‘What we need’: Newcomers learn English through virtual reality in new UTM-based pilot project

Would you be more confident in a job interview if you had a chance to practice first? For newcomer Canadians, the answer is a resounding yes.

A new pilot project at U of T Mississauga involves newcomer Canadians learning English through the help of virtual reality (VR). Students get the chance to utilize their newly acquired English language skills in simulated scenarios like job interviews, shopping or ordering food at a restaurant. It’s been shown not only to improve their comprehension and speaking skills, but also their confidence.

“In VR it is more hands-on to learn the language, it’s a very interesting experience,” says Baian Alkailani, one of the students. “Learning it in a more fun and interactive way is very helpful to improve language skills.”

Alkailani says the VR simulation helps her practice real-life scenarios like shopping, banking, or ordering a coffee.

“I think this is what we need,” she says, referring to learning English.

The project is funded by the Ministry of Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada and the university. The three-year pilot was developed by UTM’s Language Studies department in conjunction with the Syrian Canadian Foundation (SCF). 

“They’re super motivated and we see an increase in self-confidence,” says Paul Alexander, the assistant principal investigator on the project. Alexander oversees the technical elements related to VR.

“This is a new iteration with the technology,” adds Liz Coulson, an assistant professor for Education Studies and the undergraduate program coordinator for the Language Studies department and oversees the research elements in the project.

Coulson has been involved in UTM’s language classes for the last five years through the department. It’s only this year that VR and artificial intelligence were introduced to the lesson plan, through the help of partnerships and collaborations.

The language program is eight weeks long, running every Saturday at UTM. This fall, the university is holding two VR classes per week. There are 12 students per class, but close to 50 students total for the whole project.

Classes are divided between standard language classes (without VR) and VR classes. Over a three-hour class, teachers will give a lesson before students use VR headsets in “role-play” segments with newly learned material for about 20 minutes at a time in two sessions.

“For the most part, all the students are first timers,” Alexander said.

Because the students don’t have prior experience with VR, they’re given a 15-minute tutorial and sessions remain limited to 20 minutes. Students are also seated in chairs during the VR sessions to avoid disrupting their surroundings and reducing the amount of motion.

The project uses Oculus Quest or Meta Quest headsets, which are standalone VR headsets capable of displaying different environments and settings.

For now, the project remains focused on refugee and newcomer populations. UTM has been working with the SCF for the last five year, since  the foundation corresponded with the university. That’s when Coulson took on the initial language program before VR and AI was implemented.

“I took it on wholeheartedly because I think it’s such an important project,” says Coulson, who applauds the work done by the foundation for the program.

“It was their inspiration at the beginning and partnership that has led to all this. It’s just an incredible team on that side,” she says.

On UTM’s side, the team includes Coulson, Alexander, Ji-young Shin, Ilan Danjoux, a group of teachers (who are graduates of the Education Studies program), teaching assistants, and UTM students. In fact, two UTM students moved on to work with the foundation because of the language studies program.

“This turned into employment opportunities for lots of students,” Coulson says, praising the UTM crew. The Language Studies department also works with the Ontario Institute for Studies in Education (OISE).

“It’s really a family unit of UTM, OISE, and Department of Language Studies people,” Coulson says of the team.

Coulson and Alexander are also monitoring the pedagogical effectiveness of using VR to teach, pointing to the several opportunities it offers, not just in language studies.

The program finishes in late November of this year and starts back up again in January.