About
The University of the West of England (UWE), located in Bristol, UK, serves almost 40,000 students across a range
of disciplines.
UWE’s School of Health and Social Wellbeing offers a range of different Extended Reality options for learning, including Bodyswaps.
They began deploying Bodyswaps on 1st January 2024 and reached 1000 sessions in just 10 days.
Goals
- Strengthen their Health and Social Care students’ soft skills
- Implement scalable immersive learning solutions to ensure wide-reaching training
- Assist learners with anxieties around public speaking and social interactions, which have become increasingly evident
post-pandemic.
Deployment
Safety & comfort
UWE ensured safety protocols were in place for students using VR equipment, including limits on session lengths (no more than 25 minutes), chairs available for those feeling disoriented, and alternate options for students with health conditions such as motion sickness
Instructional videos
UWE's Technical and Digital Learning Teams invested time in creating instructional videos to help students quickly get acquainted with the headsets, safety protocols, and how to interact with VR content.
Results
After one session of our 'Navigating Angry Conversations' module:
- 82% of students would recommend Bodyswaps to their peers
- 94% of students identified areas to improve on their skills
- 82% of students increased their understanding of the topic
Advice
- Prioritise your students’ comfort - allow them to familiarise themselves with VR equipment before engaging in structured activities.
- Ensure your staff feel confident with the technology and have a good understanding of the content.
- For scalable deployments, ensure you plan carefully and implement helpful software and processes, such as device
management systems and clear safety protocols for staff and students.