Faculty Innovations
Virtual Reality Teaches Students About Real Bias
Razan Hamed, PhD, associate professor of rehabilitation & regenerative medicine, was inspired by her own experiences to create the course.
“I have been told blatantly that no matter how qualified I am I will likely never be offered a leadership position because of my last name,” Hamed says. “That made me want to fight discrimination and bias so that all OT experts, no matter what their background, can share their talents.”
But talking openly about bias in a group setting isn’t easy, and learning about DEI through lectures may not be the most effective way to keep students engaged in this delicate and often personal topic. Instead, Hamed turned toward virtual reality.
“The VR system is a generation-friendly immersive teaching tool that allows students to think in a non-traditional way about what bias looks like by letting them experience bias through an avatar.”