Virtual Reality Grant Proposal

Running head: Grant Proposal: Virtual Reality1

Grant Proposal: Virtual Reality

by

Salih Abdullah

[email protected]

A00436638

Richard W. Riley College of Education and Leadership

Program: Ph.D. in Education

Global and Comparative Education

EDUC 8118: Innovation and Change in Educational Settings

Dr. Nella B. Anderson

[email protected]

Walden University

8/15/2015

mailto:[email protected]

GRANT PROPOSAL: VIRTUAL REALITY 2

Abstract

This grant proposal is designed with the aim of improving the

knowledge and skills of medical university students via the

adoption and usage of virtual reality equipment and software.

This technology will grant students the opportunity to practice

in situations that closely rival the real world. In addition,

student will be able to improve their English language

acquisition via this technology through intensive immersion.

Included in the proposal is a description of the project context,

the need for innovation, the innovation, implementation plan, and

evaluation plan.


Section 1: Context

This proposal seeks to acquire funding for the purchase of

virtual reality hardware, medical training and language immersion

software to be incorporated into the undergraduate medical

program at King Saud bin Abdul Aziz University for Health

Sciences (KSAU-HS). KSAU-HS is located in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia.

The university was established in 2005 to prepare Saudi nationals

for professional work in the medical field. There are currently

around 2,584 undergraduates and 501 postgraduates. KSAU-HS is

considered to be one of the most modern medical universities in

the region and in the Arab world. This university is under the

umbrella of the National Guard and the Ministry of Higher

Education (Welcome to KSAU login wizard, 2015). Therefore, its

stakeholders are primarily governmental affiliates.

The university’s mission is to provide “advanced education

programs in healthcare professions in an academic setting that

fosters excellence in innovative learning, scientific research,

compassionate patient care and community health promotion, and

enhances healthcare development nationally and globally.” Its

vision is to be recognized as a center of excellence, offering


the best evidence-based health education and utilizing concepts

of information technology to attract the best students and

faculty (Welcome to KSAU login wizard, 2015). This grant proposal

directly correlates with both the mission and the vision in the

sense that virtual reality can be used as a form of “advanced

education”, “innovative learning” and “information technology”.

Section 2: Need for the Innovation

Virtual reality (VR) is an immersive computer stimulated

experience that stimulates the physical presence in either real

or imagined worlds (Virtual reality, 2015). The potential for

this technology to revolutionize the medical field is immense. If

the funding is approved, the university will purchase and use

virtual reality devices with accompanying medical and language

immersion software to train its medical students. Medical

students would be able to learn how to discover certain medical

conditions, practice complex medical procedures, and learn about

lifesaving interventions in a simulated world that will look and

feel like the real world (Glatter, 2015). This virtual

preparation could potentially save the lives of millions by

reducing errors in operating rooms and through the development of


human resources. The potential is endless, CPR training and

practice can be conducted in the comfort of any environment,

master surgeons can guide operations in real-time regardless of

their locations on earth, medical decisions can be stimulated

prior to being executed, and much more. Undoubtedly, the learning

curve and margin of error would be substantially reduced with the

introduction of this technology.

The language immersion software can train the medical

students to practice using the English language in realistic

medical environments. All medical students must complete a two

year preparatory year academy before they fully enter their

fields. Within these two years, they undergo intensive training

in the English language. As non-native English speakers, they

need extra practice with the language in order to obtain mastery

or at least a high level of proficiency. The traditional

classrooms do not adequately provide that experience because

there is not much room for individual practice with other native

speakers. Virtual reality software, on the other hand, can

provide the opportunities for them to practice with their

language development. They would communicate with artificial


intelligence created by native speakers and language experts in a

stimulated environment.

Inevitably, virtual reality is the next big technological

innovation that will take the world by storm. Oculus Rift was

purchased by Facebook for 2 billion dollars in March, 2014. Since

then, many other companies have followed their lead. Samsung has

created its Gear VR, Apple is patenting its own VR headset. HTC

has created its Vive. Sony is close to launching its project

Morpheus. Microsoft is preparing its HoloLens (Ripton &

Prasuethsut, 2015). Educational institutions are notoriously

known as being slow moving. Visionary entrepreneurs and educators

alike must capitalize on this next wave to equip students with

21st century skills.

The medical field is rapidly developing in Saudi Arabia,

however, the margin of error is high and constantly increasing.

There is an absence of reliable statistics because malpractice

cases are under-reported. Currently, there are no mechanisms in

place for monitoring incidents of medical malpractice. Majid

Garoub, the chairman of a legal committee on medical cases blamed

the high number of medical malpractice cases that are discovered


on the lack of medical expertise (Mohammed, 2014). This is where

virtual reality can help solve this problem. There is already

some evidence that VR has been used in the medical field (Al-

Khalifah et. al, 2006; Ershow et. al, 2011), which indicates that

this is an emerging field. If and when medical practitioners can

practice on inanimate objects in a virtual world, then the margin

of error will be reduced substantially. In addition, if verbal

communication is able to be improved, then it will likewise

substantially reduce the rate of medical malpractice and

erroneous diagnosis.

Section 3: The Innovation

This proposal is to purchase and incorporate virtual reality

technology to be used for both its medical students and medical

practitioners. A third-party platform developer will be solicited

to develop medical training programs tailor-made for Saudi

students. Software for the language immersion platform has

already been created and only needs to be purchased. The

technology will be used at KSAU-HS, and if adopted, the proposal

will be presented to representatives in the Ministry of Higher

Education. This technology will promote student achievement by


increasing motivation, expanding the realm of hands-on

experiences, broaden the means of testing, and generate

heightened interest in the program. The overall medical program

will be enhanced by developing student capacity via situated

learning experiences.

Implementation Plan

Involvement of Stakeholders

Professional learning involving all stakeholders is

necessary for change to be adopted and implemented successfully

(Hall & Hord, 2015). Professional learning requires the

development of a culture of empowerment and communication. To

that end, Think Education Plus (TEP), a for-profit educational

consultancy organization, is seeking to introduce this change to

KSAU-HS, a medical university in Saudi Arabia, with the

collaborative involvement of various stakeholders. TEP members

understand the first step in a change initiative is to create a

sense of urgency around the problem and its potential

opportunity. Then they must build and maintain a coalition with

inclusive leadership practices for change to be adopted and


sustained (Kotter, 1995; Bolman & Deal, 2008). Any other strategy

typically results in failure.

As a TEP representative, I will approach the director of

academic affairs of KSAU-HS with the idea of the change proposal.

A physical plan would have been prepared prior to the meeting.

However, emphasis on the flexibility of the plan will be

emphasized. TEP does not want to present a completed proposal

because that will undermine the future contributions of the

stakeholders. TEP has already worked on establishing strong ties

with the academic director. They believe that he will act as that

means to connect the TEP representative with those to whom have

the power to bring about the change initiative.

When TEP members unite with other stakeholders, they will

create a strategic vision and an implementation plan together. It

is imperative that the vision from which the plan is based is

both established and shared by all involved stakeholders. If

possible, medical practitioners should be involved in this

process. Medical practitioners know best what are the current

weaknesses in the hospital and what students need to overcome

those problems in the future. In addition, other stakeholders can


be included at this stage, such as teachers, and even senior

students. The implementation plan must factor in the time needed

to re-examine the data related to the institutions structural

conditions. In addition the plan must identify and dismantle

systemic barriers that can impede progress. Overall, the plan

will be presented to the academic dean with emphasis on a

rational approach with roles that will get titles and matching

individuals on an as needed basis. Organizations succeed when

rationality prevails over personal agendas (Bolman & Deal, 2013,

pg. 45).

Within the plan, a sub-section will be written which

determines what the availability of resources are. Available

resources must be known and allocated to those who will adopt and

implement this change initiative. Resource requirements may

include the hiring of more staff, additional funding for the

purchase of virtual reality (VR) devices and software, training

in VR, hiring full-time VR-knowledge administrators, change

management and change management support, project management and

project management support, administrative support, and

communication tools.


Finally, the TEP team and key stakeholders will create an

external communications sub-section that will include all

stakeholders including parents and community leaders. This

section will consist of the creation of a social media group that

will streamline the process of communication. The social media

outlets will include WhatsApp, Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, and

Instagram pages with the targeted focus of the change initiative.

These communication outlets will be the means to continually

assign responsibilities to individuals, empower the stakeholder

team, disseminate surveys for evaluation, and celebrate

accomplishments. These communication channels will be led and

moderated by one individual, but communication will be lateral in

the sense that all stakeholders will have a voice through the

channels and their concerns will be addressed (Bolman & Deal,

2008). After these plans are established, we will collectively

implement the plan. We will continue to learn from the experience

by following up with a survey that will extract stakeholder

feedback. Note: Further details regarding the purchasing of VR

devices and software and utilizing them at the university will be

known after implementing the aforementioned steps.


It is imperative to involve these stakeholders for several

reasons. Many Middle Eastern institutions are still functioning

off the change models from yesteryear. Change initiatives are

highly centralized and absolutist in nature. Order is dictated

from the top and employees do not understand why they must

implement this change or what is expected of them in the future.

Moreover, employees rarely get the chance to contextualize the

relevancy of a change initiative theory to one’s own work. Change

in general is a threat to their leadership because of the

macroeconomic concept of creative destruction (Schumpeter, 1942).

This principal argues that creativity and innovation destroy old

structures in the path of creating new ones. Creative destruction

is a real fear that demands us to tread carefully. The TEP

representative will approach these leaders with the utmost

diplomacy. He will safeguard their egos by assuring them first

and foremost that this change initiative will not impact their

positions, rather it should improve their reputations and

solidify their positions. The TEP representative will argue that

KSAU-HS will become a leading institution as a result of this

adoption as oppose to remaining stagnate with outdated practices.


He will mention that the pain of change will be reduced through

the inclusion of multiple stakeholders in the university. In

addition, he will request for their involvement at all stages of

the change process. It will not be possible to enact this

initiative without their involvement, for they possess

perspectives and insights on key issues and their value and input

is much needed.

The steps of the implementation and evaluation plan are as

follows.

Table 1

Implementation Plan

Step

#

Goals and

Objectives

Measurable

outcomes

Target

Date

Stakeholder

involvement

1 Create change

plan

highlighting

the need for

adopting VR

devices and

software to

Creation of 1

change that

includes each

stage of

implementation

.

(Modifications

Septembe

r 1,

2015.

TEP members


use at KSAU-

HS.

should be made

in the

future.)

2 Choose a TEP

representativ

e to approach

the director

of academic

affairs to

present the

change

proposal.

1 TEP member

is selected

and approaches

the academic

director

Septembe

r 7,

2015

TEP

representative

and director of

academic

affairs.

3. TEP meets

with other

stakeholders

who may

include heads

of

departments,

the assistant

Meet with at

least 3 of

these leading

stakeholders

to discuss the

change

initiative.

October

2015

TEP

representative,

the director of

academic

affairs, and at

least 3 key

stakeholders.


dean, the

head dean,

the vice

chancellor,

or the head

chancellor.

4. Re-create a

strategic

vision and

modify the

implementatio

n plan.

Creation of

1 new

vision

statement

that

reflects

the

evolving

change

initiative.

Creation of

1 new

implementat

ion plan

November

2015

TEP members, the

director of

academic

affairs, at

least 3 key

stakeholders,

medical

practitioners,

teachers and

potentially

senior students.


based on

the

recommendat

ions and

re-

direction

of leading

stakeholder

s.

% of

stakeholder

satisfactio

n.

5. Re-examine

and remove

systemic

barriers or

structural

conditions

that can

1 new master

schedule must

be recreated

to accommodate

students who

will use this

new technology

December

2015

TEP members and

KSAU-HS leading

stakeholders


impede

progress.

and teachers

who will

support them.

6. Create an

availability

of resources

plan

1 new plan to

determine what

resources are

needed will

need to be

created.

January

2016

TEP members and

KSAU-HS leading

stakeholders

7. Create a

communication

plan to

continually

assign

responsibilit

ies to

individuals,

empower the

team,

disseminate

Assign and

train 1 staff

member to

create,

update, and

moderate

social media

channels.

February

2016

1 key member in

control, all

stakeholders

involved.


surveys for

evaluation,

and celebrate

accomplishmen

ts.

Sustainability Plan

If this proposal is approved, the initiative will be

sustained through the means of continual improvement. Namely, it

will positively impact the university and its immediate

environment through a better usage of resources. For example, the

university itself will need to allocate less money in the budget

to account for physical equipment and costly trainings. The human

resources will be developed via enhanced training which improves

the quality of education and enhances the reputation of the

university. In addition, the local community will be improved

through an overall sense of enhanced well-being and the

environment will improve because there will be less of a need to

purchase medical resources. Adopting virtual reality equipment


employing a medical platform, will ensure lasting 360-degree

sustainability (Hollingworth, 2009).

Continual improvement cannot commence without the

dissemination, analysis, and action based on the completed

surveys. This will be shared via social media platforms. These

platforms will help us recognize problems early and address them

in the best manner. When stakeholders are granted the opportunity

to give feedback, make suggestions, and contribute to continual

development, then satisfaction levels should be high because they

will feel as though they are a valued part of the process. Being

that there will be one member that has been hired specifically

for the task of updating and maintaining communication, the

stakeholders should consistently find guidance and up-to-date

news related to developments. Details like stakeholder’s names,

their roles in each project, and their preferred communication

style should be made easily accessible via these social media

platforms. Having multiple social media options available enables

communication in a stakeholder’s preferred style. The employee

that is delegated to this task of communication will need to

understand the various stakeholders and allocate attention and


focus to those who are of high interest and high influence the

most. They are the ones who can truly make or break a project.

However, this employee’s working time will need to be divided

relatively evenly to the remainder of the community. Forging

personal connections is key to maintaining satisfaction. Surveys

and social media will be key strategies in forging these

connections.

Evaluation Plan

The evaluation plan will be attached to the implementation

plan of this proposal. It will include a survey tool to be used

in both the formative and summative stages to determine if the

program objectives are being met. This data is key for program

sustainability regardless of which stage of the implementation

program in which it is given. These surveys will act as an

ongoing learning and management tool with the aim of improving

organizational effectiveness. The survey’s will provide the TEP

team with data, which grants us good information, allowing us to

make better management decisions which generates better results.

The surveys will provide options for both the extraction of


statistical data via Likert-scale questions and qualitative data

via free response sections.

Evaluation must be on-going in order for the change

initiative to be sustained. The process that the change is taking

must be examined and the outcomes must be measured. Being that

this grant proposal will take place on a systems-level, it will

be improved when eyes are observed at each stage from 360-degree

angles, so flaws or weaknesses can be discovered immediately. In

essence, having many eyes on a change initiative increases the

chances of institutionalized change and long-term suitability

(Bolman, and Deal, 2013). These surveys will accomplish that.

Table 2

Evaluation Plan

Outcomes

Objective

Measurable

Objectives

Timelines Assessment

tool

Use of Data

Develop a

member

survey

about the

Success

equals

>75%

satasfac

1-month

periods

for Data

collecti

Stakeholde

r

satisfacti

on survey

For each

indicator

measured,

identify how it


initiative

to elicit

stakeholde

r input.

Link each

survey

question

to the

steps in

the

implementa

tion plan.

Specifical

ly related

to Goals,

Process

and

Outcomes.

Ensure

that

tion

rates.

on and 2

week

period

for

analysis

.

will be used to

improve change

initiative.


questions

encompass

all key

elements

listed in

the

implementa

tion plan

(i.e.

allocation

of

resources,

schedules,

training,

communicat

ion etc.)

Verify if

the

findings

that will


be

generated

from the

questions

will be

useful.


References

Al-Khalifah, A., McCrindle, R., Sharkey, P., & Alexandrov, V.

(2006). Using virtual reality for medical diagnosis,

training and education. International Journal on Disability

and Human Development, 5(2), 187-194.

Ershow, A. G., Peterson, C. M., Riley, W. T., Rizzo, A. S., &

Wansink, B. (2011). Virtual reality technologies for

research and education in obesity and diabetes: research

needs and opportunities. Journal of diabetes science and

technology, 5(2), 212-224.).

Hollingworth, M. (2009, November/ December). Ivey Business

Journal. Retrieved June 7, 2015.

Mohammed, I. (2014, February 3). Medical errors on the rise.

Retrieved June 7, 2015.

Ripton, J., & Prasuethsut, L. (2015, March 20). The VR race:

Who's closest to making VR a reality? Retrieved June 7,

2015.

Glatter, R. (2015, May 22). How Virtual Reality May Change

Medical Education And Save Lives. Retrieved June 7, 2015.


Welcome to KSAU login wizard. (2015, Jun 7.). Retrieved

http://www.ksau-hs.edu.sa/English/Pages/Default.aspx

Virtual reality. (2015, May 29). In Wikipedia, The Free Encyclopedia.

Retrieved 11:44, June 7, 2015,

from http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?

title=Virtual_reality&oldid=664495609

http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Virtual_reality&oldid=664495609

http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Virtual_reality&oldid=664495609

http://www.ksau-hs.edu.sa/English/Pages/Default.aspx

Virtual Reality Grant Proposal

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