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Oxford Brookes Business School students to learn soft skills through virtual reality

Virtual soft skills learning environment by Bodyswap and Meta
Virtual soft skills learning environment by Bodyswap and using Meta Quest VR headsets.

Oxford Brookes Business School is embarking on a new Virtual Reality (VR) project to support students in developing the soft skills required for graduate employment.

In partnership with Bodyswaps and Meta the Soft Skills Education Research Project seeks to support learners to be enterprising, creative, and resilient individuals.

Using the latest Meta Quest VR headsets students will engage in an immersive experience. The idea is they can develop and practise their soft skills through realistic scenarios and learn by observing their own behaviour using the Bodyswaps platform.The soft skills training is in four categories: communication skills and public speaking, employability and job interview, diversity, equality and inclusion, and management and leadership.

Photo of Professor Tim Vorley using Bodyswap in the Meta Quest VR headset.

Professor Tim Vorley, the University’s Pro Vice-Chancellor and Dean of Oxford Brookes Business School said “It is tremendous that we are able to offer this opportunity to our students on-campus, and the pilot reflects our wider commitment to the student experience.

“It is particularly exciting that students will benefit from this unique learning format and provide unprecedented AI generated feedback based on real time behavioural data specific to each learner.

“At Oxford Brookes Business School the Bodyswaps platform complements our in-curricula education delivered on our undergraduate and postgraduate programmes. In particular the focus of the soft skills training is aligned with the focus of Oxford Brookes Business School on employability and work readiness. In particular, the employability skills training is designed to help learners develop the soft skills to succeed in transitioning into the world of work.”

Professor Nicolette Michels, Associate Dean for Programmes added “We’re excited to see the positive impact that immersive learning will have on the soft skills of our students.”