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Safe@Campus Virtual Reality Training for Campus Shooting Preparedness: Prototype Development and Usability Study.
Jingzhen Yang1,2, Hannah P Schneider1, Krista K Wheeler1
1Center for Injury Research and Policy, Abigail Wexner Research Institute, Nationwide Children's Hospital, Columbus, OH, United States.
JMIR Formative Research
|April 30, 2026
Summary
Virtual reality (VR) training effectively prepares university students for campus shooting threats, enhancing situational awareness and decision-making. This engaging, immersive approach addresses gaps left by traditional drills, proving feasible and acceptable for students.
Area of Science:
- Emergency preparedness and response
- Human-computer interaction
- Educational technology
Background:
- Campus shootings cause significant trauma and disruption.
- Traditional K-12 active shooter drills are inadequate for university settings.
- Virtual reality (VR) offers immersive training for high-stress events.
Purpose of the Study:
- Develop and evaluate Safe@Campus, a VR prototype for university active shooter preparedness.
- Assess the usability and feasibility of VR training for students.
- Incorporate stakeholder and user feedback for prototype refinement.
Main Methods:
- User-centered design across two phases: stakeholder interviews and prototype refinement, followed by student focus groups.
- Developed a 360-degree VR prototype with branching scenarios based on the "run, hide, or fight" framework.
- Analyzed focus group transcripts using constant comparative methods to identify themes.
Main Results:
- Students found K-12 drills unrealistic and insufficient for university environments.
- A strong need for university-specific, standardized active shooter training was identified.
- VR training was perceived as highly engaging, realistic, and effective for decision-making.
Conclusions:
- Safe@Campus is a feasible, acceptable, and engaging VR solution for campus shooting preparedness.
- The immersive, decision-driven VR format effectively builds practical skills.
- Future work should enhance interactivity, expand scenarios, and conduct larger trials.
