A Virtual World of Possibilities | Academic Newsletter | Seneca Polytechnic

by the Teaching & Learning Centre

in the June 2020 issue

Imagine your students going on a field trip without ever leaving home. Or picture them interacting with a realistic three-dimensional model long after they manipulated the real object in the lab. What if they could simulate performing the steps in a process, and practice it over and over? Or digitally modify a physical space to demonstrate their concepts and designs.

This is the promise of Extended Reality (XR), a collection of technologies that support digitally-enhanced interactions with the world around us. Tools such as virtual reality, augmented reality, and 3D modelling are increasingly being used in education to enhance learning activities, and Seneca is playing a leading role.

^{Extended Reality (XR) technologies include virtual reality, augmented reality, mixed reality, 360 degree media and 3D models.}

The Seneca XR framework promotes the exploration of XR technologies in education by identifying XR projects within the College, coordinating resources, supporting the development and implementation of XR experiences, and evaluating the impact of these experiences on student learning.

The first project to go through the XR framework process is well underway. Over the winter, faculty from the School of Fire Protection Engineering Technology and the School of Hospitality and Tourism, with support from the School of Creative Arts & Animation and the Teaching & Learning Centre, began developing and testing lessons for the Creator AVR platform as part of the eCampusOntario AR/VR Sandbox. The team is working on using 360-degree images to explore security issues at major tourist destinations and using 3D models to understand the operation of fire safety equipment. An implementation study is planned for the fall.

If you have a project idea and would like to explore the use of XR in your online, hybrid, or classroom courses, complete the XR project intake form.

View the June 2020 issue of the Academic Newsletter.