Immersive Learning with XR: An Au Large Initiative | Academic Newsletter | Seneca Polytechnic

in the December 2020 issue

This fall, the Teaching & Learning Centre, in partnership with the Faculty of Communication, Art & Design and Information Technology Services, embarked on a one-year pilot project to explore the development of immersive Extended Reality (XR) learning experiences at Seneca. XR is an umbrella term that includes virtual reality, augmented reality, and other digital three-dimensional interactive media.

This Au Large initiative brings together a team of experienced instructional designers, AR/VR application developers, 3D modelers, and 360 media specialists from within Seneca to work with faculty subject matter experts on two XR projects.

The projects involve the creation of custom-built interactive XR experiences that directly support course and program learning outcomes in the Nursing / Practical Nursing and the Honours Bachelor of Aviation Technology programs. These high-fidelity XR experiences will provide students in these programs with unique opportunities to practice simulated skills in a lifelike setting and to troubleshoot realistic problem scenarios.

Students will be able to access a desktop version on their home computers and the fully immersive virtual reality experience on campus once the college reopens. The Immersive Learning pilot project will extend experiential learning opportunities for students in the online learning environment and provide greater flexibility in terms of when, where, and how to learn.

In other XR news, the Seneca describes different types of XR technologies, their educational uses, hardware requirements, and steps to getting started with an XR project. The website also features examples of early explorations by Seneca faculty in the XR landscape.

Finally, check out this exciting XR opportunity for your students: ARt for Change: Giving students the power to change their world through augmented reality!

Have an idea for an XR project or questions about getting started with XR? Complete the XR Project Intake Form found in the Guide.

View the December 2020 issue of the Academic Newsletter.