Virtual reality promises to drastically transform learning and development practices. A variety of interventions have been tried in the past to effect behavior change without success, but immersive interactive virtual reality experiences have the potential to effect this behavior change. For example, empathy is currently taught as a core competency in medical education, however empathy decreases as individuals progress through medical school. Virtual reality is possibly the ultimate empathy engine, holding promise for teaching empathy-related skills by being able to put an individual in another person's shoes. Virtual reality holds a distinct benefit over other learning and development methods, specifically when trying to effect behavior change where knowledge alone is not enough. A growing body of evidence indicates that virtual reality scenarios are useful as an intervention to cultivate behavioral change related to empathy, confidence, and enabling a behavior.

In this case study session you'll explore the evidence-based outcomes from a VR research study designed to understand if participation in a virtual reality simulation can effect a change in empathy and confidence. This session will dive into why VR is the right tool for some learning interventions and we'll discuss how VR is uniquely superior for certain learning and behavior change interventions. We'll then show how the Behaviour Change Wheel and COM-B model was used to assist in designing this VR behavior change intervention. In addition, we'll discuss the concrete, evidence-based results from this study and others regarding the effectiveness of VR for learning and development. While this particular study was designed to determine if there was a significant difference in healthcare students' empathy and confidence levels after participating in a virtual reality dementia simulation, the study results and tools can be generalized to empathy and confidence in many career paths including but not limited to customer service, human resources, diversity and inclusion, or sales. As well, the Behavior Change Wheel that will be discussed can be leveraged to create effective interventions for any desired behavior change.

In this session, you will learn:

• What VR is
• Why VR is preferred for teaching empathy
• Why VR is effective for improving confidence in a job-related skill
• How to use the Behaviour Change Wheel to design effective behavior change interventions
• How to use VR in your training programs

Audience:
Designers, developers, managers, senior leaders

Technology discussed:
VR