I-Corps: Virtual Reality Training Platform for Increasing Awareness of Unconscious Bias in Industry Decision-Making

I-Corps：虚拟现实培训平台，用于提高行业决策中无意识偏见的意识

• 批准号: 2402141
• 负责人: Kimberly Green
• 金额: $ 5万
• 依托单位: Western Kentucky University
• 依托单位国家: 美国
• 项目类别: Standard Grant
• 财政年份: 2024
• 资助国家: 美国
• 起止时间: 2024-02-15 至 2025-01-31
• 项目状态: 未结题
• 来源: https://www.nsf.gov/awardsearch/showAward?AWD_ID=2402141&HistoricalAwards=false
• 关键词: Corps; Virtual; Reality; Training; Platform

The broader impact/commercial potential of this I-Corps project is the development of an innovative training program designed to heighten self-awareness of potential biases in workforce decision making. This product has applications to a host of industries where employees may be subject to biases that can influence decision making outcomes. Practitioners and training facilitators in fields such as health and human services, child and adult welfare agencies, educational institutions, and licensing and accreditation organizations largely recognize the need to better engage with clients from increasingly diverse backgrounds and interests. In response, agencies and educational entities are actively seeking ways to address issues of decision-making bias among professionals. Traditional training (i.e., seminars, written case studies, use of live actors), is typically done in physical spaces, may not be easily accessible, and can therefore be costly. The proposed product can be accessed remotely which lifts many logistical barriers to consumers. By providing evidence to support the efficacy and viability of the product, expected outcomes may include improved practitioner knowledge, skills, and competencies. This will likely enhance service delivery, reduce work related stressors, and decrease workforce challenges with the goal of increasing effectiveness of service delivery and quality of life for the client/customer/employee.This I-Corps project is based on the development of an evidence-based simulation program to prepare current and future point-of-care/contact professionals (such as welfare workers, health providers, law enforcement officers, public service/first responders, educators, etc.) to become more aware of and responsive to their unconscious bias. This product allows participants to examine potential unconscious biases using real-time simulated virtual experiences. In many industries, clients often engage in systems with professionals who have inadequate training in recognizing unconscious bias in their practice. This lack of awareness, and thus decreased likelihood for responsiveness, increases the risk of negative impacts on decision making. In addition to targeting increased awareness of unconscious bias, this innovative training may also help to reduce workforce turnover, and therefore, the repeated expense of hiring and onboarding new professionals. Given that the impact of unconscious bias in decision making often results in financial cost to organizations, negative service outcomes, and challenges with recruitment/retention, the product offers a potential cost-effective and accessible means to help address numerous pain points.This award reflects NSF's statutory mission and has been deemed worthy of support through evaluation using the Foundation's intellectual merit and broader impacts review criteria.

该I-Corps项目的更广泛的影响/商业潜力是开发创新的培训计划，旨在提高对劳动力决策的潜在偏见的自我意识。该产品在许多行业中申请了员工可能会受到影响决策结果的偏见。卫生和公共服务，儿童和成人福利机构，教育机构以及许可和认证组织等领域的从业者和培训促进者在很大程度上认识到有必要更好地与来自日益多样化的背景和利益的客户互动。作为回应，机构和教育实体正在积极寻求解决专业人士之间决策偏见问题的方法。传统培训（即，研讨会，书面研究，使用现场演员的使用​​）通常是在物理空间中进行的，可能不容易访问，因此很昂贵。可以远程访问拟议的产品，从而将许多后勤障碍带给消费者。通过提供证据来支持产品的疗效和可行性，预期的结果可能包括改进的从业者知识，技能和能力。 This will likely enhance service delivery, reduce work related stressors, and decrease workforce challenges with the goal of increasing effectiveness of service delivery and quality of life for the client/customer/employee.This I-Corps project is based on the development of an evidence-based simulation program to prepare current and future point-of-care/contact professionals (such as welfare workers, health providers, law enforcement officers, public service/first responders, educators, etc.) to become more aware of and对他们无意识的偏见做出反应。该产品允许参与者使用实时模拟的虚拟体验检查潜在的无意识偏见。在许多行业中，客户经常与专业人士一起参与系统，这些专业人员在承认无意识的偏见方面的培训不足。这种缺乏意识，因此减少了响应能力的可能性，增加了对决策产生负面影响的风险。除了目标增加对无意识偏见的认识之外，这种创新的培训还可能有助于减少劳动力的离职，因此，聘用和入职新专业人员的一再费用。鉴于无意识偏见在决策中的影响通常会给组织带来财务成本，负面的服务成果以及招聘/保留的挑战，因此该产品提供了一种潜在的成本效益和易于访问的方式来帮助解决众多痛苦点。该奖项反映了NSF的法定任务，并认为通过基金会的知识优点和广泛的crietia crietia crietia criperia criperia criperia criperia criperia criperia criperia criperia criperia criperia criperia criperia均值得通过评估。