Baker College has received a five-year grant from EON Reality to launch a virtual Innovation Center across all campuses and learning programs. The first phase of the Innovation Center and XR Platform is beginning fall of 2021.
What is XR?
Extended Reality (XR) is an umbrella term that includes Augmented Reality (AR), Virtual Reality (VR), Mixed Reality (MR) and everything in between. VR technologies build a digital world that replicates reality and provides an environment with realistic images and sounds. AR enriches the existing physical environment with graphics, video, sounds and other data. It can “overlay” images and/or sound into real-world space. Mixed Reality (MR) combines elements of both real and virtual environments. It creates a new space where physical and synthetic objects come together.
What does the five-year EON Reality grant provide Baker College?
This $25 million, five-year grant will allow Baker College to create a virtual BC Innovation Center that serves all campuses and programs, including BakerOnline and OnlineLive. It will also enable the College to create a physical center located at the new Royal Oak campus to house virtual reality gear such as goggles and computers. The grant also provides students and faculty access to the latest XR resources, provides training on engaging with XR learning, and supports coursework development.
How will using XR technology impact me as a student?
BC students have always had hands-on learning activities, but now they will also engage in technology-enhanced, immersive learning experiences. With the help of XR, students will interact with 3D models and 360-degree environments. They will control the pace of narration in their lessons and complete self-assessments to ensure they fully understand the material. They can even link to additional learning such as Youtube videos in their XR environments.
Whether a student is exploring the inner workings of a heart to understand blood flow, walking through a museum to study famous paintings and sculptures, or taking apart and reassembling the components of a hard drive, students will be experiencing new ways to learn.
What does the first phase of this project consist of?
The first phase of Baker’s XR implementation will impact 6,000 course seats. It will be available to students in health science, information technology and several general education courses. It will eventually be used in every degree program BC offers, and students will start seeing more uses of virtual technologies in the months and years to come.
How can I access this XR technology?
BC faculty members will create and implement XR courses within the platform, which is available to students on all mobile devices, laptops and desktops through the EON-XR app.
Are you ready to take XR learning to the next level?