Class of 2023: Husson University, School of Technology and Innovation

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(Image credit: Husson University School of Technology and Innovation)

AV/IT TEAM: Brave Williams (left), director of the iEX Center and program lead for the Extended Reality course; Tony Gerow, media technologist/extended reality at the iEX Center

XR 177 Extended Reality Kit (iPad, high-powered mini projector, Oculus Quest 2) (Image credit: Husson University School of Technology and Innovation)

OBJECTIVES: One of the main objectives of the project was to provide students with a complete and portable kit of extended reality equipment that would allow them to perform all the fundamental immersive technology projects. Additionally, the kit needed to be shipped easily to remote students.

CHALLENGES: The first challenge to building the kit included deciding which specific devices would be included. There are many options and finding the right equipment that was easy to use and complemented the curriculum was key. Also, once we decided on the equipment, it was a challenge to find and design a case that could properly house all the individual pieces of equipment while adequately protecting them. Suitcase size was critical, as some cases would be sent to remote students and smart decisions had to be made so as to minimize shipping costs. Additional challenges included configuring the technical infrastructure to simulcast individual XR equipment, such as an Oculus VR headset, to digital scoreboards in the classroom. This simulcast feature is critical to teaching, but it’s also a key feature of the infrastructure that allows students to present their projects to other students.

EQUIPMENT SNAPSHOT

XR 177 Extended Reality Kit (iPad, high power mini projector, Oculus Quest 2)

FINAL SETUP/USER BENEFITS: Students benefit from the kits because learning how to operate the equipment is their ramp into the level of extended reality and exploring the very core of immersive technologies. The kits are portable and can be signed for for the semester. This allows students to take kits home to use for the entire duration of the course. Distance learners can engage because kits are easily mailed and students send the kits back after the course is complete. Additionally, people outside of the Extended Reality program can sign kits to develop projects not specifically associated with XR 177.

[ Check out more from The Class of 2023: The AV/IT Teams of Higher Ed (opens in new tab) ]

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