Plans, Protocols, and Progress
In this article, we discuss the different elements of a plan, explain how to edit and change a plan, and showcase the control and flexibility Versus gives to providers via the Professional Dashboard.
Remember, being familiar with plans and protocols can help you customize your clients’ Versus experience, but your clients don’t need to understand these elements to successfully use the Versus system. Versus is designed to be an out of the box solution, meaning that users can complete the assessment, play the games, and track their progress without the need for a deep understanding of the topics discussed below.
Contents
1. Plans
What is a plan?
Can my clients switch between plans?
How do I track my client’s progress on a plan?
2. Protocols
What is a performance protocol?
Which protocol is my client on?
How did you develop the performance protocols?
3. Plan Duration
What is plan duration?
What is the standard plan duration?
4. Session Duration
What is session duration?
What is the standard session duration?
5. Editing Plans
How do I change or edit my client’s plan?
How do I change my client’s plan duration?
How do I change my client’s session duration?
How do I change my client’s protocol?
When should I change my client’s protocol?
6. Additional Resources
Plans
What is a plan?
Upon completion of the NeuroPerformance Assessment (NPA), the Versus app automatically provides each user with a plan, which shapes their Versus exercise experience. The exercise or performance plan defines the user’s (1) performance protocol, (2) overall plan duration, and (3) daily session duration. Unless they have additional NeuroPerformance Assessments available to them, users must complete their plan before they can take a new NPA. Individual NPAs can be purchased separate from the subscription in the Versus Shop.
Can my clients switch between plans?
Independent of a professional, individual users are not permitted to switch between different plans. Instead, they must complete 450 minutes of exercise on their assigned plan before they can take an assessment to be assigned a new plan, which may include a new performance protocol.
Using their Versus Professional Dashboard, providers may manually switch their clients back and forth between different plans with different performance protocols. For instance, some providers switch their clients back and forth between plans with stress and focus protocols. However, to avoid confusion and maximize effectiveness, we generally encourage providers to only allow their clients to exercise on one plan at a time.
How do I track my client’s progress on a plan?
The Versus Professional Dashboard was specifically designed to allow professionals to track client progress and monitor client compliance. Using the Professional Dashboard, you can view your clients’ activity on their past and current plans.
For a general overview of how the client is progressing on their assigned plan, select their name from your Professional Dashboard.
On the left hand side of their page, you’ll see the User Details Pane, which will provide information about how many sessions and minutes the user has completed on their current plan, the highest level they’ve reached on that plan, and how many points they’ve earned on that plan.
To see more detailed information about the user’s plan progress, select the “Sessions” tab from the User Details Pane. Here, you’ll see information about each exercise session the user has completed on their current plan. Click on a date to view more information about that particular session.
In the next installment of the Professional Support Series, we’ll go into detail about how to interpret a user’s exercise session data. You can also learn more about analyzing exercise session data in the video below.
2. Protocols
What is a performance protocol?
A performance protocol is one element of the user’s plan. Versus has 14 performance protocols, one of which will be assigned to the user based on the results of their NeuroPerformance Assessment (NPA). Each user will be assigned the protocol which is most likely to help them improve in their weakest area, as determined by the NPA.
The user’s assigned performance protocol determines the goal of their exercises (reducing stress or improving focus) and which frequency bands of their brainwaves (represented by the 3 circles in the exercises) will be monitored during the exercises.
Which protocol is my client on?
The Versus in-app experience is designed to be user-friendly for individuals without familiarity with EEG or neuroscience. As such, the Versus app only shows users whether they’re exercising on a stress or focus plan and protocol. Users can, however, see their specific assigned protocol in their User Dashboard.
As a provider, you can determine which protocol a client is on via your Professional Dashboard. When you select the client’s name in your Professional Dashboard, the client’s currently assigned protocol will be listed under their name on the left hand side of your screen. To view more information about that client’s current and past plans and protocols, select the “Plans” tab from that left hand sidebar.
How did you develop the performance protocols?
To create our performance protocols, we conducted over 1000 full QEEGs on elite performers, including professional and Olympic athletes and Fortune 500 executives. These QEEGs were clinical-style assessments which included an Eyes Closed Task, an Eyes Open Task, and a standardized, 22-minute Continuous Performance Task (QIK).
Looking at the results of these assessments, we identified the most common aberrations, the most commonly assigned protocols, and the most effective protocols.
Based on our experience as neurofeedback providers, we also worked to identify the most valuable sensor sites, while not compromising ease of use. Using this information, we created the Versus system, including the headset, the 6 assessment constructs, and our 14 performance protocols.
3. Plan Duration
What is plan duration?
Plan duration is the amount of time the user will be expected to exercise on their assigned plan before they’re eligible to complete a new NeuroPerformance Assessment, after which they’ll be assigned a new plan.
What is the standard plan duration?
On a standard plan, we require users to complete 450 minutes of exercise on their assigned protocol. Users may, however, choose to exercise for more than 450 minutes on a plan.
In our work with high performing athletes using traditional EEG equipment, we found that 450 minutes was the minimum amount of exercise required for users to report noticeable improvements in their brain performance.
4. Session Duration
What is session duration?
Session duration is the maximum amount of time a user may exercise each day. On a standard plan, the Versus app guides users through a twenty minute session. Currently, this includes 4 games (NeuroBalloon, NeuroGlider, NeuroRacer, and NeuroGolf) that are each 5 minutes long. Users do not have to complete an entire exercise session in one day – they can pause and resume a session at a later date.
What is the standard session duration?
On a traditional plan, users will be allowed to exercise for up to twenty minutes per day. We found that twenty minutes of exercise a day allowed clients to get enough exercise without feeling burdened by the commitment. We suggest that users complete 3 twenty-minute exercise sessions per week, but they may choose to exercise seven days a week. However, using your Professional Dashboard, you may change your client’s session duration to fit your practice’s schedule or your client’s needs.
5. Editing Plans
How do I change or edit my client’s plan?
Versus is designed to provide users all the benefits of brain-sensing technology without requiring them to have knowledge of neuroscience or EEG. To that end, Versus assigns each user a plan – including a performance protocol and plan duration – that is intended to best suit their individual needs and guide them toward success. In order to avoid confusion or disruption to their progress, individual Versus users may not edit their own plan.
As a provider, you may use your expertise and insight into your clients’ needs to edit their plan, if you so choose. You must have an active Versus Professional Dashboard subscription to edit clients’ plans. To get started, select the name of the client whose plan you would like to edit on your Professional Dashboard. Then, from the User Details Pane of the left hand side, select the “Plans” tab. The entire process of editing and changing a plan is demonstrated in the video below.
Note: You can only edit plans on which the user has completed no exercise time. If the user has exercised on a plan, you may create and assign them a new plan by selecting “Add a New Plan” in the top right corner of the Plans screen. On existing plans, you may only edit the session and plan duration. If you want to change the protocol a user is exercising on, you will also need to create a new plan or activate an older plan. We discuss the details of these options below.
How do I change my client’s plan duration?
To enable clients to re-take the NeuroPerformance Assessment and receive a new plan more or less frequently, you can edit their plan duration. From the client’s “Plans” page on your Professional Dashboard, select “Edit Plan Details” on the plan you would like to edit. Under “Expected Plan Duration”, enter the desired plan duration and then click “Save Changes”.
How do I change my client’s session duration?
If you want to reduce or increase the amount of time a client can play the Versus games each day, you can change their session duration via your Professional Dashboard. To change the session duration on an existing plan, select the “Edit Plan Details” button on the desired plan on the client’s “Plans” page. Input the desired session duration under “Expected Session Duration” and then select “Save changes”. The app will automatically divide the session duration equally among the 4 games. For instance, if you changed the session duration to 10 minutes, each game would last for 2 minutes and 30 seconds.
How do I change my client’s protocol?
If you would like to assign a client a different protocol, you’ll need to create a new plan for them or activate an old plan with the desired protocol.
To create a new plan, select the “Plans” tab from the left hand side of the user User Details page on your Professional Dashboard. Then, on the right hand side of the Plans page, select “Add a New Plan”.
Choose the desired protocol from the drop down menu, then enter the desired plan and session duration. If you would automatically like to make this the client’s current plan, be sure that the “Make this plan active” box is selected and then press “Submit”.
To activate a previous plan, select that plan from those listed under “Previous Exercise Plans” on the client’s “Plans” page. Simply click “Make Plan Active” to make this the client’s current plan. The client may need to log out and then back in to the app for these changes to their plan to be reflected.
When should I change my client’s protocol?
Providers generally want to create a new plan to change their client’s protocol for one of the following reasons. Due to physical, mental, or behavioral constraints, certain clients may find it exceedingly difficult to complete the NeuroPerformance Assessment. In these cases, the provider can use their best judgement, given their interaction with the client, to assign them a protocol.
Alternatively, some professionals may have specific knowledge about a client that leads them to believe the client would benefit from a protocol other than the one automatically assigned to them. Additionally, some providers have clients who want to work on a specific area not targeted by their originally assigned protocol.
Information about the Performance Protocols is available here and instructions for interpreting NeuroPerformance Assessment results can be found here. If you are unsure which protocol is most appropriate for a client, we strongly encourage you to keep the client on the protocol assigned following their NeuroPerformance Assessment.
Additional Resources
For additional assistance with any of the topics discussed in this article, please visit our Support Site. Step-by-step instructions for using the Versus Professional Dashboard can be found in the Professional Dashboard User Guide here. Instructional videos about the Professional Dashboard are also available here.