Every high school in Arkansas will implement concussion education program CrashCourse, part of which is taught in virtual reality. Facebook donated VR kits to every public Arkansas high school through its Techstart program last year, allowing students to watch CrashCourse content on the Oculus Rift.

CrashCourse was devised by TeachAids, a Stanford University-supported nonprofit. The program emphasizes public health education and features some of the school’s top student-athletes, including star running back Bryce Love. TeachAids is partnering with the Arkansas Department of Education, Arkansas Department of Health, and Arkansas Activities Association to provide CrashCourse.

“Arkansas is setting a precedent for the rest of the nation in providing cutting-edge VR education to its students,” said Arkansas governor Asa Hutchinson in a statement. “Through our unique partnership with TeachAids, this groundbreaking concussion education experience will empower young people to solve real-world problems in our increasingly technology-driven society.”

Data supplied by TeachAids indicated that three out of five high school students either do not report concussions or are unaware that they may have suffered one. CrashCourse is a four-part curriculum featuring an interactive film, a symptom simulator, and a VR brain fly-through that helps users visualize the injury.

The announcement was made prior to the Arkansas High School 7A state championship football game.

SportTechie Takeaway

Arkansas is now the first state to roll out a concussion education program to each of its high schools. Thanks to Facebook’s Techstart program, that message is being shared through VR, which should help engage attention as well as convey the severity of the injury in a meaningful way.