A 3D virtual environment for training teachers to identify bullying

Incidents involving bullying in schools present a difficult challenge for educators who need to identify potentially dangerous behaviors in comparison to `innocent' types of inter-student interactions. In this paper we investigate the use of a dedicated Virtual Reality application as a means of training educators to identify alarming bullying activities. The Virtual Reality environment simulates a typical middle school, where different bullying-related incidents take place. The virtual environment is visualized using a Virtual Reality headset in conjunction with eye tracking techniques that facilitate user interaction. In order to make realistic animations that resemble human motions, state of the art motion tracking equipment was used for generating realistic avatar movements. According to the scenario of the application, the user witness different types of student behavior and he/she has to take decisions on how to control and deal with the situation. The prototype was tested by active teachers who reported that the incidents within the simulation were similar to real life experiences and suggested that the application could be used in teacher training education providing inexperienced teachers feedback on how to recognize and manage bullying.