Walk in My Shoes - Future Scenario Anti- bully curriculum using virtual reality
“When I think about virtual reality, I think virtual reality is like uranium: It’s this really powerful thing. It can heat homes and it can destroy nations. And it’s all about how we use it.” -Jeremy Bailenson, Stanford VHI Lab
A project by Bay Area Design: A social service. (Badass) with partners Adam and Nick from Smashing Ideas.
Walk in My Shoes - Scenario Planning Could VR really be one of the best ways to feel what It’s like to walk in another’s shoes? How might a future rich with virtual reality as An empathy tool play out? Who writes the story? To think more deeply about this question we created a vision for the future which would serve a large vulnerable population: Bullied students, bullies, bystanders and the structural link of the nationwide school system. We want to be part of the conversation. What do you think?
Walk In My Shoes A school curriculum and service system dedicated to transforming bully behavior and the bystander effect
Scenario planning exercise
Context: The promise of technology
Mirror Neurons At Stanford’s Virtual Human Interaction Lab, a research team has been putting 1,000 participants through a variety of immersive VR scenarios to measure empathy at scale. Complementary exploratory efforts have led to the discovery of so-called mirror neurons in which the same neurons fire in the brain when an activity is taking place, as compared to when the same activity is simply being viewed. Context: The promise of technology
Additionally, experiments in body visualization and “perspective-taking� have been met with positive, dramatic results in empirical medical studies that focus on the what happens within the brain when it is engaged in an immersive VR experience. Context: The promise of technology
What is possible, probable and predictive?
The culmination of the claim that VR is the best way to deeply feel what it is like to walk in another’s shoes, in essence to take on their perspective. What could this look like in the future? Could we solve some core problems if there were actual empathy tools? Context: The question.
The story
This is one vision of inclusive design that would serve a large vulnerable population: Students who are bullied, the bullies who taunt them, the bystanders that knowingly or unknowingly allow these experiences to happen, and finally the structural link of the nationwide school system.
The problem
Over 3.2 million students are victims of bullying each year and out of that alarming statistic, approximately 160,000 teens skip school every day because of bullying. Additionally, 17% of American students report being bullied 2 to 3 times a month or more within a single school semester. Below is an all-too-familiar dynamic.
Every day on the bus coming home from school Alex is harassed by Jamie. He asks her why she wears that thing in her hair and other accusatory questions in a mean and intimidating way.
The bus driver is concerned and frequently sees issues like this on the bus, but feels it is not his job to intervene. He feels like a bystander and does not know what to do.
The bus driver has a workplace training tool that helps him understand the best approach for navigating difficult bullying situations.
Walk In My Shoes Immersive experiences are impactful in new ways. The bus driver is given the ability to model his behavior in a simulated environment first, while learning coping mechanisms that mirror first-hand experiences.
In health class the kids are super excited to try VR and in this lesson they learn about bullying and bystander behavior. The parents are given the option to review the experience as well which could have additional impact
The Principal receives a report on the on the anonymous data collected from the VR experiences. She also seeds vital information into the database, helping others to target their efforts and measure results.
Walk In My Shoes
Data collection and analytics helps schools learn more about the social dynamics with students in order to effectively address social education. This system aims to help schools determine the frequency and target areas of bullying behavior, as well as gage the effectiveness of their current efforts.
Having the right tools at teaching moments utilizing immersive experiences helps third parties intervene safely and effectively to deescalate the situation.
Teachers blend social and cultural topics with technology that supports their efforts. Kids respond to a more immersive experience. Knowing the scope and magnitude of what is going on within the school’s ecosystem can help the Principal and advisory board choose appropriate strategies to respond with, which in turn will help kids develop socially, while maintaining individual privacy.
IMPACT An anti bullying curriculum helps students understand bully behavior and how to avoid it. Parents and staff participate. Within the system, a single user could play the part of multiple characters within the same experience, which builds perspective on a difficult situation- creating the powerful outcome of empathy via the immersive tool. Discuss!
Bay Area Design: A social service (badass) is a civic design group in California. Say hi tell us what you think@bayareadesign melissacliver@gmail.com