An Automated Virtual Reality Training System for Teacher-Student Interaction: A Randomized Controlled Trial

Area of Science:

• Educational Technology
• Artificial Intelligence in Education
• Virtual Reality Training

Background:

• Supervision shortages and resource limitations hinder effective practice rehearsal for education personnel.
• Interactive simulations often require instructor management, while automated ones lack engagement in practice skills like speech.
• Developing scalable, effective training methods is crucial for educators.

Purpose of the Study:

• To evaluate the efficacy of automated virtual reality (VR) simulations powered by artificial intelligence (AI) for behavioral skills training.
• To assess the improvement in implementing a nondirective mathematical questioning strategy using AI-driven VR.
• To determine if AI-augmented VR can provide effective training with reduced instructor oversight.

Main Methods:

• 30 college-aged participants were randomly assigned to an intervention group (lecture, modeling, VR) or a control group (lecture, modeling only).
• Participants were trained on a nondirective mathematical questioning strategy for correct and incorrect answers.
• Performance was assessed using observed and automated measures, alongside subjective confidence ratings over three weeks, with VR used for assessments in both groups.

Main Results:

• The intervention group showed significantly higher posttest (88% vs 63.33%) and maintenance (83.33% vs 54.67%) scores in the questioning procedure compared to the control group.
• Participants in the AI-augmented VR group reported higher confidence levels (mean 2.41 vs 2.04).
• Statistical analyses confirmed significant main effects of time and treatment, and an interaction effect, highlighting the intervention's impact.

Conclusions:

• AI-augmented VR simulations show potential for delivering effective, evidence-based behavioral skills training with minimal instructor involvement.
• This technology can improve the implementation of specific educational strategies, such as nondirective mathematical questioning.
• Further research is needed to confirm the impact on authentic practice and expand the range of trainable skills.