Lethbridge Polytechnic's Spatial Technologies Applied Research and Training (START) Centre has completed a suite of virtual reality (VR) training scenarios for Calgary-based TALEO Project Services. These scenarios are designed to make project management training more engaging and practical for an increasingly diverse audience.
"START exists to help industry partners tackle real-world challenges through applied research," says Tyler Heaton, industry liaison and research advisor at START. "This project marks an important milestone for our team, showing how VR training helps learners engage with and retain material more effectively."
Based in Calgary, TALEO comprises a group of experts who help business operators solve complex problems and find success in their businesses. The company approached Lethbridge Polytechnic in 2022 to explore how spatial technologies might reshape their clients' learning experiences.
"Partnering with START has been a transformative experience for TALEO," says Laurel Sim, managing partner and president, TALEO Project Services. "The innovative VR training scenarios we developed together align perfectly with our mission to empower learners and redefine professional development. This collaboration not only enhances the way we deliver project management training but also sets a new standard for engaging and practical learning experiences. Not to mention, it is fun, and fun is contagious."
The two-year collaboration produced three fully interactive scenarios that will be used in TALEO's project management certification programs. Aimed at learners ages 16 to 25, the scenarios are designed to bring energy and engagement to personal and professional development.
Heaton explains this collaboration highlights how virtual and augmented reality (VR/AR) tools can serve more than the gaming industry.
"For TALEO, these scenarios offer a cutting-edge product to both attract and inspire new entrants to professional development," he says. "For START, it represents both a successful client partnership and proof of concept for what applied research in spatial technologies can achieve."
The project was supported by Alberta Innovates and reflects a growing trend of industry-academic collaboration to test and validate emerging technologies.
"This has been a true partnership," says Heaton. "TALEO trusted us to take their vision and push it into new territory. Along the way, we gained valuable lessons in project management ourselves a fitting outcome for a project like this."
With the project complete, START is now looking to expand its industry partnerships with other companies interested in applying VR/AR solutions across education, training and industry.
Lethbridge Polytechnic's Centre for Applied Research, Innovation and Entrepreneurship (CARIE), which houses the START Centre, directly engages in applied research projects that tackle real-world challenges with immediate and practical impacts. In partnership with industry, community organizations, researchers and students, CARIE's mandate is to deliver results that solve today's problems and drive tomorrow's innovation.
To learn more about applied research activities and projects at Lethbridge Polytechnic, visit: lethpolytech.ca/CARIE.
