CAROLINE BASTOW, head of head of quality and learning, teaching and assessment at Telford College, reflects on her trip to Texas to speak at a global education event

Fly out to the United States, they said. Take to the stage and speak at one of the world’s leading education showcases about cutting-edge teaching techniques at Telford College.

It’s not the sort of invitation that comes round very often – but what a privilege, and an incredible adventure, it turned out to be.

The few days spent at SXSW EDU in Austin, Texas, were truly rewarding, and illuminating.

It was amazing and inspiring to be surrounded by so many people from around the world who are united by one common goal – to improve the outcomes of young people and adults.

SXSW EDU brings together the brightest minds in education from across the world to tackle complex issues and create what it describes as ‘a new tomorrow for learners everywhere’.

It’s a celebration of innovation and learning in the education industry offering a wide range of compelling sessions including in-depth workshops, engaging learning experiences, mentorship, film screenings, future-focused competitions, an expo, networking opportunities, performances, and so much more.

The organisers have a track record for attracting globally-recognised names, from entertainment legends such as Oprah Winfrey to Chelsea Clinton, the daughter of former US president Bill Clinton.

Quite a list of footsteps in which to follow…

The chatter at this year’s event replicated the conversations colleagues have in staffrooms about what they can do to support students in getting more from the learning process and being the best version of themselves.

As an experienced educator and teacher of education, I’ve long been passionate about how effective teaching methods can help students reach their full potential.

That’s why it was such an honour to address a global audience about Telford College’s cutting-edge technology which is proving to be a real game-changer when it comes to bridging the gap between theory and practice.

The virtual reality training software we’re now able to offer our health and social care students is the result of an incredibly fruitful creative partnership with the brilliant experience design experts Inizio Engage XD.

Working together, we’ve built three virtual reality scenarios – a residential care home, a private residence and a hospital accident and emergency department – which students can immerse themselves into, to prepare themselves for the emotional demands of their roles in real-world situations.

At SXSW EDU, I shared the stage with my colleague Stewart Riddle and Inizio Engage XD duo Andy Walker and Tom French to discuss how immersive learning can ‘rehearse challenging moments’ in a safe and supportive environment.

Stewart is a clinical educator here Telford College, working with both us and the NHS. He spent 26 years in the British Army, and has been involved in education and training for the past seven years.

It’s always a pleasure to talk about the work we have done on this new project, as we invested so much time into creating something which is making a real difference. It’s a natural conversation to debate the process and the considerations we needed to make to ensure it had the most impact.

“Imagine if the team on Apollo 11 had been able to rehearse the moon landings in Extended Reality in 1969,” we said. “Not just the practical tasks, but the emotional challenge of being in such an unfamiliar landscape.”

By entering worlds where there are no distractions, anything is possible and you can experience difficult emotions and discuss them with learning leaders.

For us, the VR experience is a game-changer when it comes to bridging the gap between theory and practice, especially in sectors where it can often be difficult to get ‘real-life’ placements.

It provides all our students in a class with an experience that can be referred back to, time and time again.

It creates the same comparison point and provides a tangible experience on which students can build new knowledge.

And it really is a wow factor which can prepare students emotionally like nothing else.

When you become as immersed in a project as we have all been for many months now, you can forget how special it really is, so I wasn’t entirely sure how the delegates at SXSW EDU would react to what us Brits had to say.

But I was blown away by the passion and enthusiasm shown by the audience, and their recognition that this was something ground-breaking that they were also exploring in their different capacities.

Our product combines education, health and technology – all internationally important topics that are understood by everyone and which create similar challenges.

We had no problems translating our approach for a worldwide audience – it was all thoroughly understood and valued, and generated some fantastic exchanges in the subsequent question-and-answer session. The session couldn’t have gone better.

Just as VR immerses students in the healthcare environment, we also wanted to immerse ourselves in the Austin culture during some of our downtime in Texas.

Listening to country and folk music whilst watching the locals dance the evening away, we saw how non-competitive, platonic dancing brought people together from different generations and cultures. A truly respectful environment that celebrated the industry and created a sense of belonging.

Yes, I did give it a go, and that was thanks to my new mate John, a wonderful 86-year-old who taught me how to dance the two-step. It’s always wonderful to learn from someone who shares their passion for something they believe in.

The SXSW EDU event brought together industry experts from across the education sector to showcase the opportunities available, the way education is progressing and the challenges and potential solutions people are trying out.

We can sometimes focus so much on the here and now, on the students of Telford College, that we forget the wider picture.

Being immersed in global education issues for five days and being part of wider conversations with colleagues from across the globe was phenomenal; it’s left me feeling really excited.

Creativity and innovation comes from interaction and collaboration with experts in their related fields . . . and that’s what made this such a valuable and memorable experience.

I’ve always understood the power of education, but our time in Texas illustrated the common issues and challenges we share across all continents, demographics and ages.

Just as people dance for the love of dancing, people work in education for the love of learning…