“Do you know how you present?”: Effectiveness of VR-Augmented Feedback for Effective Oral Presentation

Associate Professor Quek Choon Lang Gwendoline, Nanyang Technological University

This study will design the VR-augmented feedback environment to investigate the effectiveness of VR-augmented feedback in training. With this consideration, the objectives of this project are the following: 1. To develop the presenters' presentation skills for engaging the adult audience in a virtual training environment. 2. To investigate the effectiveness of the virtual reality-based environment in improving presenters’ oral presentation skills.

Project Summary by PI here

Changing Mindsets to Enable Workers to Thrive in an Uncertain Job Market

Dr Patricia Chen, National University of Singapore

This research aims to address the psychological barriers that could hinder workers’ motivation to engage in lifelong learning. The study introduces two theoretically novel mindsets as potential solutions to reduce these psychological barriers (i.e. do not believe that they can learn new, different kind of skills, fear of failure). The first is an “expansive growth mindset” (the belief that one can take up and master new, different kinds of skills) and the second, an “experimental mindset” (an orientation towards approaching any problem through iterative experimenting—including generating various possible solutions, trials-and-error, gaining feedback, revising methods based on the feedback and trying again). The team will conduct psychological research on Singapore working adults to measure and test the global efficacy of these mindsets. In Aim 1 (i.e. understanding two important psychological barriers to upskilling and reskilling), the team will design and validate measures of these theoretically novel mindsets, and examine their relation with people’s learning attitudes and motivations. In Aim 2 (i.e. designing and testing mindset interventions to address the psychological barriers), the team will design and test scalable mindset interventions to motivate greater engagement in upskilling and reskilling (e.g. greater uptake of SkillsFuture credits). The findings will contribute to possible solutions to enhance lifelong learning in Singapore.

Project Summary by PI here

Developing an Impact Evaluation Protocol for SSG’s Skills Framework

Prof Remus Ilies, National University of Singapore

The project aims to develop an Impact Evaluation (IE) protocol to quantify Singapore’s return on investment (ROI) on the Skills Framework and other upskilling initiatives. It considers (1) employers’ recognition of the need for skills, (2) their willingness to pay for skills, (3) how they pay for skills, and in turn, how this impacts (4) productivity, (5) employee engagement, and (6) retention. The proposed IE serves two key purposes. The first is accountability, to ensure that the Skills Framework actually leads to outcomes. The second is learning, to offer an evidence base to improve the effectiveness of the Skills Framework in fostering outcomes of interest.

Project Summary by PI here