Jehdi Aizon, Bachelor of Science ’25, is using her computer science and design education to help nursing and social work students learn how to support their patients and clients. 

“With technology like virtual reality (VR) and simulations, it’s possible to create new types of learning experiences in post-secondary or high school. It's so customizable, and you can literally control anything,” she says. 

Her student research project under the supervision of Dr. Sam Qorbani, associate professor in the Department of Computer Science, showed Aizon that she could create products to help students directly. 

“You make a really big impact when you concentrate on education,” she says. 

Using VR, she worked with Kealey Dube and Danielle Larocque, faculty from the School of Social Work, to help social work students learn how to navigate therapy conversations. Students are presented with a simulated patient sitting on a couch, and given opportunities to respond from a series of replies. The program also provides real-time feedback, letting them know if they chose the right reply. 

For nursing students, Aizon worked with Melanie Neumeier, assistant professor in Nursing Foundations and Science, to create a VR simulation of an IV pump that students often benefit from having extra time to practice with. 

“As a developer, it’s really important to communicate with the experts,” she says. “VR development is really an interdisciplinary process.” 

Neumeier, helped identify needs and refine the product, which is a very simple simulation of the IV pump itself. Neumeier says that it has allowed students the chance to learn the technology and become familiar with the mechanics of it before they use the real pump. 

And thanks to Aizon’s Digital Experience Design minor, the simulation looks so much like the actual device that students hit the ground running when they get to the lab. 

The first cohort used it this past term and survey results were incredibly positive.    

Though she admits there were heavy time demands to this work, the payoff made it worth it. 

“When I did the user studies where nursing students tried it out, I heard them say things like, ‘Oh my gosh, this is so helpful!’ It made me realize that this is going to help people and make an impact,’” says Aizon.

Aizon’s own diagnosis of a learning disability – in her second year – has magnified the importance of the work for her. 

“I've been living my whole life not understanding why I was struggling with learning,” she says. 

Learning through experience, she says, offers a type of learning that she believes has the ability to change the way people are taught and learn. 

Aizon’s passion for making a difference is far from over. She’s on her way to Toronto Metropolitan University to pursue a master’s degree and continue her work in VR, with a lot of encouragement from Dr. Qorbani, she says. 

“My ultimate goal – it’s kind of ambitious – is to pioneer how things are designed for educational VR, including guidelines based on user-centred design and empathy,” says Aizon. “Helping people understand content makes me so happy.”