Interview with Stacy Williams Ph.D., Assistant Professor, Case Western Reserve University
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Beck:Good Morning Dr. Williams, thanks for your time today.Williams::Thank you Dr. Beck, it's a pleasure to speak with you.Beck:Stacy, if you don't mind, before we get to the amazing work you're doing at Case, can you tell me a little about your professional education?Williams::Sure. I earned my Ph.
Beck:Good Morning Dr. Williams, thanks for your time today.
Williams::Thank you Dr. Beck, it's a pleasure to speak with you.
Beck:Stacy, if you don't mind, before we get to the amazing work you're doing at Case, can you tell me a little about your professional education?
Williams::Sure. I earned my Ph.D. at the University of Cincinnati in 2004. After completion of my doctorate, I stayed on at the university to finish a grant we were working on, which was the National Center for Speech Language Pathology (NCSLP) Website, which was a virtual instructional website for school-based SLPs. I was the instructional technology coordinator for the project. As of September, 2005, I accepted a position as an assistant professor at Case Western Reserve University. And so in addition to teaching, I'm applying virtual reality and SLP on a number of fronts, such as diagnostics, one-on-one experiences, rehab and counseling etc.
Beck:And so the work you're currently doing with regard to "virtual speech therapy" is sort of the next step in applying what you learned and facilitated through the grant?
Williams::Yes, very much so. The NCSLPs website clearly showed that SLPs are receptive to and thrive with new learning technologies.
Beck:What classes are you teaching at Case?
Williams::Child Language Development, Child Language Disorders, and I teach a "School Methods" course, too to help prepare students for licensure. While completing my doctorate, I was a school-based SLP for four years, so I have a lot of fun with that one!
Beck:Yes, I'm sure that would be very interesting on many levels! OK then, let's get to the topic at hand...What can you tell me about your application of virtual reality on SLP?
Williams::For many years now, I've been interested in learning about and exploring the application of modern technology to our profession. And in fact, I've often thought that SLP needs to catch up with medicine, because they are often on the cutting edge of new technology, and we often, are not.
Beck:I agree. Please tell me your preferred definition of "virtual reality."
Williams::Well, there are many. The one that seems best to me, most of the time, is that virtual reality is taking multiple technologies and assembling them so that the end-user experiences a "virtual realm" or an "alternative environment" which takes on real qualities and to the end-user, it really seems as if they temporarily exist within the virtual environment.
Beck:Does virtual reality have to use three-dimensions (3D)?
Williams::No, it can successfully occur using two dimensions provided the conditions are right.
Beck:Very good, and so what was it that you created?
Williams::Well, some people refer to the space we've created as a "cave." I don't like that term as it has negative associations with it, but I think it as an interactive virtual reality theater. It's more of an open environment, like a small movie theater with three screens covering about 180 degrees using "surround screens." We could expand to 360 degrees, but it seems like 180 is fine and we'll start with that. Then when the user enters the room, the movies are initiated, and the user and the movies actually speak to each other. They share spoken discourse within a common visual scene that relates to a particular situation, such as ordering food in a restaurant, or whatever exercise and scenario are appropriate for the given end-user.
Beck:OK, well, then I have three thousand follow-up questions....But let's start with, who is the target audience for this technology?
Williams::Well, there are many target audiences. But the ones we're working with at this point are fluency disorder patients and AAC patients. However, we can see multiple applications, and they might include almost any situation for any given SLP diagnosis. For example, for fluency patients, I have simulated a fast food restaurant. After the user enters the theater, the movie greets the user, the user responds, and then the movie might ask what you'd like to order, and then the conversation can take many twists and turns involving task- appropriate and turn taking questions and answers.
Beck:This is fascinating. And you are currently going through IRB (institutional review board) approval?
Williams::Yes, we have a prototype up and running and we've written the protocol to work with human subjects, and the IRB is evaluating it. I'm hoping for approval sometime in the fall of 2006 and then we would start collecting pilot data.
Beck:Excellent. And assuming the IRB approves, the patient would walk into the "cave" and then the image on the screen might greet them with "Good morning" or "What can I get for you?" or whatever?
Williams::Right. In fact, the movie may even be a bit rude, or sarcastic in some situations, just to keep it real. There will be an instructor/operator in the room who controls the movie and the particular scenario which is played out, to keep the movie on topic. I like to say it's a little like the guy behind the curtain in the Wizard of Oz. However, we also record the entire exchange so we can go back and analyze it later. We also have "biometric tools" so we can measure heart rate, skin temperature, respiration and that tells us a lot about the patient's anxiety level and whether the patient is perceiving the scenario as "real". These are very modern instruments using finger tip and wrist sensors through a tracking device.
Beck:Stacy, this is totally wonderful. I can see dozens and dozens of applications from training students to SLP rehab and counseling to interactive case studies and on and on...not only for SLP, but for aural rehab, occupational therapy and more. This is very exciting!
Williams::Thanks Doug. I agree and I'm thrilled to be working on this project.
Beck:OK, well please stay in touch with me, and perhaps we'll do a site visit in the fall or perhaps next spring.
Williams::Absolutely, thanks Doug.
Beck:My pleasure Stacy. Good Luck to you and your development team and students!
Williams::Thank you Dr. Beck, it's a pleasure to speak with you.
Beck:Stacy, if you don't mind, before we get to the amazing work you're doing at Case, can you tell me a little about your professional education?
Williams::Sure. I earned my Ph.D. at the University of Cincinnati in 2004. After completion of my doctorate, I stayed on at the university to finish a grant we were working on, which was the National Center for Speech Language Pathology (NCSLP) Website, which was a virtual instructional website for school-based SLPs. I was the instructional technology coordinator for the project. As of September, 2005, I accepted a position as an assistant professor at Case Western Reserve University. And so in addition to teaching, I'm applying virtual reality and SLP on a number of fronts, such as diagnostics, one-on-one experiences, rehab and counseling etc.
Beck:And so the work you're currently doing with regard to "virtual speech therapy" is sort of the next step in applying what you learned and facilitated through the grant?
Williams::Yes, very much so. The NCSLPs website clearly showed that SLPs are receptive to and thrive with new learning technologies.
Beck:What classes are you teaching at Case?
Williams::Child Language Development, Child Language Disorders, and I teach a "School Methods" course, too to help prepare students for licensure. While completing my doctorate, I was a school-based SLP for four years, so I have a lot of fun with that one!
Beck:Yes, I'm sure that would be very interesting on many levels! OK then, let's get to the topic at hand...What can you tell me about your application of virtual reality on SLP?
Williams::For many years now, I've been interested in learning about and exploring the application of modern technology to our profession. And in fact, I've often thought that SLP needs to catch up with medicine, because they are often on the cutting edge of new technology, and we often, are not.
Beck:I agree. Please tell me your preferred definition of "virtual reality."
Williams::Well, there are many. The one that seems best to me, most of the time, is that virtual reality is taking multiple technologies and assembling them so that the end-user experiences a "virtual realm" or an "alternative environment" which takes on real qualities and to the end-user, it really seems as if they temporarily exist within the virtual environment.
Beck:Does virtual reality have to use three-dimensions (3D)?
Williams::No, it can successfully occur using two dimensions provided the conditions are right.
Beck:Very good, and so what was it that you created?
Williams::Well, some people refer to the space we've created as a "cave." I don't like that term as it has negative associations with it, but I think it as an interactive virtual reality theater. It's more of an open environment, like a small movie theater with three screens covering about 180 degrees using "surround screens." We could expand to 360 degrees, but it seems like 180 is fine and we'll start with that. Then when the user enters the room, the movies are initiated, and the user and the movies actually speak to each other. They share spoken discourse within a common visual scene that relates to a particular situation, such as ordering food in a restaurant, or whatever exercise and scenario are appropriate for the given end-user.
Beck:OK, well, then I have three thousand follow-up questions....But let's start with, who is the target audience for this technology?
Williams::Well, there are many target audiences. But the ones we're working with at this point are fluency disorder patients and AAC patients. However, we can see multiple applications, and they might include almost any situation for any given SLP diagnosis. For example, for fluency patients, I have simulated a fast food restaurant. After the user enters the theater, the movie greets the user, the user responds, and then the movie might ask what you'd like to order, and then the conversation can take many twists and turns involving task- appropriate and turn taking questions and answers.
Beck:This is fascinating. And you are currently going through IRB (institutional review board) approval?
Williams::Yes, we have a prototype up and running and we've written the protocol to work with human subjects, and the IRB is evaluating it. I'm hoping for approval sometime in the fall of 2006 and then we would start collecting pilot data.
Beck:Excellent. And assuming the IRB approves, the patient would walk into the "cave" and then the image on the screen might greet them with "Good morning" or "What can I get for you?" or whatever?
Williams::Right. In fact, the movie may even be a bit rude, or sarcastic in some situations, just to keep it real. There will be an instructor/operator in the room who controls the movie and the particular scenario which is played out, to keep the movie on topic. I like to say it's a little like the guy behind the curtain in the Wizard of Oz. However, we also record the entire exchange so we can go back and analyze it later. We also have "biometric tools" so we can measure heart rate, skin temperature, respiration and that tells us a lot about the patient's anxiety level and whether the patient is perceiving the scenario as "real". These are very modern instruments using finger tip and wrist sensors through a tracking device.
Beck:Stacy, this is totally wonderful. I can see dozens and dozens of applications from training students to SLP rehab and counseling to interactive case studies and on and on...not only for SLP, but for aural rehab, occupational therapy and more. This is very exciting!
Williams::Thanks Doug. I agree and I'm thrilled to be working on this project.
Beck:OK, well please stay in touch with me, and perhaps we'll do a site visit in the fall or perhaps next spring.
Williams::Absolutely, thanks Doug.
Beck:My pleasure Stacy. Good Luck to you and your development team and students!