Assignments
An assignment defines a structured speaking scenario along with specific goals and settings, which selected participants then complete in the Ovation application. Each participant’s performance is tracked, and a detailed report is generated for the assignment creator to review.
For example, a professor could use Assignments to require students in their class to deliver a 5-minute persuasive speech in a virtual lecture hall. On the Ovation web portal, the professor sets up the speech scenario, customizes any rules or feedback criteria, and assigns it to the students. Each student then practices and records their speech in VR on their own time. After each submission, the professor can review the transcript, AI feedback, and analytics, making it easy to evaluate performance and provide targeted coaching.
Benefits of Assignments
Structured, Consistent Practice: All participants follow the same scenario and guidelines, ensuring a uniform practice experience.
Customizable Scenarios and Feedback: Assignments let you tailor each practice session to your needs. You can choose a relevant scenario and virtual venue, configure the virtual avatar behavior, and define the performance feedback that will be generated.
Accountability and Tracking: By assigning a session to multiple team members or students, you can easily monitor who has completed the task and who hasn’t.
Automated AI Feedback: With each submission, Ovation automatically provides AI-generated feedback and analytics. Instructors save time, as they receive objective insights (like transcripts, filler word counts, pacing, etc.) without having to observe every session live.
Scalable and Convenient: Assignments are completed individually by participants at their convenience. In an education setting, for example, an entire class can be assigned a presentation exercise to do as homework, and the instructor can review the results centrally afterwards.
Assignment Workflow
Using the Assignments feature involves a few key steps, from creation to completion:
Create a new assignment: In the Ovation web portal, an instructor configures the assignment’s details. This includes setting the assignment name and description (instructions for participants), and then defining the session parameters:
Scenario & Venue: Select a practice scenario from Ovation’s library (for example, a Speech, Debate, Interview, etc.) and choose a virtual venue.
Rules: Specify the rules and requirements for the assignment. This can include the required number of submissions (attempts each participant must complete), a due date for completion, and whether certain allowances are enabled. For instance, you can decide if participants are allowed to submit after the due date, if they can discard & retry attempts, and whether the chosen scenario is locked (preventing changes on the participant side).
Scenario Customizations: Further specify the details of a particular scenario. For example, you could require a Speech to include a Q&A with five questions, or have a Debate be on the topic "Humanity should bring back the dinosaurs," with the participant arguing in favor of it.
Scenario Modifiers: Tailor the behavior of the virtual avatars in the scenario. For example, an assignment creator might instruct the AI, “The audience is a panel of skeptical investors,” to simulate tough Q&A conditions.
Feedback Factors: Choose which five performance factors the AI will generate and include in the feedback report. Ovation provides a wide range of factors (such as Clarity, Persuasiveness, Structure, Empathy, etc.). You can also create custom factors to focus on specific skills.
Assign to participants: Once the assignment is configured, select the organization members who should complete it. You can assign the exercise to one person, a specific group, or all members as needed. After you assign, the assignment becomes available to those participants in their Ovation app. (Note: After an assignment is distributed to members, most of its settings become locked to maintain consistency. It’s best to finalize all scenario and rule settings before assigning.)
Participants practice and submit: Each assigned participant will see the new assignment listed in their Ovation application. They can load the assignment with a few clicks, which launches the specified scenario and venue along with any instructions you provided. The participant then conducts the practice session in VR – for example, delivering their speech and engaging in the Q&A. Participants receive immediate on-screen feedback from the AI after completing the session, and their submission is automatically uploaded for instructor review.
Review submissions and reports: As participants complete the assignment, you can monitor their progress on the Ovation web portal. The Assignments section will show who has submitted and who is still pending. For each participant who has submitted a session, you can open a submission report that provides in-depth details of their performance. This report includes the full transcript of what they said, the AI-generated feedback factors with scores and commentary for each selected factor, highlighted quotes from their speech with AI analysis, actionable tips for improvement, and various analytics (e.g. speaking pace, filler word counts, and other delivery metrics). These reports can be viewed directly on the portal and also downloaded if needed.
Assignments Video Tutorial
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