Usability assessment of virtual reality as a training tool for oral presentation

Abstract

One of the widely used teaching-learning strategies in the educational sector is the delivery of oral presentation by students. They are tasked to present their outputs-such as research paper, project, case study findings—to a group of audience. The problem experienced by most students in this type of task is the fear of public speaking combined with the pressure of relaying information effectively. In practice, this problem is resolved by giving more opportunity to students to rehearse repeatedly in front of peers. Organizing such setup, however, becomes almost impossible during times of pandemic when face-to-face interaction is limited, if not prohibited. Hence, this study ventured on assessing the usability of an alternative solution. This is with the use of virtual reality technology that can simulate the traditional training scenario and render it in a virtual environment. Three categories of participants were involved in the rating of its usability - IT students, non-IT students and Trainers. They were given ample time to navigate a public speaking app using a VR headset. Afterwards, they accomplished a survey questionnaire where they assessed the usability of the VR tool as a mode of training for oral presentation. Findings show that the usability rating of virtual reality as a training tool for oral presentation can vary depending on the technological background of users. This is due to the lack of on-screen assistant that would guide users in navigating the system. Despite these minor problems, the use of virtual reality as a training tool for oral presentation is highly recommended. This is supported by the unanimous positive response of participants in the SUS scale measuring their interest in using the VR tool for oral presentation.