Educators in VR is proud to support the VXR Extended Challenge 2020 by VRoKCs (VR Rocks), the non-profit, software development mentoring program for high school students out of Kansas City. While usually a real-life challenge and event working with student teams and teachers, this year it’s gone totally virtual with students working from home.

To help you learn more about this virtual hack-a-thon style collaborative event, Rohit Chaube of VRoKCs will present an overview and discussion of the VXR Extended Challenge 2020 in AltspaceVR Tuesday, April 14.

The VXR Extended Challenge 2020 is a pressure-test in utilizing design thinking and collaboration with virtual teams to build a functioning VR/AR prototype that addresses a specific problem. After the challenge, teams may receive help to build their prototype into a minimal viable product (MVP), working toward making it a commercially viable product.

The challenge will be issued April 17 at 12PM GMT, igniting the spirit of collaboration and teamwork in VR and AR development.

The final project and pitch video is due online by May 3 at noon GMT, then submitted to a panel of VR/AR and industry partners for judging. Winners and prizes will be announced at the upcoming Students in VR conference, May 7-8, 2020, in AltspaceVR and ENGAGE.

Throughout the challenge, there will be workshops and Q&A sessions hosted online for the student participants to help them learn from industry expertse the latest VR/AR tools, techniques, and problem-solving. Technical mentors and subject matter experts will also be available to help the student teams.

This is a powerful educational and self-directed learning challenge and experiment for the students every year, but this year is even more challenging. The challenge is also now open to any high school student (9th-12th grade). Students must provide their own devices, and any VR/AR device is acceptable including the use of smart phones, Google Cardboard, and Oculus, VIVE, and other VR devices. Don’t have one, they recommend the students be creative and borrow one or sue web browser based VR tools like A-Frame, or build your own. That’s part of the challenge.

If you are a high school student, or a teacher of high school students, and wish to be involved, attend our special event Tuesday in AltspaceVR for an overview, and visit VXR Extended Challenge 2020.