Greater Allegheny students research AI, VR to enhance communication skills

McKEESPORT, Pa. — What if the easiest place to practice your communication skills wasn’t a classroom, but a virtual space complete with custom questions, real-time feedback, and a safe space to build confidence? At Penn State Greater Allegheny, student-led research is making that possible through immersive virtual reality and artificial intelligence driven technology.

Information technology (IT) students Jenna Moranelli and Victor Sandoval, and cybersecurity analytics and operations student Christopher Fullard are exploring how Virtual Speech, an adaptive virtual reality platform with artificial intelligence driven simulations, can support learners as they prepare for interviews, internships and professional communication. The environment responds to what the user says, generating customized follow-up questions and challenges. Even though the virtual room is similar for each user, the conversation changes.

The work expands on prior research in the campus’ IT program, including a study led in part by Sandoval, who recently presented related findings on student engagement and enhancing motivation at an international conference.

Faculty and students involved in the project say they see a clear need as many learners’ entering college today haven’t had consistent experience with in-person communication due to years of pandemic-era schooling.

“Students coming in after the [COVID-19] pandemic, for example, aren’t always as confident speaking or communicating,” Moranelli said. “I’ve already seen them improve after using this, and I wish something like this existed when I was a first-year student. As a dual-enrollment student, I jumped into the deep end, and having something like this would have taken so much of the stress away.”

Inside the headset, users move through a simulated interview while the platform quietly analyzes their performance, tracking readability, eye contact, stumbles or filler words, response quality, and even the grade level of their speech. Students can then review the data to see how they’re improving and what areas need more attention.

Beyond interview practice, the student research team is experimenting with using this model in place of traditional Canvas discussion posts to receive more dynamic, in-depth conversational responses, creating a bridge between online learning and face-to-face interaction.

Looking ahead, the group hopes to expand their research to support presentation practice, study preparation, and additional communication-focused scenarios.

This project was made possible, in part, by a seed grant from the Penn State Office of the Vice President for Commonwealth Campuses.