IA20220 Virtual Reality for Future Skills

Academic Year 2023/2024

The world is changing fast. Many students today will go on to work in jobs that don’t yet exist. Employers are increasingly looking for individuals with the attitudes and skills that will enable them to thrive in an uncertain and fast-evolving workplace. Transversal skills such as communication, decision making, creative and critical thinking are more important than ever before.

This module utilises Virtual Reality (VR) to develop and practise transversal skills. Participants progress through a multi-stage immersive VR experience completing tasks, making decisions and exercising their critical faculties in a virtual workplace. The VR experience replicates a real-world enterprise, allowing participants to identify their areas of strength and tackle realistic workplace challenges in a safe environment.

The VR experience is part of a comprehensive learning journey. Between immersive VR sessions participants will participate in peer learning groups, take part in live feedback sessions with Innovation Academy facilitators and expert guests and make sense of the experience through guided reflective practice.

The transversal skills we practice in this module include being more aware of and using individual strengths, developing capacity for creative thinking, fostering innovation and curiosity, adopting an entrepreneurial and growth mindset, applying critical and analytical thinking to support decision making, effective communication and strategic thinking.

Module dates for 2022 / 2023

Autumn Trimester:
In-person facilitated classes - Thursdays - 3pm to 4pm - September 22nd to December 1st
Self-led VR activities in your own time during each week
Weekly self-scheduled 1 hour Action Learning Sets with a small group of classmates

Spring Trimester:
TBC but schedule will be similar to above

UCD Innovation Academy

**Enrolment on an Innovation Academy module means a commitment to active participation and engagement, which necessitates full attendance at all scheduled classes**

At the UCD Innovation Academy, we are a group of Educator Practitioners with extensive real-world experience as academics, business and social entrepreneurs, tech thinkers, creative professionals and design thinking practitioners.

We take an action-oriented approach to learning, with a combination of individual, group and class tasks and activities, including discussions, presentations and reflection. All of our teaching is grounded in academic rigour. Our focus is on ‘learning by doing’ in a real-world context. Classes include a combination of individual and team tasks and activities, along with discussions, presentations and reflection.


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Curricular information is subject to change

Learning Outcomes:

On completion of this module, students should be able to:

Identify and articulate their own strengths and character qualities
Appreciate how their and others’ strengths and character qualities can be leveraged in a range of contexts, including the workplace
Develop the ability to make reasoned decisions in complex and ambiguous situations
Effectively communicate with others, including justifying decisions made
Practise personal reflection as a tool for continuous self-improvement
Confidently navigate learning and working in a VR environment

Indicative Module Content:

Virtual Reality Experience
Typical business start-up activities e.g. product development, customer discovery, building a team, data analysis
Pitching and presenting
Reflective practice

Student Effort Hours: 
Student Effort Type Hours
Small Group

20
Practical

20
Studio

10
Specified Learning Activities

40
Autonomous Student Learning

40
Total

130
Approaches to Teaching and Learning:
All Innovation Academy modules take a 'learning by doing' approach, combining individual, and group activities and tasks including presentations, discussion and reflection.

Blended learning
Individual VR activities
Peer-led group sessions
Facilitator-led dialogue and discussion
Reflective Learning
Student Presentations
 
Requirements, Exclusions and Recommendations

Not applicable to this module.


Module Requisites and Incompatibles
Not applicable to this module.
 
Assessment Strategy  
Description Timing Open Book Exam Component Scale Must Pass Component % of Final Grade
Assignment: Reflection Report Throughout the Trimester n/a Pass/Fail Grade Scale Yes

20
Attendance: This module requires active participation and engagement, which necessitates attendance at ALL scheduled classes.

Throughout the Trimester n/a Pass/Fail Grade Scale Yes

40
Continuous Assessment: Online and offline tasks and activities

 Throughout the Trimester n/a Pass/Fail Grade Scale Yes

20
Presentation: Peer Learning Group Presentation Throughout the Trimester n/a Pass/Fail Grade Scale Yes

20

Carry forward of passed components
No
 
Remediation Type Remediation Timing
Repeat Within Two Trimesters
Please see Student Jargon Buster for more information about remediation types and timing. 
Feedback Strategy/Strategies

• Feedback individually to students, post-assessment
• Group/class feedback, post-assessment
• Peer review activities
• Self-assessment activities

How will my Feedback be Delivered?

Not yet recorded.

Name Role
Ms Eleanor Kelly Lecturer / Co-Lecturer
Anh Nguyen Quoc Lecturer / Co-Lecturer
Ms Jiaqi Zhang Lecturer / Co-Lecturer
Timetabling information is displayed only for guidance purposes, relates to the current Academic Year only and is subject to change.
 
Autumn
      
Workshop Offering 1 Week(s) - 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10 Tues 15:00 - 16:50
Autumn
      
Spring
      
Workshop Offering 1 Week(s) - 20, 21, 22, 23, 24, 25, 26, 29, 30, 31, 32 Tues 15:00 - 16:50
Workshop Offering 2 Week(s) - 27 Fri 09:00 - 16:50
Workshop Offering 2 Week(s) - 27 Mon 09:00 - 16:50
Workshop Offering 2 Week(s) - 27 Thurs 09:00 - 16:50
Workshop Offering 2 Week(s) - 27 Tues 09:00 - 16:50
Workshop Offering 2 Week(s) - 27 Wed 09:00 - 16:50
Spring