--- title: "Featured findings from VR training research and evidence" description: "The most defensible finding from each study and evaluation on the Research and Evidence page, stated with its own qualifiers and linked to the full summary." canonical: https://peopletechrevolution.com/work/research-evidence/featured --- [Our Work](https://peopletechrevolution.com/work) / [Research & Evidence](https://peopletechrevolution.com/work/research-evidence) # Featured research and evidence Selected findings from peer-reviewed research and a client evaluation, each stated with its own qualifiers and linked to the full summary. [Download the Mater case study PDF](https://peopletechrevolution.com/uploads/docs/people-tech-revolution-mater-immersive-learning-pilot-case-study.pdf) [Download the Google research paper PDF](https://peopletechrevolution.com/uploads/docs/people-tech-revolution-google-vr-inclusion-training-chi-2024.pdf) Request access to the full Mayo Clinic case study Avatars converse in the Google DEI training. ## VR DEI training at Google (CHI 2024) Peer-reviewed case study Of the 7 trainees (out of 26 who took the training) who returned an optional, anonymous post-training survey, all reported a satisfying or very satisfying experience, an average of 4.7 out of 5 (94%). The authors describe the findings as preliminary, based on self-reported feedback from one company and a small, optional-response sample with no comparison or control group. [Read the full summary](https://peopletechrevolution.com/work/research-evidence/vr-dei-training-google-chi-2024). A ward round, the trial's setting. ## VR training for nurse leaders at Mayo Clinic Peer-reviewed controlled trial In a quasi-experimental controlled trial of the same VR DEI program, offered to 1,149 eligible leaders, those who took the training showed, in the week after the class, statistically significant increases relative to a control group not yet trained in empathic feeling and expression (p = .002) and in upstander-behaviour predictors (p < .001). Across the sample, the same measures remained significantly higher than baseline 6 to 8 months later, at which point there was no longer a control group for comparison. [Read the full summary](https://peopletechrevolution.com/work/research-evidence/vr-nursing-leaders-mayo-clinic). Mater Education piloted Through the Looking Glass. ## Mater Immersive Learning Pilot Program evaluation Mater Education's own program evaluation of its "Speaking with Good Judgement: Through the Looking Glass" VR pilot found that 93% of participating staff enjoyed the experience and 90% reported an increase in their concentration. Mater Education ran the pilot and wrote the closure report the figures come from. [Read the full summary](https://peopletechrevolution.com/work/research-evidence/mater-immersive-learning-pilot). ## Study design and follow-up The Mayo Clinic trial included a control group and followed participants for 6 to 8 months. The Google figures came from seven people who chose to answer a survey. A workplace exchange in the lift lobby. A community-nursing setting, in the same cohort. A recreated hospital setting, the Mater pilot. > "As organizations tighten budgets and adapt to remote workforces, VR offers scalability, efficiency, and deep behavioural impact. Beyond training technical skills, it enables leadership, resilience, de-escalation techniques, and inclusive decision-making, all essential for thriving in today's workplace." Simon Lowe CEO, People Tech Revolution. [Forbes, 13 June 2025](https://www.forbes.com/sites/shaheenajanjuhajivrajeurope/2025/06/13/inside-the-leaders-mind-how-vr-training-gets-below-the-surface/) ## The qualifiers each finding carries Small samples and self-reported change are part of every finding on this page; each links to the study that states its own limits. A triage decision, examined by both Mayo papers. A rehab session, the same network. Want to talk through what this evidence means for your own program? [Open the contact form](https://peopletechrevolution.com/work/research-evidence/featured#contact) Ask our CEO Simon Lowe’s Digital Twin a question ## Sources The three sources behind the figures on this page. ### [Leveraging Virtual Reality to Enhance Diversity and Inclusion training at Google](https://peopletechrevolution.com/work/research-evidence/vr-dei-training-google-chi-2024) Bursztein, Brown, Sanderson and Kelley, CHI EA '24, 2024 The source of the Google satisfaction figure above. ### [A virtual reality intervention to increase interracial empathy and upstander behaviors in nursing leaders](https://peopletechrevolution.com/work/research-evidence/vr-nursing-leaders-mayo-clinic) Phelan et al., Social Science & Medicine, 2025 The source of the Mayo Clinic empathy and upstander-behaviour figures above. ### [Mater Immersive Learning Pilot closure report](https://peopletechrevolution.com/uploads/docs/people-tech-revolution-mater-immersive-learning-pilot-case-study.pdf) Mater Education, 2025 The source of the Mater enjoyment and focus figures above. ### More rooms behind the three findings Consultations, assessments and conversations from the same VR library each study drew on. A GP consultation, rehearsed. A dental conversation, rehearsed. A mental-health assessment, rehearsed. Related PTR work - [Program evaluations and reported outcomes for VR training](https://peopletechrevolution.com/work/research-evidence/evidence-outcomes) - [Peer-reviewed papers on VR DEI and empathy training](https://peopletechrevolution.com/work/research-evidence/papers) - [Mater case study](https://peopletechrevolution.com/work/case-studies/mater-speaking-with-good-judgement) - [XR overview](https://peopletechrevolution.com/xr)