The Problem
Since 2020, the global pandemic has posed post-secondary institutions with an interesting challenge: how can professors offer engaging, experiential learning tools online while in-person classes and resources were sparse, or unavailable.
While colleges are slowly returning to in person learning, this particular institution needed to find a way to offer hybrid options for said learning tools. This is when they approached XpertVR to develop a virtual training scenario that could be offered in person via VR headset as well as online for students in the Pharmacology course.
In the past, students in this program would practice the procedures of administering medications individually, under the live direction of the instructor of the course – either in person in the classroom, or online on Zoom.
The student would verbally describe the actions they would chose to take, based on the scenario parameters given by the instructor, also administered verbally. The institution decided to explore avenues for an independent exercise in lieu of instructors conducting these one-on-one with their students.
XpertVR’s Interview and Investigation Training solution
After consulting with subject matter experts at the college, and understanding this need for a PC based learning tool (online integration) and a VR learning tool (in person) to facilitate hybrid learning, XpertVR was able to get to work and build a simulation. XpertVR saw an opportunity to create a fully immersive experience that also supported the importance of administrative procedures.
The simulation replicated the group home rooms of 3 different patients, at 2 different times of day when they required assistance with medication. The user, a Pharmacology student, would be able to assume the role of a Personal Support Worker employed by the group home in question and while in the room, access the medical cabinet and interact with the patient avatar, the necessary medications, and other in-room elements.
The student would then be able to practice the proper order of events to ensure the patient received their medication, with corrective responses prompted if steps were missed. The developers at XpertVR worked closely with the subject matter experts to ensure that all the tools utilized by personal support workers and the various types of medications were as realistic as possible.
This was one of XpertVR’s first opportunities to utilize our in house Conversation Matrix Tool: a tool created by one of our Simulation Developers. The CMT allowed our developers to easily implement conversation branches for each of the Ready Player Me generated Avatars in the scenario.
These branches allowed for the users to select from a series of multiple choice verbal responses when engaging with their patients, which added another layer of realism to user flow.
The final VR simulation allows for students to put on a headset, and feel as though they are entering each of the patient’s rooms to help administer medication. Each scenario included distractions for the user, as well as incidents to assess and reflect best practices.
In addition to the fully immersive VR build, the desktop version was created for integration into the college’s LMS system for online learners. This build allows for distanced learners to utilize the same experiential learning tools as their on campus peers, while also offering an accessible option for students that require an alternative to VR.
Results & Feedback
Although the college we worked with would like to stay anonymous for this case study, we can share that they were very pleased with the final product.
We look forward to future collaborations with this institution and are excited to see what comes next.