Learning practical business skills using Virtual Reality

Keywords: Virtual Reality, Simulation, AI Avatars, Sales Skills, High Education

Abstract: The utilization of Virtual Reality (VR) as a means to facilitate the acquisition of practical business skills is a promising approach that reinforces management concepts, while also affording learners the opportunity to practice business-related skills before encountering real-world situations. The proposed exercise aims to provide late undergraduate and executive education students with the opportunity to refine their sales skills through immersive simulations within virtual worlds. Teaching practical sales skills using VR offers a dynamic approach to traditional teaching methods, transforming seminars into interactive and experiential sessions. For educators incorporating VR technology in their courses to enhance the teaching of practical business skills some level of technological familiarity is required. To facilitate this process, the proposed exercise can serve as a "Teach to Teach" experience. Upon completing the exercise, learners are expected to demonstrate increased confidence and preparedness for real-world situations. The seminar will be facilitated through the use of a VR headset and an immersive virtual environment (IVE) populated by digital avatars. Given the complexity involving logistics to deliver the session in the conference, the session was designed to accommodate a maximum of 6-8 participants and will span a duration of 75 minutes.