360°VR: Application for exercise and sport science education

Abstract

Soft skills are integral for early career success for higher education graduates (1). An example of an industry where these skills are vital is Exercise and Sport Science (ESS) (2), where over 2,000 students each year from 30+ Universities graduate (3). Developing these soft skills supports graduates to extend beyond technical skills and be productive and competent in a dynamic workplace (4). However, technical skills such as the development of knowledge have received a stronger emphasis in the ESS curriculum compared to transferable skills such as communication and developing positive relationships (2). The aim of this opinion paper is to propose 360°VR as an authentic learning tool for developing vital soft skills in ESS education, which are typically underdeveloped. 360°VR will be critically assessed through a SWOT analysis (strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, threats), with several examples presented and discussed. ESS is a multidisciplinary field that has developed significantly in recent decades (5). The definition of ESS varies globally, with the British Association of Sport and Exercise Sciences (BASES) defining ESS as “the application of scientific principles to sport and exercise, achieved through one of the following three branches of science (biomechanics, physiology, psychology), or through interdisciplinary approaches” (6). However, in Australia, the accrediting body, Exercise and Sports Science (ESSA) defines a Sport Scientist as a professional who “provides expert advice and support to athletes and coaches to help them understand and enhance sports performance; adopting evidence-based, quality-assured practice to evaluate and develop effective strategies or interventions in training and/or competition” (7). ESSA (7) also describes ESS tertiary education as following a holistic approach including foundational knowledge in biomechanics, physiology and psychology, but also anthropometry, training methodology, motor learning and learning. Given the multidisciplinary nature ESS, there are a variety of career paths for tertiary graduate students, with the most common including exercise physiologist, strength and conditioning coach, sport scientist, high performance manager, sport physiologist, and academic (8). There are a number of skills to practice effectively in ESS-related careers. Bruce et al. (2) analysed the perceived importance of key skills for ESS roles, as viewed by those working in the sport science industry from an academic and applied perspective. The most important technical skills included contemporary and sport-specific research and best practice knowledge; practicing in an inclusive/non-discriminatory manner; being able to analyse the demands of the sport/athlete capabilities; and ability to analyse data's validity and reliability. Although these technical skills are important for practitioners, “soft skills” (e.g., transferable, interpersonal skills) may be important in supporting these technical skills, by enabling effective knowledge translation through strong communication and relationships (9). The perceived importance of soft skills have grown over the last decade, and include interpersonal, intellectual and practical skills, allowing individuals to behave positively and adapt to professional challenges (10). Examples of important transferable skills for ESS graduates include written/oral communication, identifying and using appropriate communication techniques, creating positive professional relationships with stakeholders, and ability to adapt to contextual/role demands through adaptive thinking (2). These transferable (i.e., “soft”) skills were consistently rated to be more important by those in applied settings than academic (2). Soft skills are necessary in the most common ESS career paths, which are all service-related (8). In strength and conditioning, simulated practice environments such as work-integrated learning were the best pedagogical approaches to develop skills (11). Developing these soft skills supports graduates to extend beyond technical skills and be productive and competent in a dynamic workplace (4). While it may be more difficult to develop soft skills in the classroom than technical skills, work-integrated learning (i.e., placement) is an important opportunity for ESS students to develop key soft skills (12). By developing communication and interpersonal skills in placements, this facilitates a smoother transition to the workplace (12, 13). There are only a finite amount of hours students can engage in placement activities in non-paid capacity, to avoid exploitation of students seeking to gain experience and not take away from the curriculum time required to develop technical skills/knowledge (12). Therefore, implementing more innovative and authentic learning activities in the classroom may be an approach to develop these skills. The pedagogical stance adopted for this paper is authentic learning, which can increase the employability of students by developing skills necessary for the workplace (14). Authentic learning approaches refer to role-playing and problem-based exercises that focus on real-world, complex problems and their solutions in multidisciplinary learning environments (15). Given the multidisciplinary nature of the ESS field of study (3, 5), authentic learning appears to be appropriate for developing key skills. An example of an innovative authentic learning approach is mixed reality technologies, such as 360° Virtual Reality (360°VR) as recommended by Stanley (16). This technology offers the possibility to allow students to learn complex problems in an appealing and stimulating manner, while being more engaged and motivated in their study (16, 17) Novel curricula activities and technologies such as 360°VR could be developed to provide opportunities to develop key workplace soft skills within an authentic learning environment. 360°VR...