Perceptions of Higher Education Students on Immersive Virtual Reality for Communication Skills Training. The Bodyswaps Case

Instructors in higher education often struggle to organize communication skills trainings in an efficient way. Consequently, higher education students often lack the necessary communication skills for future work. To address this skills gap, immersive virtual reality (IVR) is seen as a promising avenue. Hence, it is of importance to investigate students' acceptance on IVR as an instructional means for communication skills training. To tap into their perceptions we ran an international, cross-institution survey study, engaging 480 students across 45 higher education institutions in three different geographical locations. Students were immersed in a Bodyswaps IVR learning experience, and subsequently questioned about their perceptions, using a research model elaborating on the Unified Theory of Acceptance and Use of Technology 2 (UTAUT2). General linear modelling was applied to test our hypotheses, resulting in an explained variance of 57% for behavioral intention to use. Performance expectancy, social influence, facilitating conditions, and hedonic motivation proved to significantly predict behavioral intention to use. No significant moderating effects were retrieved. Our results have both theoretical and practical implications guiding future researchers and implementation strategies.