The Role-Player Workforce (RPW) will develop to meet the needs of immersive learning. A by-product of immersive learning will be the growth of a national workforce in role-players. This trend is already happening in reaction to the medical industry’s need for standardized patients, OSCE, and other human based training. The impact of Virtual Training upon the development of this workforce creates expanding opportunities for economically disadvantaged groups such as the elderly, veterans, and ESOL citizens. The RPW will build new techniques and best practices for professional role-players to engage learners in immersive world experiences. Shenandoah University has more than 5 years’ experience in training and deploying role-players at the highest level, working with entities including multiple divisions of the State Department, the United Nations, various hospitals, law enforcement, and regional fire departments.

Creating Hands-On Learning Opportunities through Simulation for Nursing and Health Professions Students

Role players, trained as actors in Shenandoah University's world-renowned Shenandoah Conservatory, through the Shenandoah Center for Immersive Learning (SCIL), help make medical simulation experiences unique. While the medical programs use mannequins in state-of-the-art and easily reconfigured simulation spaces, students also learn by working with acting students who role-play simulated patients. This arrangement allows medical students to interact with live patients before ever stepping foot on the job, and provides acting students with opportunities to practice their craft while still honing their skills. In addition to the role-player workforce, SCIL enhances the university's academic programs with 360 VR, augmented, and virtual reality technologies.