IN-PERSON MADRID FOCUS ON PEDAGOGY. SECTION B
Abstract
The rapid development and adoption of Generative AI have triggered a crisis in academic integrity, requiring educators to reconsider their assessment strategies. Returning to traditional assessment methods, such as in-person oral examinations, offer a robust solution to verify authentic learning. However, these methods present significant equity challenges, disproportionately impacting students with anxiety, neurodivergence, and those for whom English is a second language. This project investigates the efficacy of immersive virtual reality (VR) as a pedagogical intervention to mitigate anxiety and build resilience for oral exams. Piloted within an undergraduate BSc Psychology module, the study uses a VR simulation that replicates an oral exam scenario to provide an authentic practice experience. Participants will be asked to prepare a two-minute presentation on a research paper, which they will present in the simulation, followed by a question-and-answer session. Participants will engage with virtual avatars in a low-stakes environment, allowing for safe failure and practice without the added social pressure of a real audience. The VR intervention will be tested against a non-immersive equivalent utilising conversational AI (e.g., ChatGPT). Through repeated exposure sessions, the study will determine whether VR simulations can significantly reduce state anxiety and enhance perceived self-efficacy and performance in oral exams, compared with the non-immersive approach. This project aims to demonstrate how immersive technology can be used to support students, ensuring that the return to oral assessment does not come at the cost of inclusivity.
Coral Zawadzki has worked as a Learning Technologist in the Digital Education Futures team at University College London since 2023. She previously held similar roles in both faculty and central teams at the University of Portsmouth for over 10 years. She holds an MSc in Information Systems and has a keen interest in human computer interaction, accessibility, and immersive technologies. Coral is currently a PhD student with the UCL Interaction Centre (UCLIC), researching how virtual reality can enhance student resilience and wellbeing in higher education. She is also an Associate Fellow of the HEA.
Yvonne Rogers is a Professor of Interaction Design at University College London. Her research is concerned with designing interactive technologies that can empower humans, especially human-centred AI, and how to develop AI tools to think with. Central to her work is a critical stance towards how visions, theories and frameworks shape the fields of HCI, cognitive science and ubiquitous computing. She has received various awards including being elected as an international member of the American National Academy of Engineering, the ACM SIGCHI Lifetime Achievement Research Award, a Fellow of the Royal Society and the Royal Society Robin Milner Medal for computer science.
David Shanks is Professor of Psychology in the Division of Psychology and Language Sciences and Deputy Dean of UCL’s Faculty of Brain Sciences. He is a cognitive psychologist whose research encompasses learning, memory and decision making employing experimental and computational modelling approaches. He has written or edited several books on cognitive psychology including Straight Choices: The Psychology of Decision Making (with Newell and Lagnado, 3rd edition 2022).
3:00 pm - 4:30 pm
Friday 26th June, 2026