Ufi Funding Secured to develop a VR Authoring Tool
eCom Scotland is delighted to have secured grant funding from Ufi Charitable Trust to develop a Virtual Reality (VR) authoring tool. The Assessing Reality project will see eCom create an authoring tool that will enable non-technical staff in organizations, awarding bodies and colleges to create cost-effective VR assessments themselves, directly on the web.
Posted 19 March 2019
eCom’s scalable VR authoring tool solution will be developed as a Software as a Service (SaaS) product and will improve vocational assessments in various sectors.
An ideal vocational assessment tool
Using VR will make assessment more:
- Relevant to work situations - real workplace settings can be replicated in a safe environment, without incurring any additional equipment, resources or staffing costs
- Consistent - assessments can be exactly the same each time
- Transparent - tutors, managers or assessors will be able to see exactly what the user can see and measure their reactions in the virtual environment
VR assessments will also help easily measure a candidate’s capabilities or practical knowledge, increase learner engagement and provide relevant analytics for assessors.
A strong partnership
The Assessing Reality project sees eCom partner with the Scottish Qualifications Authority (SQA), who are planning how VR assessments could be aligned to their curriculums, as well as City of Glasgow College and Fife College, who are both looking at including VR assessments in their courses.
A positive impact
Building on eCom’s previous Ufi supported VR project, Digging Into The Past, Assessing Reality is expected to create a ripple effect throughout the learning industry.
eCom Group CEO, Linda Steedman, said “We’re really excited by the potential for VR to deliver authentic, relevant assessments that accurately reflect a candidate’s skills and abilities. We’re also delighted our new VR assessment authoring tool will help many organizations, across various sectors, to realize these benefits.”
