Steven Sturman, Project Manager and Lead Instructional Designer, University at Buffalo
SUNY FACT2 Excellence in Instructional Support Award Recipient 2024

This presentation will provide an overview of the current state of Virtual Reality and how it is being integrated into higher education, specifically within health related professions. We will discuss how faculty at the University at Buffalo School of Social Work (UBSSW) developed a Trauma Informed Virtual Reality Learning Environment (VRLE) called "Trauma Informed Spaces," originally designed for the Meta Quest VR headset. Partnering with SUNY Brockport School of Social Work, they created and beta-tested a low-cost cardboard version for mobile phones, broadening accessibility. This VRLE immerses students in a mental health outpatient clinic, contrasting trauma-informed setups with non-trauma-informed ones. By experiencing these environments from a client's perspective, students gain empathy and understand how physical settings impact client experiences and engagement. Integrated into UBSSW's Master and Doctorate programs and SUNY Brockport's Bachelor program, the VRLE has been assessed for usability and instructional effectiveness. This presentation will describe the development process, the review process, and the feedback that was used to improve the VRLE. We will also discuss how the VRLE was integrated into the courses and how instructors in related disciplines can use the VRLE in their courses. Following beta testing, a mobile app soft launch is planned for Spring 2024, with a full launch in Fall 2024, aiming to expand its reach within SUNY.