Some dance in excitement. Some are jittery from too much coffee and not enough sleep. Some are snapping photos for social media love. Some simply are there to cross off another to-do on the list.

When Taylor Bousfield 麻豆精品 S�13MEd strolled up to claim her doctoral regalia as she breastfed her 5-month-old and cared for her nearly 3-year-old while maintaining a Zen-like calmness, the regalia distribution staff took in the scene before them and wondered: is Wonder Woman real?

麻豆精品 S淢ost of the time I 麻豆精品 S檓 a mess, 麻豆精品 S� Bousfield said with a laugh.

Bousfield was born and raised in Orlando and attended The First Academy through middle and high school. After earning her bachelor 麻豆精品 S檚 degree from the University of Mississippi, she taught for three years in Louisiana before moving back to Central Florida to teach at Lake Howell High School.

She had an itch to further her education, and when a grant opportunity arose to do so at UCF, she took the chance to earn her master 麻豆精品 S檚 degree in exceptional student education with a certificate in autism spectrum disorder.

While she was in graduate school, Bousfield learned of a doctoral grant from Lisa Dieker, a UCF professor and Lockheed Martin eminent scholar chair.

麻豆精品 S淚 figured, why not try? 麻豆精品 S� Bousfield said. 麻豆精品 S淲e have an incredible education program that has faculty members who are so innovative. Not to mention the opportunity to work with聽TeachLivE. That is something I wouldn 麻豆精品 S檛 have been able to do anywhere else. 麻豆精品 S�

A month after starting the doctoral program, she learned she was pregnant with her almost 3-year-old, Luke.

麻豆精品 S淗e literally went to every single class, one way or another 麻豆精品 S� whether it was in person, in utero or on Skype, 麻豆精品 S� she said. 麻豆精品 S淭here 麻豆精品 S檚 no way I could have been able to accomplish everything without the support of our special-ed faculty and my chair, Lisa Dieker. 麻豆精品 S�

Bousfield 麻豆精品 S檚 interest in special education and teaching was instilled at a young age. Her aunt, Charlotte Day, is the county coordinator for Special Olympics in Orange County. Bousfield said from the time she could walk she was volunteering at events.

She will graduate on Aug. 5 with her doctorate in education, and her children and husband will be in attendance. She hopes that her family 麻豆精品 S檚 immersion in her university experience will instill a drive and a passion for education in her sons.

She plans to stay at UCF as a聽Teach Live liaison as she works with associate professor Rebecca Hines, PhD.

麻豆精品 S淭aylor will be an amazing addition to our program. Her doctoral work included research methods in TeachLivE that we will use to help prepare future teachers, 麻豆精品 S� Hines said.

Bousfield said her biggest challenge over the years has been balancing her roles as a mother, a wife and a student, but she wouldn 麻豆精品 S檛 have traded the experience for the moment when she learned she had accomplished her goal.

麻豆精品 S淗earing 麻豆精品 S楧r. Bousfield 麻豆精品 S� after passing my dissertation defense 麻豆精品 S� with my husband and both of our boys there in the room 麻豆精品 S� was amazing. It 麻豆精品 S檚 probably the best moment I 麻豆精品 S檝e had in a while, 麻豆精品 S� she said. 麻豆精品 S淢y advice to anyone is find a support system and don 麻豆精品 S檛 wait. Don 麻豆精品 S檛 put it off. Now is the time. Somehow it will always work out. Don 麻豆精品 S檛 put off life for school, and don 麻豆精品 S檛 put off school for life. 麻豆精品 S�

Long a leader in training professionals using virtual reality and digital simulations through the TeachLivE Lab, the University of Central Florida will host a conference June 7-9 for those using the program 麻豆精品 S檚 technology to train teachers, nurses, police officers and other professionals whose jobs rely on person-to-person interactions.

For a full description of the TeachLivE Lab, check out the story in UCF 麻豆精品 S檚 Pegasus magazine.

TeachLivE uses a mixed-reality teaching environment that allows users to practice scenarios in a safe way. For teachers, they can learn classroom management, for example, with 麻豆精品 S渧irtual 麻豆精品 S� students. UCF Police Department uses it to give officers practice in defusing confrontations. Counseling students can use it to learn how to help patients in distress.

The technology is in use at 85 campuses around the world, multiple school districts and companies, said Taylor Bousfield, a LEAD Scholar and UCF doctoral candidate who is coordinating the conference. About 100 people from schools, universities, businesses and agencies will be in attendance, she said.

The conference at UCF 麻豆精品 S檚 Teaching Academy is an opportunity to hear from those using TeachLivE talk about their successes and results, she said. And, it 麻豆精品 S檚 a great way for those working to enhance the program or find new uses for the technology to present their findings.

麻豆精品 S淭his is a great opportunity for us to show off our campus and to see how something we created has really started the revolution of using simulation in education, 麻豆精品 S� Bousfield said. 麻豆精品 S淚t 麻豆精品 S檚 an opportunity to bring people from around the world to our campus. 麻豆精品 S�

The teachers were part of the College of Education and Human Performance 麻豆精品 S檚 second national TLE TeachLivE conference, and the students are named Maria, Ed, CJ, Sean and Kevin. They 麻豆精品 S檙e all students in the virtual classroom simulator known as TeachLivE, which was developed at UCF to better prepare teachers to handle the rigors of leading a classroom.

Teachers-in-training and existing teachers can step into the simulator to practice targeted skills, such as classroom management and content pedagogy, in what 麻豆精品 S檚 called 麻豆精品 S渧irtual rehearsal. 麻豆精品 S� An 麻豆精品 S渋nteractor 麻豆精品 S� from UCF controls all five avatars, which each have distinctive personalities that mirror what teachers might see in the average classroom.

Actress Cheryl Hines, a UCF alumna, kicked off the conference with a presentation about improvisation and how those skills can be applied to the classroom.

麻豆精品 S淚t would be very difficult as a teacher to communicate anything with a student without connecting with them. The only way you can improvise is if you 麻豆精品 S檙e a good listener, so you have to listen to what someone else says, because there 麻豆精品 S檚 no script, 麻豆精品 S� said Hines, a graduate of the Groundlings, the revered improv comedy troupe based in Los Angeles.

Hines, the star of television shows including 麻豆精品 S淐urb Your Enthusiasm 麻豆精品 S� and 麻豆精品 S淪uburgatory, 麻豆精品 S� spoke about the importance of playing along, assuming a relationship and making bold choices to both actors and teachers.

麻豆精品 S淲ith teaching, if a student has an idea or a thought or a question, you can 麻豆精品 S檛 shut them down and say 麻豆精品 S楾hat 麻豆精品 S檚 a bad question, 麻豆精品 S� 麻豆精品 S榊ou don 麻豆精品 S檛 know what you 麻豆精品 S檙e talking about 麻豆精品 S� or 麻豆精品 S榃hy weren 麻豆精品 S檛 you listening, 麻豆精品 S� any of those things. It has to keep moving in a positive direction, 麻豆精品 S� said Hines. 麻豆精品 S淚n improv, you have to stay in the moment. You can 麻豆精品 S檛 plan what 麻豆精品 S檚 going to happen next because you don 麻豆精品 S檛 know. I think it 麻豆精品 S檚 that way with teaching. 麻豆精品 S�

Throughout the two-day conference, educators attended workshops and discussions about how TeachLivE can be used as a stimulating way to prepare all different kinds of teachers.

Breakout sessions targeted math, science, preschool, counselor and other educators. New developments in TeachLivE, including a parent-teacher conference scenario and the creation of an avatar with Autism Spectrum Disorder, were also introduced.

Just 10 minutes in the simulator forces teachers to think more about their practice, said Karla Auzenne, a science instructional specialist for the Houston Independent School District, which has used TeachLivE as a preparation tool for rookie and veteran teachers.

麻豆精品 S淓ven when I first met the TeachLivE students through Skype, I forgot I was talking to avatars, 麻豆精品 S� said Auzenne. 麻豆精品 S淭hey become kids to you. They come off the screen into real life. It 麻豆精品 S檚 a game-changer, right then and there. 麻豆精品 S�

TeachLivE was created eight years ago by education professors Mike Hynes and Lisa Dieker, College of Engineering & Computer Science professor Charles Hughes, and an interdisciplinary team that included members of the Synthetic Reality Lab at UCF 麻豆精品 S檚 Institute for Simulation & Training.

Today, TeachLivE is delivered to more than 10,000 teachers at 37 partner universities and at other sites including the school districts in Orange, Seminole, Lake and Volusia counties. A team of more than 25 at UCF supports the technology, development and partnerships.

The theme for this year 麻豆精品 S檚 TeachLivE conference was ludic convergence, or playful collaboration, a celebration of what the TeachLivE team calls 麻豆精品 S渟andbox technology. 麻豆精品 S� One group of children could come into a sandbox and create distinct castles or shapes. When they 麻豆精品 S檙e done, another group of kids could come in, tear down what was there and build something completely different.

That 麻豆精品 S檚 the nature of TeachLivE, which can be completely customized depending on the user 麻豆精品 S檚 objectives. What stays the same, however, is the realistic nature of the classroom.

麻豆精品 S淚 麻豆精品 S檓 not great at technology, but what I saw today was fascinating, 麻豆精品 S� said Hines. 麻豆精品 S淭his is so great. You 麻豆精品 S檙e actually talking to a real person 麻豆精品 S攄ifferent characters, but a real person. 麻豆精品 S�

You 麻豆精品 S檙e trying to calm your nerves and deliver content clearly and compellingly when you catch C.J. in the back row texting on her cell phone. Sean, another student, interrupts your pre-calculus lesson to tell you about a TV show he watched the night before.

Suddenly, you 麻豆精品 S檝e lost your place entirely.

It is a scenario that 麻豆精品 S檚 typical for teachers, but thanks to an innovative teacher preparation tool developed at the University of Central Florida, it is something that practicing teachers and teachers-in-training can work through without impacting any actual students.

That 麻豆精品 S檚 because C.J., Sean and their classmates are avatars in a virtual classroom. The program, called TLE TeachLivE is a mixed-reality simulation environment that provides users the opportunity to practice a targeted skill, whether classroom management or content pedagogy.

Similar simulation technologies are common in medicine and aviation, but TeachLivE is the only one of its kind in education, providing a personalized learning environment customized to the unique needs of teachers-in-training or practicing teachers looking to brush up on their skills or try out new techniques.

麻豆精品 S淪uspension of disbelief is a key aspect of simulation and training. When a subject steps into the simulator that cognitively they know is not a 麻豆精品 S榬eal 麻豆精品 S� situation, they begin to accept the simulation as real in a short period of time. The subject is experiencing suspension of disbelief, 麻豆精品 S� said Mike Hynes, a member of the TeachLivE team and professor in UCF 麻豆精品 S檚 College of Education and Human Performance. 麻豆精品 S淚t never ceases to amaze me when I see subject after subject experience suspension of disbelief in TeachLivE. 麻豆精品 S�

Hynes created TeachLivEwith education professor Lisa Dieker, College of Engineering & Computer Science professor Charles Hughes, and an interdisciplinary team that included members of the Synthetic Reality Lab at UCF 麻豆精品 S檚 Institute for Simulation & Training.

Last month, TeachLivE took the top prize at the NewSchools Venture Fund 麻豆精品 S檚 annual summit. The Learning to Teach Impact Award is given annually to a teacher-preparation program that connects teachers with opportunities for practice in real-world settings.

In 2013, TeachLivE earned the 2013 Governor 麻豆精品 S檚 Award for Excellence in Modeling and Simulation from the National Training and Simulation Association, an honor that 麻豆精品 S檚 typically awarded to military applications of modeling and simulation.

麻豆精品 S淭he various awards, and especially this most recent, recognizing our impact on learning, are such a celebration of the over 25 people who are part of our team, 麻豆精品 S� said Dieker. 麻豆精品 S淯CF, too, should be celebrated in each award the TeachLivE team has received in that the university has a culture and climate of true partnerships, not within, but across disciplines. 麻豆精品 S�

Hughes said: 麻豆精品 S淭his latest recognition of our collaborative work as members of the TeachLivE team is wonderful in itself, but even more so as it motivates us to continue ignoring disciplinary walls to help make a positive difference for all aspects of society. 麻豆精品 S�

The TeachLivE concept began more than eight years ago. Today, TeachLivE is delivered to more than 10,000 teachers at 37 partner universities and at other sites including the school districts in Orange, Seminole, Lake and Volusia counties. A team of more than 25 at UCF supports the technology, development and partnerships.

The current version of TeachLivE requires only a typical computer, a large display and a Microsoft Kinect to allow users to move about the environment and have 麻豆精品 S渘atural 麻豆精品 S� interactions with the avatars.

The TLE TeachLivE team says the 麻豆精品 S渟andbox 麻豆精品 S� nature of the program 麻豆精品 S攊ts ability to be used in different ways and for different purposes 麻豆精品 S攃ould also have uses in areas outside of education.

Up next for the TeachLivE team is the program 麻豆精品 S檚 second annual conference, which will be held at UCF May 22-23.

The conference will include presentations by institutions that use TeachLivE with opportunities to share teaching and research ideas. Actress Cheryl Hines, a UCF alumna, will kick off the conference Thursday at 3:45 p.m. in the Morgridge International Reading Center with a keynote presentation about improvisation.

Other conference sessions will focus on how 麻豆精品 S渧irtual rehearsal 麻豆精品 S� can be used to curb teacher anxieties, train counselors and prepare early childhood educators.