BUBO LEARNING DESIGN, LLC — Department of Agriculture SBIR Phase I: 8.6

Description

Bubo Learning Design LLC (Bubo) aims to build a library of virtual reality (VR) modules totrain the next generation of agricultural workers. The agricultural workforce shortage is criplingsmall farms across the country and the economic prosperity of their rural communities. Newapproaches are needed to train workers on complex skills and expose youth to agriculturalvocations without the cost and logistics of providing on-site experiences. This project directlyaligns with USDA Strategic Goals 2 4 and 7. Bolstering the agricultural workforce will assurethe economic stability of American farms and their rural communities while securing access toour food supply. In this Phase I SBIR Bubo will build and assess the impact of a prototype VRmodule focused on key beekeeping skills. VR will build participants' confidence in risky taskslike identifying the queen and checking mite infestation while reducing the cost and logistics ofon-farm training.Project objectives are to determine the best skill characteristics for VR training and the best VRtechniques for agricultural skills and assets that convey real-life situations and to assess VR'simpact on learners - focusing on at-risk urban youth and on rural youth seeking career paths.Assessment metrics will include skill proficiency as well as evaluating the acceptance of VR bydiverse trainees. Bubo will incorporate findings into a prototype that can be used as a model forsubsequent training modules on other subjects. Results will establish Bubo's "American VRFarms" brand as a subscription-based training website.