Gold for virtual reality training tool, silver and bronze for online parenting course
The Justice Institute of British Columbia (JIBC) garnered three Horizon Interactive Awards for two projects, including a virtual reality training tool which earned the top award in its category, and an online parenting course.
The virtual reality (VR) training project, “Training for a Virtual Future,” won a gold Horizons award in the category of Interactive-Kiosk/Public Exhibit/Museum/VR. JIBC partnered with the Centre for Digital Media (CDM) whose students developed the project with funding from The Justice Institute of British Columbia Foundation. JIBC Primary Care Paramedic (PCP) students and instructors provided content and testing expertise for the training simulator.
The goal of the project was to promote a greater understanding of the potential and benefits of virtual reality training within a justice and public safety training context. This VR prototype provides paramedic students with opportunities to apply critical assessment and decision-making skills in a simulated assessment and treatment of an unconscious patient. Students are required to identify all the hazards and follow the correct steps to treat the patient. The training simulator gives students a way to review their decisions and the consequences of their choices, leading to better analysis and decision-making in a real event, while instructors are able to analyze students’ performance to provide feedback.
“Faculty and staff in the PCP program are always looking for innovative ways to create learning opportunities for students that resemble the environments they will encounter in the ‘real world’ as they apply their paramedic skills,” said Kathy Harms, Director of JIBC’s Health Sciences Division. “We were so pleased to have the opportunity to partner with the CDM students on this project, and having the work recognized with this award is humbling.”
JIBC’s Centre for Teaching, Learning & Innovation (CTLI) earned an additional two awards for “Parenting After Separation – Indigenous Families,” a free online course developed in collaboration with the Family Justice Services Division of the Ministry of Attorney General for B.C. parents and other family members who identify as Indigenous and are dealing with separation or divorce. It aims to help parents make careful and informed decisions about their separation and provide strategies for dealing with conflict to ensure decisions are made in the best interests of their children. It won a bronze award in the Websites-Health/Human Services category and a silver in the category of Website-Government Agency.
“For JIBC to be recognized with three international awards in very competitive categories is a testament to the exceptional quality of work and creative expertise of the very talented team within CTLI,” said Robert Walker, Director of the Centre for Teaching, Learning & Innovation.
The 19th annual Horizon Interactive Awards recognize the best of interactive and creative media, including web sites, videos, online advertising, print media, and mobile applications. The 2020 competition saw just over 600 entries from 15 countries around the world which were judged by an international volunteer panel of industry professionals. For more information visit horizoninteractiveawards.com.