The Magic of Mursion

Junior EC Scholar Meghan Lower experiences a job interview simulation i the Mursion Lab.

Junior EC Scholar Meghan Lower reflects on her experiences using the Murion Lab at the ECU College of Education.

Lower reacts to the avatar’s comment during her mock job interview in the Mursion Lab.

My first experience with Mursion was through a simulated job interview. Even though I used the word simulated, I certainly did not feel as if it was a simulation. The interview was very authentic, as I received personalized feedback in real time as if were a real interview. The avatar that interviewed me had appropriate gestures and body language that reflected what it was saying. Honestly, the authenticity of the technology caught me off guard a little at first. I did not predict the capabilities of Mursion would be as extensive as they were. It is truly like you are conversing with another human in an interview setting — an experience many undergraduates do not have before stepping into a real interview.

Another attraction of Mursion is its applications for education majors. Probably the most popular simulation of Mursion involves a classroom of five students. Each student in the class has their own story and personality — ones that accurately represent the types of students a teacher would interact with on a daily basis. A user can learn how to include the more introverted students into class discussions or how to control the more eager students from speaking out of turn. Having the opportunity to practice lessons and classroom management techniques before even stepping into a classroom is unprecedented. The more practice a teacher has before entering the classroom, the more comfortable and prepared they will be when they teach their students.

Mursion also goes beyond the classroom simulation to prepare future educators for other aspects of their job, such as engaging in a parent-teacher conference. It is these additional duties of a teacher that the majority of future educators do not have the chance to learn or experience before having to conduct one as a teacher. I highly recommend every education major, or anyone who will be interacting with children in their career, to utilize Mursion during their time at ECU.

Junior English Education major Makenzie Evans teaches a class using the Mursion Lab.

Mursion Opportunities Outside Education

For those outside of the education field, Mursion has multiple other simulations that can be applied to almost any major or career. Participants can interact with patients as a doctor, engage with a room full of business board members, or converse with customers in a hospitality management setting. Regardless of major, Mursion can provide the opportunity to experience these simulation environments to help prepare for almost anything!

–Meghan Lower, Junior EC Scholar, Science Education Major

Find more information about Mursion here: http://www.ecu.edu/cs-educ/mursion/

• Categories:
• Brinkley-Lane Scholars
• Honors College