The present project aims to break the physical limitation of job interview practices for students in LABU2060 Effective Communication in Business, the last required CLE course of the Business School’s program at the Hong Kong University of Science and Technology (HKUST). The pandemic has intensified the need for incorporating emerging technologies, e.g., virtual reality (VR), in Higher Education. A VR job interview mobile application was implemented in LABU2060 in 2022. Surveys, field observations and focus group interviews were conducted within HKUST. It was found most students were satisfied with the usability and their learning experience gained through using the application in the 2D mode. Students participated in the field tests, utilizing the application in the VR mode (N=17). The findings revealed that the VR job interview application successfully helped students practice and prepare for their job interviews. Students preferred the VR mode to the 2D mode thanks to the immersiveness and authenticity of the VR job interview practices.

It has long been a challenge for teachers to provide personalised speaking training for students with limited class time and space in a physical classroom, and the pandemic has made the issue even more pronounced, under which in-person, teacher-student practices were implausible. As part of the post-pandemic new normal, the implementation of e-learning technology, particularly, Virtual Reality (VR), has become a viable solution with higher task authenticity and personalization for language and communication training. This paper begins by depicting the hurdles of teaching and acquiring communication skills for HKUST business students; the present project showcased the development and implementation of the VR mobile application, I’m IN – HKUST, in a business English course. The application encompasses 2 main functions, providing communication practices, corresponding to the needs and the majors of the business students, by VR trainers and introducing job-seeking related topics (in the form of mini-lessons). It also provides standardised feedback based on self-reported performance levels, integrated as a blended reflective learning task. Users’ surveys, field observations and focus group interviews were conducted within HKUST, and the results indicated that the introduction of VR technology enhanced the teaching and learning of business communication successfully.

Short Descriptions

The Project will officially end on Jul 31, 2022. As it has been fully implemented in LABU2060 in the Spring term, some evaluation and research work is to be completed. CLE colleagues will be involved in the evaluative process, and I'll also work with a student helper to finish the outstanding tasks regarding the app and the project's website improvements.

Deliverables

- Conducting field observations, and individual and focus group interviews to collect more in-depth student users' views. - Writing a report to document research findings - Presenting at CUHK Community of Practice Symposium of Education Innovation and Technology 2022 and 2022 HKUST's Teaching and Learning Symposium, and CLE EYE - Attending an interview for the TLIP Project an inter-institutional collaborative project with CUHK, HKBU, and CityU