New virtual reality leadership lab puts DCU at the cutting edge

A state-of-the-art mixed reality leadership lab designed to develop next-generation leaders has been officially launched at DCU in memory of Colm Delves.

The lab was established with philanthropic support from Digicel, to honour business leader and DCU alumnus Colm Delves who made a long-lasting contribution to the university through support for the DCU Access Programme and the establishment of the Digicel Summer Internship Programme.

The creative learning space is the first of its kind in Ireland and will offer over 2,000 DCU Business School students an opportunity to learn and develop leadership skills each year by using cutting edge virtual reality and telepresence technologies. Over 1,000 post-primary school students will also benefit through an outreach programme.

Wearing advanced VR headsets and hand controllers, students will be immersed in VR-enabled simulations to help them better understand concepts by actually living them out. Students will apply theory to practice in areas such as interview preparation, public speaking, leadership communication skills and diverse and inclusive decision making. Students can also participate remotely in workshops using telepresence robots.

Professors will be able to develop customised experiences for their students, such as bringing students to places in the developing world so they can become more globally aware leaders by understanding challenges associated with business development in unfamiliar countries, or allowing students to practice ethical decision-making and experience outcomes based on the decisions they choose to make.

The lab has been established as part of The Colm Delves Leadership Fund which will also support an annual memorial scholarship in honour of Colm to support exceptional students who need financial support to pursue postgraduate study in DCU Business School. Colm was passionate about helping others develop and grow and the scholarship is a testament to this commitment to support people to reach their full potential.

Speaking at the launch, Professor Daire Keogh, DCU President, said: “At DCU, we were honoured to count an outstanding leader like Colm Delves amongst our alumni community. As a highly respected and successful business leader, he was the ultimate example of the excellence, integrity and leadership skills that we seek to instil in our students.

Digicel Chairman and founder, Denis O’Brien, said: “As a proud DCU alumnus, Colm Delves went on to forge a highly successful business career at a very senior level culminating in his leadership of Digicel Group as our group Chief Executive.”

Speaking about the Colm Delves Leadership Lab and how it will impact students, Professor Colm O’Gorman, Executive Dean of the DCU Business School, said: “DCU Business school has long supported the value of experiential learning as a way to engage students and help them better understand certain concepts by actually living them out and providing opportunities to apply theory to practice.

“Virtual reality technology is being increasingly used by leading schools across the globe to aid in student learning development and DCU Business School is proud to be leading the charge in Ireland. The initiative demonstrates our commitment to nurturing future leaders, providing students and graduates with the skills they need for the future and enhancing their employability.”

More information can be found here.