Using avatar-based training to help university faculty support student veterans with issues related to post-deployment stress

Returning veterans enter the classroom with valuable life and leadership experience; however, transitioning to civilian and student life offers unique challenges. To better support and retain the nation's 870,000 student veterans, higher-education institutions are increasingly training faculty to better understand this population and be more comfortable and competent referring them to appropriate support services. Dropout rates for student veterans are as high as 69% nationwide compared to 45% for non-veteran students enrolled in two-year and 25% in four-year colleges. A study by the National Center for Veterans Studies shows that nearly half of student veterans report thinking of suicide and 20% said they planned to kill themselves, significantly higher rates than for non-veteran students.

To address this urgent need, an online training simulation is being used to train faculty and staff in over 50 U.S. colleges to address these specific student veteran needs. In the simulation, faculty engage in simulated role-play conversations with emotionally responsive veteran avatars and learn effective techniques for managing classroom discussions around topics that may be sensitive to veterans, and best practices for connecting veterans exhibiting signs of psychological distress with the support services.

The presentation will include a demo of the simulation and data from a longitudinal study examining its efficacy. Results showed significant and sustained increases in users' preparedness to recognize signs of psychological distress and discuss their concern with student veterans. Measures showed increases in the number of veterans identified, approached, and referred to mental and non-mental health services.