Virtual Reality for training the public towards unexpected emergency situations Nowadays, unexpected situations in public spaces are quite frequent; for this reason, there is the need to provide valid decisionmaking tools to support peoplexe2x80x99s behavior in emergency situations. The aim of these support tools is to provide a training for the public on how to behave when something unexpected happens, in order to make them aware of how to manage and control their own emotions. Thanks to the introduction of new technologies, trainings are also feasible in Virtual Reality (VR), exploiting the chance to create virtual environments and situations that reflect real ones and test different scenarios on a sample of people in order to verify and validate training procedures. Virtual simulations in this context are paramount, because they offer the possibility to analyse reactions and behaviors in a safe, not real, so without health concern, environment. Three scenarios (fire, heart attack of a person in the environment and terrorist attack) have been reproduced in VR, analyzing how to define the context for emergency situations. Users approaching the training only know they are going to face a situation without having details on what is happening; this is fundamental to test the training efficiency on peoplexe2x80x99s reaction.

Was It Real?  The Effects of Virtual Reality Communication Skills Training Among University Students in India Virtual Reality (VR) technology enables students to be trained in new behaviour in an authentic and situated learning context. The pilot study investigated the effects of a scaffolded fiveminutes 360degree videobased VR training on communication skills, achievement emotions and motivation among university students in India. The results of an experimental trial with repeated measures show, except for a slight rise in positive emotions for the control group, no significant differences in the VRcondition. Nevertheless, students are highly convinced that VRtraining has the potential to improve their academic skills and performance. High acceptance of VRbased education and the potential to replace real education settings at university level were observed.