Page 5 - MAVR Newsletter Volume 1, Issue 1 (November 2017)

a​ ​virtual​ ​environment​ ​with​ ​a​ ​panel​ ​of​ ​interviewers,​ ​and​ ​also​ ​the​ ​audio​ ​recordings​ ​of​ ​real
interview​ ​questions.

An​ ​example​ ​of​ ​how​ ​VR​ ​interview​ ​training​ ​might​ ​be​ ​integrated​ ​into​ ​a​ ​course​ ​of​ ​study​ ​can
be​ ​found​ ​below:

1. Before​ ​using​ ​the​ ​app,​ ​learners​ ​practice​ ​language,​ ​skills​ ​or​ ​strategies​ ​related​ ​to

interviewing​ ​as​ ​part​ ​of​ ​a​ ​course​ ​of​ ​English​ ​language​ ​learning.​ ​For​ ​example,​ ​an
interview​ ​strategy​ ​such​ ​as​ ​giving​ ​yourself​ ​time​ ​to​ ​formulate​ ​responses​ ​by​ ​using
phrases​ ​like​ ​‘That’s​ ​an​ ​interesting​ ​question.​ ​May​ ​I​ ​have​ ​a​ ​moment​ ​to​ ​think​ ​about
that?’​ ​or​ ​by​ ​repeating​ ​the​ ​interviewer’s​ ​question.
2. Next,​ ​learners​ ​familiarise​ ​themselves​ ​with​ ​various​ ​companies​ ​and​ ​prepare
answers​ ​for​ ​actual​ ​questions​ ​used​ ​by​ ​the​ ​companies,​ ​such​ ​as​ ​​Google
(VirtualSpeech​ ​also​ ​supplies​ ​training​ ​material​ ​on​ ​their​ ​blog​ ​-​ ​see​ ​link).​ ​Another
option​ ​could​ ​be​ ​to​ ​have​ ​learners​ ​try​ ​to​ ​answer​ ​the​ ​questions​ ​with​ ​no​ ​prior
knowledge​ ​to​ ​experience​ ​answering​ ​questions​ ​unprepared.
3. Now​ ​learners​ ​open​ ​the​ ​app,​ ​select​ ​‘interview​ ​training’​ ​and​ ​choose​ ​the​ ​company
that​ ​they​ ​have​ ​prepared​ ​answers​ ​for.​ ​By​ ​pressing​ ​the​ ​‘play​ ​button’​ ​on​ ​the​ ​view
screen,​ ​the​ ​panel​ ​of​ ​virtual​ ​interviewers​ ​will​ ​ask​ ​questions​ ​one-by-one.
4. While​ ​practicing,​ ​learners​ ​could​ ​focus​ ​on​ ​a​ ​particular​ ​skill​ ​or​ ​strategy,​ ​measure
their​ ​response​ ​time​ ​or​ ​reflect​ ​on​ ​how​ ​well​ ​they​ ​could​ ​answer​ ​the​ ​question.

3.​​ ​​ ​​ ​​Stand-alone​ ​VR​ ​Headsets​ ​Announced

by​ ​Eric

Some​ ​of​ ​the​ ​challenges​ ​in​ ​working​ ​with​ ​VR​ ​equipment​ ​are​ ​the​ ​cost​ ​and​ ​low​ ​portability.
VR​ ​headsets​ ​that​ ​allow​ ​for​ ​6​ ​degrees​ ​of​ ​freedom​ ​to​ ​move​ ​in​ ​virtual​ ​spaces​ ​are​ ​either
tethered​ ​to​ ​a​ ​high​ ​end​ ​PC​ ​or​ ​employ​ ​a​ ​high​ ​end​ ​smartphone.​ ​Both​ ​have​ ​issues​ ​for
educators,​ ​the​ ​more​ ​advanced​ ​and​ ​immersive​ ​versions​ ​are​ ​very​ ​hard​ ​to​ ​move​ ​around
and​ ​require​ ​quite​ ​a​ ​bit​ ​of​ ​set​ ​up​ ​and​ ​space.​ ​The​ ​mobile​ ​versions​ ​such​ ​as​ ​Gear​ ​VR​ ​from
Samsung​ ​are​ ​housings​ ​for​ ​only​ ​certain​ ​kinds​ ​of​ ​smartphones,​ ​so​ ​you​ ​can’t​ ​count​ ​on
students​ ​being​ ​able​ ​to​ ​BYOD.

The​ ​next​ ​round​ ​of​ ​VR​ ​devices​ ​might​ ​give​ ​the​ ​best​ ​options​ ​yet​ ​for​ ​VR​ ​use​ ​in​ ​classrooms.
These​ ​devices​ ​are​ ​stand-alone​ ​VR​ ​headsets.​ ​The​ ​sole​ ​purpose​ ​of​ ​these​ ​devices​ ​are​ ​to
use​ ​inside-out​ ​tracking​ ​and​ ​small​ ​high-res​ ​displayed​ ​to​ ​make​ ​the​ ​best​ ​possible​ ​mobile
VR​ ​experience.​ ​These​ ​devices​ ​look​ ​much​ ​like​ ​the​ ​tethered​ ​and​ ​smartphone​ ​versions
you​ ​see​ ​today,​ ​looking​ ​like​ ​a​ ​helmet​ ​with​ ​a​ ​screen.