Kazan Federal University and Cerevrum have co-developed a new VR application.

Kazan Federal University ‘s Digital Media Lab (Higher School of IT and Intelligent Systems), Institute of Social and Philosophical Sciences and Mass Communications, and Russian VR learning developer Cerevrum aim to provide a brand new way to teach people to conduct work negotiations.

In the beginning, researchers created a methodology for realistic work scenarios with different virtual characters. A learner can test various negotiation tactics and look at the characters’ reactions. Thus, stress levels in later real-life situations can be reduced.

The research on students has shown that virtual learning provides better involvement in the learning process – the tested individuals memorized 50% more control phrases than those who used traditional learning techniques.

Oleg Radchenko, Head of Research at Cerevrum, explains, “When we are in an unfamiliar environment, a so-called orientation reflex kicks in. Our brain is targeted to orientate in this new environment, and a person’s memory capacity improves. Virtual reality can provide this immersion in a new world.”

The technology is already in use at such large retailers as Walmart and Perekrestok (the latter is a Russian grocery supermarket chain).

“Earlier, non-gaming uses of VR were limited to applied cases, such as equipment maintenance. Utilizing this technology to develop communication skills is more complex, but it’s a very interesting task,” says Vitaly Abramov, Development Director at KFU’s Digital Media Lab.

KFU and Cerevrum had previously offered a similar tool to develop oratorical skills. The sides plan to continue their cooperation.

Source text: Aliya Safina

Translation: Yury Nurmeev