VAR Edu is a strategic unit of the Virtual/Augmented Reality Lab (VAR Lab) that provides classroom-scale user spaces and infrastructure for students and faculty to experience VR/AR technologies. I am the Project Manager that spearheaded the unit’s establishment in the Fall of 2021.
An infusion of virtual reality hardware by the Black School of Business provided the necessary infrastructure.
By late 2021, temporary space was locked in, and initial use case studies were underway.
In Spring 2022, VAR Edu alpha launched a ten-week proof-of-concept to the public. During this period, the space was open for twelve hours per week.
Engagements during proof-of-concept:
- Eighty student engagements through walk-in hours, not attributed to coursework.
- Forty-four Nursing students completed a set of simulations by Oxford Medical as part of a Nursing class.
- About forty students from two sections of a photography class visited VAR Edu.
- About twenty-five, local high school students stopped by VAR Edu during a campus visit to experience technology
- Open house event for Black School of Business faculty to experience VR and the VAR Edu setup.
- Open house event for School of Engineering faculty to experience VR and the VAR Edu setup.
- Teaching and Learning with Technology representative from University Park got the opportunity to check it out while in operation.
Since our Spring 2022 launch, we have been able to garner support and spread awareness about our mission.
- Three out of the four academic schools on the Behrend campus have agreed to collaborate and support VAR Edu. This provides us with an operational budget to run the space during the 22-23 academic school year.
- A $100,000 Learning Space Improvement Grant has been submitted in collaboration with Behrend IT Services. The VAR Edu location has been proposed as the space of focus for improvement on the Behrend campus during the 22-23 academic year. *Link to article*
- Photoshoot organized by Strategic Communications and an article in the Behrend Magazine that discusses the launching of VAR Edu. Click Here to View
The future is bright for VAR Edu!
Everything is clicking into place for an expanded Fall 2022 launch of VAR Edu.
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