Kevin Rockmann, Professor of Management and Associate Dean of Research at George Mason University's Costello College of Business, has used a VR negotiation training module in his own negotiation courses. The module -- Sage's "Negotiation and Conflict Management Skills VR Experience," built with UK VR-education company Bodyswaps -- immerses students in three ~20-25 minute sub-modules using motion-capture avatars. In one scenario, students play a mid-level employee asking a virtual supervisor ("Santiago") for a promotion and salary increase; they can review their own body language, replay the conversation from Santiago's viewpoint, and repeat the exercise. Rockmann was the academic/content advisor during the module's development (Sage and Bodyswaps announced the module's public launch on 17 October 2023) and separately reports layering an AI 'boot camp' on top of the VR training within the online learning platform, so an AI chatbot assesses students on respectfulness, use of facts, and perspective-taking after each attempt.
Rockmann states he has used this VR+AI combination in his last two negotiation courses and that post-course student evaluations describe the exercise as more individualized and relevant than conventional in-person role-play. Exact enrollment numbers, section names, and the precise semester(s) of use are not stated in available sources. No specific VR headset model or delivery mechanism (headset vs. browser) is confirmed for his classroom use specifically -- the only headset mentioned in the source article (a Meta Quest 3S) appears only as a generic cost-comparison example, not as the device used in this course.
