Tag: VR

Creating A Better World Through Ethical Business Decisions

Pitch:
I would like to create a VR application that puts the audience in the shoes of a large business owner. A large business, or enterprise, is defined as a company with at least 5,000 employees (Large). For realism purposes, I would like my VR application to circle around the beliefs and principles of Chick-Fil-A. Chick-Fil-A is the second largest fast food chicken chain in the U.S. (Bhasin). Truett Cathy is the founder, former CEO, and current board of directors member of Chick-Fil-A. He can best be described as a religious Mormon man that puts his money where his faith is. He is also a firm believer in giving back to the community. In 2010 alone, he raised $1.8 million dollars for seven different nonprofit organizations. To learn a bit more about him, here is a quote about his mindset toward business and his religion, “There’s really no difference between biblical principles and business principles. The Bible, which is a road map, tells a lot about how to operate a restaurant” (Bhasin). This is the position of power the audience will temporarily be taking on in my VR application.

Audience members will be given two options throughout three different points in the application. It is important to keep in mind that these choices will have a significant impact on how you as the owner choose to run your business. Here are the three different option points you will come across throughout my VR experience:
• Beginning: Determine whether to keep Chick-Fil-A open on Sundays for a larger profit. This is important because if the core principles of your Mormon board of directors is abandoned, their support will be diminished. But, it is emphasized in the beginning that the main reason to start as business is to make a profit. What do you do?
• Middle: Determine whether to cook the books for a large increase in profit. Your regional finance manager approaches you and says he has a way to double the company’s profit. He mentions it is unethical, but he assures you that it is 100% safe. What do you do?
• End: Determine which company to partner up with. The two choices are a large non-profit Mormon movement association or an oil company. The non-profit is, of course, not profitable for the company. It is ethical, and it will make you feel good to help others in desperate need of help. Partnering with the oil company will make you exponentially rich, but it comes with a cost. You will lose the support of your board of directors completely. What do you do?

Target Audience:
My target audience is current, potential, former business owners, and any aspiring college or high school business students. It is my goal to teach them the hardships and difficulties along with the personal satisfaction that comes with starting a business. It is important to realize education is important. Also if the correct decisions are made and money is invested and spent wisely, the chance for a successful business will increase.

How it will teach empathy:
I would like to design my VR application to teach empathy through the decisions that are made in everyday life by large business owners. Business owners are often only in business to make a profit. I want this mindset to change. When in the position of owning a large company such as Chick-Fil-A, there is often plenty of money left over to try and help others in need. Throughout his life, Truett Cathy has been a pioneer in the field of giving back to those in need (Bhasin). I want my target audience to get a chance to see how great the world can become if we all decide to give back as much as Truett Cathy has.

Sources:
“Large enterprise.” Définition – Large enterprise | Insee, www.insee.fr/en/metadonnees/definition/c1035.

Bhasin, Kim. “Meet S. Truett Cathy, The 91-Year-Old Billionaire Behind Chick-Fil-A.” Business Insider, Business Insider, 23 July 2012, http://www.businessinsider.com/meet-chick-fil-a-founder-s-truett-cathy-2012-7

Biohazard

 

The study of disease is incredibly important for the life of humans. The ability to prevent and control pandemics and/or epidemics is incredibly important. Millions of lives can be saved due to the research pathologists and their lab techs do every day. Pre-Medicine Students may use this application as a tool to learn more about disease. This application introduces pathology in a fun way. This may ultimately inspire a pre-med student to further his or her studies in pathology. Concepts students will learn are the difference between direct and indirect Transmission Pathways, the importance of discovering a pathway, and methods for collecting samples. Students will be able to collect samples from infected and healthy test subjects and analyze the data gathered (recognize patterns within the data).

The basis for the application character-wise would be a lab tech at the start of the zombie apocalypse. You work with a team of 6 under lead pathologist. The user’s job is to collect samples and identify if a bacteria, fungus, protozoa, or a virus causes the disease. In order to determine its nature, he or she must determine if it is spread directly or indirectly. The transmission pathway is key if they want to figure out how to prevent infection. The user must analyze the infected fluids and isolate the source. The user will get to name the pathogen. The information he or she gathers will be put out into the public. Near the end of your trials the user’s child becomes sick with the disease. The research the user has done will determine whether the child is saved.

Sources:

  • Balcarek, Kytia B., et al. “Neonatal Screening for Congenital Cytomegalovirus Infection by Detection of Virus in Saliva.” The Journal of Infectious Diseases, vol. 167, no. 6, 1993, pp. 1433–1436. JSTOR, JSTOR, www.jstor.org/stable/30112750.
  • Cortez, Michael H., et al. “Distinguishing between Indirect and Direct Modes of Transmission Using Epidemiological Time Series.” The American Naturalist, vol. 181, no. 2, 2013, pp. E43–E52. JSTOR, JSTOR, www.jstor.org/stable/10.1086/668826.

 

 

Final Project: Virtual Reality and Empathy

For your final project you will use all of the readings and discussions we have had throughout this semester to inspire your own creation: an educational virtual reality experience that evokes empathy. You may draw from your own personal experience, the fiction we have read and watched, and outside research to design a short VR application which is both educational and intended to induce empathy in your audience. You will design this simulation as an entry to the competition being held by Mosaic Learning:

http://www.mosaiclearning.com/

Winner Selection Criteria

  • Learning Outcomes. The extent to which the simulation prototype (1) contains clearly defined academic, technical, and employability learning objectives; (2) spurs change or improvement in the user’s knowledge and skills; and (3) provides data to the user and instructor with respect to progress toward achievement of the learning outcomes.
  • Engagement – User Experience. The extent to which the simulation prototype demonstrates an engaging user experience on par with commercially available entertainment games. This experience should be both educational and evoke empathy.
  • Engagement – User Interface. The extent to which the simulation prototype exhibits a thoughtful user interface design on par with commercially available entertainment games.
  • Commitment. The extent to which the submission: (1) demonstrates the entrant’s evolution and improvement of the concept; and (2) illustrates the entrant’s ability and intention to improve upon and scale the simulation beyond the Challenge timeframe.
  • Implementation Strategy. The extent to which the submission describes a detailed plan for implementation that takes into account potential barriers such as cost and technological constraints, including integration with existing and future technology, and proposes potential solutions to overcome such barriers.

To accomplish this task, the project will be broken down into steps.

  1. Individual pitches: each student will conceptualize and present their idea for a project in 3 minutes. The class will vote on the top 4 projects. (10 points)
  2. Group contracts: in small groups of 3-4, students will outline their plan for this project and assign roles and responsibilities for each student to accomplish. A timeline and due dates will be established. (15 points)
  3. Formal proposals: each group will compose a 3-5 page proposal for their project meeting the criteria of the competition. The proposal will include outside research, citations, and a bibliography. (50 points)
  4. Storyboard: each group will create a demo of the simulation by making script and either storyboard. (25 points)
  5. Final presentation: this is your presentation to Mosaic Learning. You will present all of your research and your prototype using: a short video or simulation using our Richo cameras or InstaVR. You have 15 minutes plus 3 for questions. The final presentations are during the final exam period.

    100 points total