New 'Virtual Reality' Tech Now Part Of Montco Public Speaking Course

Press release from the Montgomery County Community College:

Eric Devlin

October 6, 2023

Students at Montgomery County Community College taking one public speaking course
have a new tool to help them combat speech anxiety. This semester, they’re incorporating
virtual reality technology into their speeches to learn how to confidently stand and
deliver.

Communication Studies Assistant Professor Meredith Frank launched a pilot program
last spring and continued it again this semester to incorporate virtual reality headsets
into her classes, after watching a demonstration Academic Technologies Innovation
Specialist Matt Kilbride gave about the possibilities of using the wearable technology.

“After seeing the demonstration, I wondered, how can I do this?” said Frank. “If students
have the glasses on, would they be more comfortable presenting?”

Using the Meta Quest 2 VR headset, students are able to enter into a digital landscape
to give their speeches.

“It’s an immersive experience, where students are disconnected from their current
reality,” said Kilbride, “and brought to another environment.”

When she first incorporated the technology in her Communication Studies 120 class
last spring, Frank said students were skeptical at first but quickly took to the experience.

“One student was shy but came out of his shell,” she said. “He felt way more comfortable
with the headset on.”

Students first delivered a speech on a virtual TED talk stage. Then they presented
in a virtual classroom setting, which they preferred. Many, however, said they wished
they had gotten a chance to try it sooner.

“On the whole, every student said it made them feel more comfortable,” said Kilbride.

For the fall semester, Frank decided to introduce the technology for thefirst set of speeches for the same class. Over the summer, she and Kilbride collaborated on selecting other virtual environments to try, landing on a digital classroom. The room features a computer, projector, white board, and students can view their notes through a teleprompter, along with any other visual components they’ve incorporated, as they present.

“For virtual reality environments can be almost anything,” said Kilbride. “It captures
the senses and brings you to another place. It can be impactful for learning because
rooms can be clinical settings or you can send students to space, practice customer
service soft skills, construction safety, or even chemistry labs.”

At first, the class could see a live video of what the presenter saw in the headset.
However, because of the rapid head movements, it became too disorienting, so now they
only see the slide decks that students prepare, said Frank.

The technology can help students improve their speech skills. It has the ability to
record students’ vocal pauses, filler words, timing, and their eye contact. It also
records and replays their presentations using a virtual avatar to help them improve,
said Kilbride.

TJ Grumm, a first-year Mass Media Production major, said he found the experience of wearing the headset interesting, although it was a little challenging at first.

“I consider myself a good public speaker, and the headset threw off my groove early
on,” he said. “I like to play to the crowd and not being able to see the actual people
in the room with me hurt my flow to start.”

During his speech, Grumm said because he was wearing the headset, he did feel calmer
during moments where he felt off track in his speech.

“No one who I’m looking at with my own eyes is judging me right now, so I should be
good,” he remembered thinking. “It helped me to get back on track sooner.”

Grumm overall would recommend the experience to anyone who’s nervous about public
speaking, he said.

“There’s definitely a plus to it,” he said. “For people who have anxiety, you don’t
have to worry that this person is not even interested in what I’m talking about. Everything
you see are people with their eyes on you.”

This isn’t the first time MCCC has incorporated VR technology into the classroom setting.
Kilbride recently helped Radiography students practice giving X-rays using the technology.

“I think VR technology has a unique place in the future of teaching,” he said. “Both
of these pilots address a very specific niche in the classroom. For Radiography, it
was about helping students develop clinical skills in a safe environment. Whereas
in this situation, it’s about leveraging immersive settings to supplement communicative
skills and through anxiety. We collaborate on where the technology can provide more
opportunities to connect students with the objectives of the course.”

Frank said the positive feedback from students has encouraged her to find new ways
to incorporate the technology. During MCCC’s Technology and Learning Conference, she said she’s proposed creating a speech lab at Pottstown
Campus, where students could practice their speeches using the VR headset during times
when she’s tutoring. Students across all areas of the College would be welcome to use it to practice.

“It doesn’t matter what class they’re in,” she said. “This way it will make them feel
more comfortable before they give a live speech. The end result will be they’ll be
able to get up in the classroom and present.”

Updated: 10/10/2023

This press release was produced by the Montgomery County Community College. The views expressed here are the author’s own.