Project Grant 2234802

This $300,000 Project Grant from the National Science Foundation's Computer and Information Science and Engineering program (CFDA 47.070) supports the development of training modules in virtual reality to help teachers recognize and reduce bias in their classroom behaviors. Working with students and teachers at Cornell University and the University of North Texas as a sub-awardee, the grant recipients will prototype virtual reality environments that track teacher movements and compare actual nonverbal behaviors to transformed behaviors that effectively engage students. The training modules aim to increase teachers' interpersonal competence and ability to selectively adapt nonverbal communication styles to individual students. By exploring how nonverbal behaviors are expressed and can be transformed in virtual classrooms, the research seeks to advance understanding of effective teacher practices and develop techniques for self-reflection. The project's results could contribute to guidelines for aiding teacher self-reflection on nonverbal behaviors and their interpretation in classroom settings.