VR/AR

Virtual reality has had a mixed reception in higher education, but few applications have caught on more than in nursing and health-care fields, where the technology is giving students practice with high-risk scenarios.

Panelists at the recent AR/VR Policy Conference said AR/VR tools have a unique ability to broaden participation and engagement in STEM courses, provided the tools are created and adopted with accessibility in mind.

Following the success of biology courses aided by technology from Dreamscape Immersive, Arizona State University is hoping to make more use of virtual reality for other course subjects moving forward.

In a study of 514 students across the state, conducted by the nonprofit WestEd, those who used a VR tool from the ed-tech company Prisms outperformed their peers who covered the same material in a more traditional way.

Artificial intelligence helps create user formats for some virtual-reality education programs such as those created by VictoryXR, which allow teachers to safely transport students beyond the walls of their classrooms.

Universities are gradually making more use of AR/VR headsets in an effort to establish “metaversities,” or digital twin campuses, but to date their use remains limited to a handful of courses at some schools.

The California State Parks system recently unveiled a new virtual and augmented reality app for visitors to dive into the lives of new cultures while exploring California’s natural landscapes.

Virtual reality technology was on display during South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol’s joint address last week. The broadcast from C-SPAN featured a clearer view of Yoon, interspersed with wide-framed shots of the chamber.

K-12 schools and universities in several states are using gamification to teach science through virtual experiments, simulators and LMS integrations like those offered by the global ed-tech company Labster.

Adjunct professor Russell Crispell at Niagara County Community College in New York uses VR headsets and 360-degree YouTube videos to immerse students in different scenarios requiring first aid training.

Over the past three years, Ed Farm has opened K-12 learning spaces to train students in STEM, created specialized training to empower STEM teachers and provided virtual resources and tech internships at the university level.

The Kansas police department has plans to test a virtual reality training simulator and a new taser. The training software has the potential to make the training process more efficient.

The National Association of State Chief Information Officers has released a resource offering state governments guidance on metaverse technologies, including potential applications for public-sector use.

A Texas college's Experience Lab, with 16 Meta Quest 2 Oculus headsets that allow users to interact within computer-generated environments, is helping professors add new dimensions and sensory aspects to their lessons.

The state of Colorado has launched a pilot program at the Pueblo Regional Center that uses virtual reality technology to train staff to better serve individuals with developmental disabilities and other health needs.

The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration is working with cities to use visualizations to make urban heat island data more accessible. For Washington, D.C., this work led to a virtual reality experience.

An all-female Catholic high school in Ohio is trying to give its students a leg up in health sciences with immersive 3D virtual reality software that visualizes the human body at different scales and positions.

Three Norwalk schools will incorporate virtual reality, 3D printers, artificial intelligence and other tools from their Verizon Innovative Learning Labs into other subjects, giving students experience with emerging tech.