About
Across four main campuses, South Gloucestershire and Stroud College (SGS) serves over 15,000 full- and part-time students of all ages.
Led by Jake Barnes, Head of Digital Education and Libraries, SGS are piloting Bodyswaps across students of different
cohorts, age groups, and levels.
The feedback so far has been overwhelmingly positive, from both students and educators.
- Empower learners to practise and develop soft skills like active listening and communication
- Support staff in delivering engaging, innovative lessons while building their confidence with new technology
Deployment
Training & onboarding
Jake led a VR "driving license" training for staff, building their confidence before running sessions themselves. As staff became more familiar, they began scheduling their own sessions independently.The learning space
A library space was repurposed as the central VR hub. Students were rotated in small groups through VR headsets, with the other half working on laptops equipped with headsets and microphones. Being in close proximity didn’t disrupt immersion, as the more background noise they heard, the less they felt others were listening in.Results
After one session of Let’s Talk About Race: Navigating Microaggressions in VR:- 92% of students would recommend Bodyswaps to their peers
- 83% of students identified areas to improve on their Active Listening skills
- 83% of students increased their understanding of the module topic
Impact
- Health and social care students, in particular, were “really astounded” in how naturally they applied the skills in simulation.
- Students began discussing scenarios and outcomes outside of the headset, showing high levels of engagement.
Showing it to staff and to students and for them to go ‘Wow, this really is the next level of learning’... that kind of says it all.
Jake Barnes
Head of Digital Education and LibrariesAdvice
- Encourage teachers to complete the modules themselves before deploying them, so they’re confident in the content
they’re sharing and can help students. - When piloting, establish evaluation metrics from the start, to ensure consistent monitoring of impact.
- Prioritise integrating Bodyswaps into curriculum areas, indicating its value as more than just an innovative novelty.
Future plans
Jake and her team plan to continue working with the current cohorts while expanding Bodyswaps into new areas, including HNC Business students and Duke of Edinburgh groups.This will allow the college to test its impact across a broad spectrum of learners, from entry level to level six, and gather rich feedback.
