

Rather than focusing solely on technical skills, STEPS is built on the belief that deep theoretical knowledge enables adaptability. Students develop systems thinking, educational understanding, technical competence, communication skills, and reflective practice that together prepare them to work confidently across diverse simulation contexts as technologies, educational practices, and healthcare systems continue to evolve.

The STEPS pathway spans from early recruitment through workforce development, offering a modular, stackable educational journey with multiple entry points. Its cornerstone is a three-year, seven-course Minor in Simulation Operations embedded within the Faculty of Health Sciences, complemented by workplace learning, research opportunities, and continuing professional development.

What makes the STEPS Minor unique is that it represents one of the first university-based academic pathways dedicated to the preparation of non-clinical Simulation Operations Specialists. The curriculum is grounded in a competency-based educational framework supported by Competency-Based Education (CBE), Professional Activities (PAs), and Entrustable Professional Activities (EPAs), creating a structured developmental pathway that prepares graduates not simply to operate simulation technologies, but to steward and continually improve educational ecosystems.