Bringing the education sector into the metaverse, ViewSonic, a global provider of visual solutions, will debut its “UNIVERSE” at the ISTE Live 22 Conference & Expo from June 27th to the 29th. UNIVERSE by ViewSonic is a full-scale educational platform where classes take place in an immersive virtual 3D environment.
Kevin Chu, the Director of UNIVERSE, said that the pandemic has forced the education industry to innovate. The team at ViewSonic designed the UNIVERSE platform for out-of-classroom learning experiences and has created tools to help instructors.
Some of those instructor tools include the ability to generate pop quizzes, two different modes for classroom management, and detailed learning reports that show the engagement level of each student after the class has ended. The team has also designed the platform with students in mind.
For instance, there are three learning areas: classrooms, lecture halls, and collaborative spaces. Students can communicate in auditory and non-auditory ways. In terms of the auditory methods, students can use speech, which the program staggers by distance. In other words, the farther away the speaker is, the softer the sound will be. Some of the non-auditory methods of communicating include emojis.
Part of the goal of UNIVERSE is to create a safe digital environment for learning for students. The goal isn’t just book learning but feeling at ease enough to form meaningful relationships. For now, the educational platform is in beta mode with no publicized timetable for its full release.
More Companies Using Virtual Reality for Different Needs
Virtual reality, one of the critical technologies needed for the metaverse, has seemingly become more popular this year. As we here at Rarity Sniper have reported, more companies are using the technology for various reasons. Here are three top stories about VR from 2022.
This past week, Meta announced it partnered with Fender and MINI, a BMW company. Both organizations built VR experiences in Meta’s Horizon Worlds that took advantage of different human senses.
And in the past month, Airbus revealed that it uses virtual reality to sell luxury private jets. Using the nascent technology, users can rearrange furniture, add a bathroom with a shower, and create the perfect window seat.
Finally, two months back, Disney shared that it had partnered with Meta for a Star Wars VR experience. The action-adventure quest involved users taking on two different roles, including one in Batuu. Participants received IRL prizes for completing the quest.
Time will tell how people receive UNIVERSE by ViewSonic, but one thing is sure: the metaverse is gaining steam.