vr-talks readme
VR-TALKS Open Scenarios — README
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This package contains open educational assets created in the Erasmus+ project:

Project: VR-TALKS — Open Educational Tools for Higher Education
Grant / Project No.: 2023-1-CZ01-KA220-HED-000155071
Website: https://vr-talks.com

About the Project
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Breaking bad news is an inherent challenge in the daily clinical work of healthcare professionals, requiring empathy and effective communication. Recognising the need for increased awareness and training in healthcare communication, the VR-TALKS project emerges as an innovative solution.

Project Goals
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The main goal of the project is to introduce virtual reality (VR) into healthcare teaching modules that teach communication between caregivers and patients. VR technology is mainly used for practicing the delivery of bad news and the resulting interactions. The VR technology will enable students to evaluate and comment on reactions, suggest improvements or other approaches, and describe and analyse the patient’s behaviour and experience as well as their own.

Acknowledgement
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This work was developed as part of the Erasmus+ project “Open Educational Tools for Higher Education” (Project No. 2023-1-CZ01-KA220-HED-000155071), co-funded by the European Union.

Disclaimer: The European Commission support for the production of this publication does not constitute an endorsement of the contents, which reflect the views only of the authors. The Commission cannot be held responsible for any use which may be made of the information contained herein.

License (CC BY 4.0)
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All materials in this archive are released under the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International (CC BY 4.0) license.

You are free to share and adapt, including for commercial purposes, provided that you give appropriate credit and indicate if changes were made.

Full text: https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/
Required credit (minimum):
“VR-TALKS (Erasmus+ 2023-1-CZ01-KA220-HED-000155071), CC BY 4.0.”
Include a link to this download page and, where practical, the project website.

Quick Start
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Each scenario includes:
- Textual data: conversation tree, scripted lines in multiple languages, and an educational tutorial/guide.
- Audio: voice recordings matching the scripted lines, in multiple languages.
- Animation: FBX files (face + body) aligned to the audio/scripted lines for a single character/avatar.

Showcase video: [ADD LINK HERE]

Directory Layout
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VR-TALKS/
├─ NURSE/
│  ├─ textual-files/    # conversation tree, scripts, tutorial
│  ├─ audio/            # voice lines per language
│  └─ animations/       # FBX (face/body) aligned with audio
└─ SPIKES/
   ├─ textual-files/
   ├─ audio/
   └─ animations/

Scenarios (purpose & scope)
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SPIKES (Breaking bad news)
A consultation with Nora, 45, with advanced metastatic breast cancer and a very limited prognosis. The learner is asked to communicate that there are no further disease-modifying treatments, focusing on the SPIKES framework (setting, perception, invitation, knowledge, emotions, strategy/summary). The scenario emphasizes responding to emotions, exploring values/goals, and planning symptom management.

NURSE (Difficult conversation at the nurses’ station)
A conversation with Mr. Steward, whose wife’s discharge has been postponed. He is upset and concerned about a planned 55-year anniversary celebration. The learner practices empathy, clear explanation of clinical/organizational constraints, and collaborative next steps (e.g., visiting arrangements, updates, escalation paths).

Languages
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Scripts and assets are provided in English and translated/dubbed into Czech (CS), German (DE), Dutch (NL), and Portuguese (PT). See each scenario folder for available language subfolders or tags.

Educational Use
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These assets are designed for communication skills training in medicine and health professions. They support:
- Structured practice of sensitive conversations (e.g., breaking bad news, responding to upset relatives).
- Reflection and feedback within simulation, VR, or classroom settings.
- Adaptation to local curricula (multilingual content, editable scripts).

File Notes & Alignment
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- Text ↔ Audio ↔ Animation: Scripts include line IDs that map to audio files and corresponding FBX animations for a single character. This enables timeline-accurate playback and lip-/face/body sync in your application or DCC tool.
- Sampling/Format: Check per-file metadata (sample rate, channels) and FBX units/frame rate before import. If you resample or retarget, note changes below.

How to Cite
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If you use these materials (teaching, research, apps), please cite:

VR-TALKS — Open Educational Tools for Higher Education (Erasmus+ 2023-1-CZ01-KA220-HED-000155071). Open VR communication scenarios (SPIKES, NURSE), multilingual scripts, audio, and FBX animations. CC BY 4.0. Available at: [ADD YOUR DOWNLOAD/REPO URL].

You may also include contributors and year, e.g., (© 2025).

Attribution Examples
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- In an app footer or credits screen:
  “Scenario assets © VR-TALKS (Erasmus+ 2023-1-CZ01-KA220-HED-000155071), CC BY 4.0 — https://vr-talks.com”
- In a slide or paper:
  “VR-TALKS open scenarios (SPIKES, NURSE), CC BY 4.0. Funded by Erasmus+ 2023-1-CZ01-KA220-HED-000155071.”

Contact
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Comguide a.s.
wild@comguide.cz
https://comguide.cz
