Nova Southeastern VR Improvements

Nova Southeastern University’s (NSU) Decision Sciences department is supporting an endeavor in process improvement using virtual reality (VR) technology. Using VR, a process of a medical office’s choice will be mapped and improved upon by NSU MBA Process Improvement students.

“Processes are ubiquitous but are not necessarily self-evident when it comes to their objectives, effectiveness, and/or efficiencies.  Students developing their process improvement skills have difficulties sometimes leveraging their theories (knowledge) into actionable skills to affect processes and their outcomes.  General theories regarding “voice of the customer” manifest themselves differently in different situations.  Healthcare patients for example can be regarded as customers of healthcare providers’ processes, yet the needs and expectations of the patients are not necessarily known in the absence of direct observation.  Once a number of patients are observed interacting with processes the analyst can validate the expected outcomes as well as some of the patient-dependent outcomes.  Patients entering a reception area expect to “check-in” and then be called to the caregiver within a reasonable time (the obvious) but after a number of patients experience the process the observer can appreciate the similar and dissimilar needs such as access to a restroom, reading material to pass the time, wifi password to catch up on life.

It is virtually impossible to take students to sensitive areas that involve HIPAA and/or FERPA and/or the multitude of privacy and security considerations brought from both the consumer and provider. 

Enter the video recorder.

We propose video recording (with audio) a variety of situations in a variety of vocations (healthcare, financial services, manufacturing, etc.) to capture the norms of processes in action as well as the variability of those processes and their effect on suppliers and customers in terms of effectiveness and efficiencies.  We envision using long-term recordings to capture the repetition of processes within a time frame.  We agree to redact all video/audio detail deemed sensitive by customers and suppliers prior to the use or release of materials for use with students.  The objective of these recordings is training support and has value to current and future students at NSU in the classroom.  They also have value to the provider’s training and will be provided in pre- and post-redaction form to them for their internal consumption.  Provider employees and non-employees will be protected by signing a release before their likeness (video and/or audio) is included in a recording.

Some details…

The video will be recorded in 360 degrees enabling the maximum view of the situation.  The audio will be recorded simultaneously with an ambisonic microphone that links the directional source of audio with the video field of view. 

The video and audio recordings will be redacted by editing software to obscure the identity of persons and/or items that are deemed sensitive by the provider and/or were a condition of the release of participants.  The provider will sign off on the redacted video/audio recording before any use outside of the provider’s establishment.

Students will be able to view the recording using a VR (virtual reality) headset such as Google’s Cardboard or Oculus Quest 2.  Each student will be able to move their head and view all aspects of the video and its supporting audio for each recorded vignette.”

Steven Kramer, Ph.D.
Associate Professor of Decision Sciences
Nova Southeastern University
Fort Lauderdale, FL
Email: steve.kramer@nova.edu
Phone: (954) 288-4782

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