Exploring the Frontier, New Technologies for Skill Development

RMIT is pushing the boundaries of learning with VR and GenAI, creating immersive, safe-to-fail environments where students practise real-world skills. From AI avatars to structured AI literacy frameworks, learners build the capabilities modern industries demand.

RMIT University
two students sitting down in an room, wearing VR goggles and doing a simulation.

By fostering a culture of experimentation, we intentionally integrate emerging technologies to deepen student skill development and real-world application. Over the past three years, we have evolved our use of Virtual Reality (VR) and Generative AI to create "safe-to-fail" environments within Canvas, allowing students to master complex, high-stakes professional competencies. 

Our VR initiatives have leveraged platforms like Tailspin and Skillsync to simulate intricate client conversations and decision-making contexts that would otherwise be impossible to replicate at scale.

Three people around a Digital Human on a real-size screen.

Complementing this, our work with Digital Humans and AI Avatars has introduced interactive learning companions that anchor immersive, performance-based activities. These AI-enabled personas provide a dynamic interface for students to test their skills in real-time, evolving alongside their progress to provide high-fidelity practice in client negotiation, ethical reasoning, and professional reflection.

Highlights: 

  • AI Skills Scaffolding Framework: A custom 
framework applied to courses to identify, map 
and implement AI skill set regimens for students 
     
  • Tailspin and AI Avatars: Digital Human and AI avatar projects used to simulate client conversations, professional scenarios, and decision-making contexts (Tailspin, AI Avatar project)
     
  • SkillSync: Immersive skills simulations, designed to support the practice of professional skills such as communication and presentation. 
     
  • Service Marketing Game: VR simulations developed as part of a learning activity to test student knowledge.  
Group of educators at RMIT universities

Embedded directly within Canvas, these interactions are supported by structured feedback loops, ensuring that every session with an AI avatar serves a clear pedagogical purpose: refining the transferable and technical skills required for a modern career. 

Beyond simulations, we are pioneerings ways to scaffold AI literacy directly into our curriculum. Utilising our Gen AI Skill Continuum and a new AI Scaffolding Framework, we map a structured progression of competencies across industries. This ensures students move beyond basic prompt engineering to master the high-level synthesis and critical evaluation of AI outputs -a systematic process designed to deliver the technical fluency required by today’s industry partners. 

Case Study 3: Exploring the Frontier, New Technologies for Skill Development

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