Our project has created a Virtual Reality (VR) app over the last 2.5 years. This puts the player in a scripted game where they see a non-playable character experience sexual harassment. Our scenarios enable participants to practice speaking up to prevent harassment escalation. Developed in collaboration with SARSAS and the University's Equality, Diversity and Inclusion team, we aim to demonstrate VR's effectiveness as a training tool for sexual harassment intervention.

With 97% of women in the UK having experienced sexual harassment and 1/3 of these incidents occurring in the presence of bystanders, our initiative aims to address this critical issue.

As of 2024, our project has progressed significantly, and we expect to be performing a psychological experiment, aiming to recruit 200 participants to test the effectiveness of this training compared to typical sexual harassment intervention training. We have also received interest from the National Rail who have developed a similar VR training. We want to continue outreach along these lines, to spread the impact of our work, contingent on promising results we find.

Sustainable Development Goals

SDGs: 3 Good Health and Wellbeing. 4 Quality Education.

Academic Director

Ken Cameron, Department of Computer Science

Who can apply?

We are currently seeking individuals to join our team in the following capacities:

Experimental Research Team

We're seeking psychology and social sciences students interested in running experiments, analyzing results, and potentially co-authoring academic papers based on our findings. While there's no guarantee, there's a strong possibility for students involved in writing the paper to have their names included as authors. This presents an excellent opportunity to gain experience in academic research and potentially contribute to a published work. Experience with pre-registration and publishing would be advantageous, but it's not a requirement. Our academic director, Ken Cameron, has extensive publishing experience and will guide the process.

Leadership

If you are confident in experimental methods and leadership, we'd be keen to consider you for a leadership position in our academic team. Responsibilities will include:

• Writing and publishing papers based on our findings
• Preparing and submitting ethics applications for future experimental phases

Outreach and Marketing

We're also seeking individuals with experience in public outreach, advertising, and marketing. These roles will be crucial in three key areas:

1. Marketing the study to potential participants, ensuring we reach our target number and diversity of subjects.
2. Managing logistics with SARSAS and the university's Equality, Diversity and Inclusion team. This involves coordinating between the academic team and the sexual harassment experts, ensuring the smooth operation of experiments while meeting the requirements of all involved parties.
3. Potentially disseminating our results. This would involve translating complex findings into accessible information for the general public. If our results prove promising, there may be opportunities for outreach to other universities and teams to share our findings and methodologies.

Project Goals

1. Demonstrate the effectiveness of VR in sexual harassment intervention training
2. Publish academic papers on our findings
3. Expand the reach and impact of our training program
4. Contribute to the reduction of sexual harassment incidents through improved bystander intervention

Join us in this important initiative to combat sexual harassment and create safer environments for everyone.

This VIP welcomes applications from all University of Bath students.

Applications for Semester 1 AY2526 will open in June 2025.

Project Updates

TBC