Page 26 - Campus Technology, January/February 2020

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CAMPUS TECHNOLOGY | Jan/Feb 2020
VIRTUAL ROUNDTABLE
more satisfying learning experience. This is im- portant to note because the study relied on beta hardware and alpha software, which can be con- sidered primitive even by today’s standards.
With XR hardware (including dramatic growth in wearable gear) and software maturing, and col- laborative capabilities enabling more interactive activities that can get students engaging with the content and one another in more interdependent ways, it is clear that the future is bright for this emerging technology. Further, XR technology has the potential to engage students with special needs such as vision-impaired students who can use today’s 4K head-mounted displays to see con- tent that they could never appreciate with their na- ked eyes. Also, with the rise of the fifth-generation (5G) mobile communication system, the number of new commercial services using XR are expected to grow — beginning with interactive sports view-
ing (e.g., imagine what’s to come with the Tokyo Olympic Games in 2020) and travel experiences, and quickly expanding into dynamic educational applications with profound potential implications for K-12 and higher education. While there will be educational applications spanning the continuum from Art to Zoology, I am especially excited about the potential to help students visualize complex material in historically challenging domains such as calculus and organic chemistry.
Perez: XR is here to stay — whether we are looking at augmented reality (AR), virtual reality (VR) or mixed reality (MR), it is all around us. Edu- cause has recently published an in-depth look at XR for Teaching and Learning that is timely. The Digital Learning & Innovation department at Bos- ton University has seen an uptick in proposals that are wanting to use these technologies in the classroom. We have seed-funded several pro-
“XR is here to stay — whether we are looking at augmented reality (AR), virtual reality (VR) or mixed
reality (MR), it is all around us.”