IMPRINT VR Trainer Evaluation

IMPRINT Randomized Evaluation

The goal of this study is to assess whether the Immersive Modular Preparedness Intelligent Tutor (IMPRINT) virtual reality (VR) training modules provide a measurable benefit in training delivery and trainee engagement. Specifically, the investigators want to see how VR can enhance trainees' comprehension and retention of key HAZWOPER concepts, and how it supports you as trainers in presenting these materials more effectively.

Study Overview

• Status: Completed
• Conditions: Virtual Reality
• Intervention / Treatment: Device: Virtual Reality

Detailed Description

IMPRINT aims to enhance trainee performance and set operational expectations outside of the hot zone in hyper-realistic exercises that challenge physical, psychological, and cognitive capabilities through adaptive behavioral science enhanced VR modules and seamlessly integrate with HAZWOPER training.

The investigators anticipate trainees and classes assigned to the intervention will perform better than those who use standard paper and PowerPoint based activities. The investigators believe their comprehension of topics will be greater, and it is likely that they will have a greater ability to recall HAZWOPER guidelines in the field. The investigators also anticipate after class survey results will indicate a better HAZWOPER training experience and increased levels of satisfaction with the course.

Additionally, the investigators anticipate that trainers using the IMPRINT VR modules will find the tool more effective and engaging compared to standard PowerPoint and video-based training methods. The investigators expect that trainers will report greater ease in delivering complex HAZWOPER concepts and that the VR modules will enhance their ability to facilitate trainee comprehension and recall of HAZWOPER guidelines. We also anticipate that trainer feedback will reflect a more positive teaching experience and higher levels of satisfaction with the training process.

Long-term benefits of participation include improvement in retention of HAZWOPER guidelines when responding to Hazardous Material (HAZMAT) disasters. The investigators anticipate trainees and classes assigned to the intervention will perform better than those who use standard paper and PowerPoint based activities. The investigators believe their comprehension of topics will be greater, and it is likely that they will have a greater ability to recall HAZWOPER guidelines in the field. The investigators also anticipate after class survey results will indicate a better HAZWOPER training experience and increased levels of satisfaction with the course.

To successfully transfer skills and develop trainees' procedural cognitive maps VR training systems must enable full immersion into training exercises by integrating PPE, enabling 3D object haptic interaction and natural walking to support spatial skill development, and provide trainer support. Research has shown significant performance benefits from VR delivered targeted mission rehearsal. To realize these benefits before facing real emergencies, trainees must have the opportunity to hone their skills in a controlled setting that mimics real-life scenarios as closely as possible through fully immersive exercises. This immersive context driven approach is critical for skill transfer and well understood in parallel domains. Immersion is best achieved through a combination of sensations, including haptic (tactile touch, force feedback, temperature, etc.), audio, and visual (simulated detector reads of simulated radiation). Several recent empirical assessments of VR systems demonstrate superior skill transfer when haptic immersion is integrated in a domain appropriate way (e.g., heat exposure fire training, or stress inducing stimuli for disaster response).

It is not known whether this skill transfer occurs within the HAZMAT domain, or how to best operationalize these findings within training.

• Study Type: Observational
• Enrollment (Actual): 4

Contacts and Locations

Study Locations

• United States
  • Massachusetts
    • Lowell, Massachusetts, United States, 01854
      • The New England Consortium

Participation Criteria

Eligibility Criteria

• Ages Eligible for Study: Adult; Older Adult
• Accepts Healthy Volunteers: Yes

• Sampling Method: Non-Probability Sample

Study Population

American Indian or Alaskan Native: .01% Asian: 9% Black or African American: 9.9% Hispanic or Latinx: 20.5% Native Hawaiian or other Islander: 0% Multiple Race, Non-Hispanic: 0% White: 56.7%

Description

The investigators will be targeting participants who participate in The New England Consortium (TNEC) training offerings. Given the training takes place in Massachusetts the investigators will use Massachusetts demographics to set our inclusion targets.

Inclusion Criteria:

• Students taking the 40-hr HAZWOPER course at The New England Consortium
• Trainers teaching the 40-hr HAZWOPER course at The New England Consortium

Exclusion Criteria:

• N/A

Study Plan

How is the study designed?

Number of groups / cohorts

1

Cohorts and Interventions

Group / Cohort	Intervention / Treatment
Trainers; Trainers responsible to teaching the 40-hr HAZWOPER course. They are experts in their field and have the most familiarity with the traditional PowerPoint training	Device: Virtual Reality; Virtual Reality Modules created to simulate HAZWOPER PowerPoint scenarios

What is the study measuring?

Primary Outcome Measures

Outcome Measure	Measure Description	Time Frame
System Usability Scale	SUS measures the usability of a system or interface. Higher scores on SUS indicate better usability. Typically, SUS scores are standardized to a scale of 0 to 100, where a score above 68 is considered above average usability, and scores above 80 indicate excellent usability	Immediately after the intervention
NASA TLX	The NASA TLX is a scale from 0 - 100 and measures perceived workload across different domains such as mental demand, physical demand, temporal demand, performance, effort, and frustration. Higher NASA TLX scores indicate higher perceived workload, meaning that a lower score generally suggests a better outcome in terms of reduced workload. However, for this effort, we are specifically assessing whether the workload in VR aligns with the high workload typically experienced during an actual HAZWOPER incident	Immediately after the intervention

Secondary Outcome Measures

Outcome Measure	Measure Description	Time Frame
User satisfaction with the VR modules	User satisfaction with the VR modules, evaluated through post-session surveys. This was accomplished as part of the debrief Q and A	Post Study / after completing all interventions

Collaborators and Investigators

• Sponsor: Charles River Analytics
• Collaborators: National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences (NIEHS); The New England Consortium

Study record dates

Study Major Dates

• Study Start (Actual): October 8, 2024
• Primary Completion (Actual): October 10, 2024
• Study Completion (Actual): October 30, 2024

Study Registration Dates

• First Submitted: February 26, 2025
• First Submitted That Met QC Criteria: March 3, 2025
• First Posted (Actual): March 25, 2025

Study Record Updates

• Last Update Posted (Actual): March 25, 2025
• Last Update Submitted That Met QC Criteria: March 3, 2025
• Last Verified: March 1, 2025

More Information

Terms related to this study

• Keywords: Training; Virtual Reality; HAZMAT; HAZWOPER
• Other Study ID Numbers: CharlesRiverA; 2R44ES031818-02 (U.S. NIH Grant/Contract)

Drug and device information, study documents

• Studies a U.S. FDA-regulated drug product: No
• Studies a U.S. FDA-regulated device product: No