Highlights

VirtualSpeech provided 100+ Masters students at ZHAW School of Management and Law with an innovative way to learn soft skills while practising in VR scenarios and getting detailed feedback to improve their performance.

Background

The ZHAW School of Management and Law relies on three success factors: excellence in research, a national identity with an international focus, and study programs including BSc, MSc, and continuing education programs that are both innovative in their content and teaching methods as well as practically oriented.

Their educational programs and their research in management and law enable entrepreneurial activity and contribute to resolving social challenges. They stand for Swiss excellence with a global reach.

The Goal

The main goal was to simulate public speaking scenarios with Masters students to train soft skills and employability skills such as public speaking.

The MR Lab and VirtualSpeech

With VirtualSpeech, students can practice online and in VR an unlimited number of times until they are confident in their ability and can perform their best in real-life situations. By practicing in realistic VR scenarios, students can learn key communication skills through hands-on experience.

"VirtualSpeech provides an excellent way of analysing the delivery of public speeches with automated feedback on various aspects of a talk such as pace, filler words, eye contact and many more." - Dr Roger Seiler, Head of the Mixed-Reality-LAB at SML.

Credits: MRLAB, SML

Benefits of the VR Learning Experience

100+ students have been exposed to the VR experience so far. Research is clear on the positive effects VR can have in education hence, there are not a lot of excuses as to why not to use the technology where it makes a lot of sense (e.g. simulation, soft skill training or safety procedures).

"I am glad that the Dean of the SML and management support the MRLAB to be forerunners in the field of education and research. Let’s shape the future of education and use technology in a way where the technology task fits the learning need, for example training soft skills in virtual environments"

"There are many benefits to VR learning with much less costs compared to role play setting." said Dr Seiler.

Feedback from students

Regarding VirtualSpeech

"I was very nervous about delivering a presentation in front of my class. I really liked the VirtualSpeech software- it helped me to practise my presentation, gain routine and momentum, and hence, overcome some of my tension and stage fright." - SML Student

Regarding the MR Lab

"Simply world class, the hardware and software that is made available to us. In "normal" life, I would probably never work with such good equipment and systems (unless I choose a job in this field at some point, of course)." - SML Student