It is not easy for many professionals to address low literacy. Although there are ways to find out if someone is low literate, it is still a difficult subject to address. This is because shame plays a major role. To practice discussing this subject, we have developed a VR training Low Literacy.
We started developing two scenarios in collaboration with HAN and GGD Gelderland Zuid. After that, we also designed a third case together with the Municipality of Den Bosch.
Our VR training Low literacy consists of three scenarios that take place in different contexts.
First of all, there is Paul, a father to a girl in group 8. Paul visits the school for a conversation about a camp form. The class is going to camp but a completed ‘camp form’ is still missing. As a teacher, you will discuss this with Paul. An example of such a conversation can be seen in the video below:
In addition, we have a case with Joyce. She is overweight and wants to lose weight. She has talked with a dietitian about this. Together with Joyce, you go through the Eating Meter, as you can see in the video below:
Finally, you can have a conversation with Delano. Delano is in his twenties who is on social welfare. He forgot to relay that he has earned some money. As a result, he has received a warning that he does not understand. As a consultant at the municipality, you will discuss this with him as you can see in the video below:
The aim of identifying and discussing low literacy is not easily achieved. The player has to do his best for that. For example, you have to be nice and show interest to build trust. Once the person in front of you trusts you enough, he or she will give in. Then the second part of the conversation starts in which you will normalize and help further, for example by offering a course.
The VR application is an application of the IVA platform developed by The Simulation Crew. Speech recognition is used for this platform. The choice to work with open (free) speech input arose from the desire to create as natural a conversational situation as possible. This way works without the limitations of multiple-choice communication. After all, in this, the suggestion is already given away, something that is not there in reality. In reality, you will have to find your words and deal with the situation on your initiative. In addition to verbal communication, non-verbal communication is also included, such as eye contact, body posture, and voice intonation. A web-based dashboard provides insight into the participants’ progress and results.