Social Skill Domain and Scenario Development for the Implementation of Virtual Reality

Maggie Mosher, M.S.S.L., is a Chancellor’s Doctoral Fellow at the University of Kansas specializing in social and emotional learning, technology integration, multisensory instruction, tiered systems of supports, and universal design for learning. Mosher is particularly interested in mixed reality’s role in assisting students with high incidence disabilities in acquiring and generalization social skills. Mosher worked in public and private school systems for 16 years as both a special education teacher and later a school administrator. She is now working on the development of a virtual reality program to support middle school students in acquiring and generalizing social skills (https://voissadvisor.org/).

Sean J. Smith, Ph.D., is a Professor in the Department of Special Education at the University of Kansas. Dr. Smith’s research interest focus on innovations and technology solutions to support struggling learners and those with disabilities, particularly interventions aligned with the Universal Design for Learning (UDL) Framework. At present, Dr. Smith is the Principal Investigator on a federally funded project exploring the impact of virtual reality on struggling learners in the area of social emotional development. He also served as a Co-Principal Investigator on the National Center on Online Learning and Students with Disabilities.

Amber Rowland, Ph.D. is an Associate Research Professor at the University of Kansas. She specializes in collaborative, practical and engaging adult professional learning with an emphasis on current instructional practices and the powerful integration of technology. She is Co-Principal Investigator on three USDOE grants focusing on designing powerful professional learning for educators, while also demonstrating student learning gains. Foci include virtual coaching and the application of the VECTOR model to increase coach effectiveness, VOISS, a virtual reality environment that teaches students social skills, and VOISS Advisor, a website that helps teachers support student generalization of learned skills.

Dr. Adam Carreon holds a PhD from the University of Kansas in special education. Carreon is currently an assistant professor of special education in the Department of Elementary and Special Education at Georgia Southern University. His current research focuses on the use of immersive and innovative technology to support students with disabilities, teacher professional development for the implementation and use of immersive technologies, and how immersive technologies can impact social skill learning for students with disabilities.