Highlights

VirtualSpeech provided a transformative way for students at all levels (from undergraduate, to postgraduate, to executive education) to practice and develop key transversal skills in an innovative learning environment.

Over 2,000 students each year at DCU Business School have an opportunity to develop their leadership skills with VirtualSpeech. An additional 1,000 post-primary school students will also benefit each year.

Background

Dublin City University (DCU) Business School has established the Colm Delves Mixed Reality Leadership Lab, the first mixed reality classroom in an Irish university specifically designed to support leadership development through experiential learning using virtual reality.

The Goal

Transversal skills and leadership skills are in-demand skills among employers. DCU Business School sought an innovative way for students to develop these skills in an experiential learning environment, using the Colm Delves Mixed Reality Leadership Lab.

The Leadership Lab and VirtualSpeech

The Leadership Lab and the training provided by VirtualSpeech allowed DCU Business School to fulfill its commitment to working with industry to prepare graduates to flourish.

Benefits of the VR Learning Experience

The use of VR headsets and hand controllers enhances students' understanding of concepts through VR-enabled simulations. Students apply theory to practice in areas such as interview preparation, public speaking, leadership communication, and decision-making.

Professors can now tailor customised experiences for their students, for example, sending them to developing countries to gain a greater understanding of challenges associated with business development in foreign countries, or allowing them to engage in ethical decision-making and experience the outcomes resulting from their choices.

"VirtualSpeech's modules, such as Essential Public Speaking, Job Interview Preparation, and Leadership Communication Lab has helped DCU Business School teach students important transversal skills and allowed us to integrate VR technology into new ways of teaching in creative and meaningful ways."

David Kenny, Assistant Professor, Digital Business, DCU Business School