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The UniVirtual Experience 2022 is focused on our Educators in VR Teams, allowing these special interest groups to dive deeply into their XR industry vertical and bring those passionate about the topic together to explore the possibilities.
April 27-29, the EDVR VR Researchers Team is showcasing research studies and innovations. The 3-day conference will be in AltspaceVR and ENGAGE XR. The events are free and open to the public.
The UniVirtual Experience is an experience that is different from most conferences. It is designed to be a conversation, an intimate experience and opportunity to meet and talk to innovators from Australia, Switzerland, Canada, UK, Greece, and around the world passionate about the pioneering work they are doing.
The VR Research Team has brought together a wide variety of topics exploring the potential for research in and with VR. A few highlights include:
- Imagine a passionate desire to preserve historical heritage sites in your community for students and tourists from around the world to not just explore and learn but relive the past. Where would you start your research? Where would it lead?
- The pandemic brought new concerns about contamination and contagion possible through interaction with others and the things in and around us. Evelien Ydo led a research project at the beginning of the pandemic to address the concerns of hygiene with VR headsets. We knew so little then, and there wasn’t much available, and her journey to find the answers will be shared with us along with the techniques.
- The use of VR for therapy is becoming more commonplace. We also know that nature provides a psychological healing for mindfulness and wellbeing. What happens when you mix the two together? A psychology student helps us understand the power of the two for mental health therapy.
- Schools around the world were shaken to their core when lockdown happened so fast. The English as a Second Language department in an Australian school choose VR and revolutionized their educational experiences and share their findings with us.
- VR is changing the workplace in many ways. Robert Vogel shares insights in research about the ROI effectiveness of VR training, and Rebecca Chu shares research on the capabilities of VR for job applications.
- Research isn’t enough when trying to pitch an XR project to a business. Dr. Jose Ferrer shares his experience of making his big business dream come true for his hospital in Spain by taking small steps, slowly helping the company administrators embrace XR.
Check the full schedule below.
For information on how to attend an Educators in VR event in AltspaceVR, ENGAGE XR, or elsewhere, see our How to Attend a VR Event Guide.
To keep up with the Educators in VR Theatre Team events and all Educators in VR events in AltspaceVR, subscribe to the Educators in VR Channel and add our Educators in VR Google Calendar of events, workshops, classes, and conferences to your Google Calendar.
VR Research UniVirtual Experience 2022
Click the link for the time in your time zone. RSVP the event to trigger a reminder one hour before the event begins.
Wednesday, April 27, 2022
UniVirtual VR Researchers Team Social in AltspaceVR: Join VR researchers from around the world for a networking social to kick off the conference.
Thursday, April 28, 2022
VR Researcher: Revitalizing History in AltspaceVR: Lida Liberopoulou is an expert cultural heritage preservation world builder, digging through historical archives and work of archeologists, anthropologists, cartologists, and historians to recreate Ancient Athens heritage sites in AltspaceVR. Her Acropolis, Agora marketplace, and Olympia were recreated on a 1:1 scale as part of her ongoing research and development. She will share insights into how she peeled back the dusty layers of history to select a key point in history to build from, and the innovative work she is doing to bring these heritage sites to life for educational field trips.
Workshop: VR Hygiene & Safety in AltspaceVR: Evelien Ydo began research on VR Hygiene at the beginning of the pandemic to help schools and businesses cope with the protocols of protecting multiple users on shared VR headsets. Her work has influenced industry standards for education, business, and entertainment to protect users as well as the VR headsets and controllers.
VR Nature Therapy Research in AltspaceVR: Ashlene Dembicki is a recent graduate in Psychology sharing her research and design work from her Honors Degree in VR nature therapy in the Department of Psychology, at Mount Royal University, Calgary, Canada, presents their research and findings on VR Nature Therapy. The presentation explores the impact of a nature virtual world for mental health therapies including sight, sound, and experience, and how it influences the response to therapy.
School Survival Under Pandemic Pressure: The COVID-19 pandemic and multiple lock downs triggered an industry-wide shift towards online learning. Rather than settling for video conferencing platforms, Burleigh Heads Language College (BHLC) strove to discover and develop an alternative that delivers ESL content while battling pandemic pressures and time constraints where students can have unprecedented experiences that maximize engagement. Educators from this Australian school share their research and findings through the move from in-person to VR and online education for language arts.
Friday, April 29, 2022
How Virtual Reality is Redefining Soft Skills Training in ENGAGE XR: [Event Access: edvr] Research on how VR is redefining soft skill training by Price Waterhouse Cooper was a watershed study on the impact of VR in business. Educator and business professional, Robert Vogel, will discuss how this and other research supports the use of VR for job simulation, job training, and even business and project management.
Face-to-Face VR in Healthcare in AltspaceVR: Emmanuele Leggio is the founder and inventor of the Hemosy VR Helmet and virtual city, Polis. The Hemosy VR Helmet is designed for research in medical, healthcare, psychology, training, and other areas as it is a full-face headset that links with another headset to observe the user’s facial expressions. This is an interactive discussion on how such technology may be used for research and testing and understanding the importance of incorporating the physical with the virtual. Emmanuel has a His main background is in economics, though he has a passion for technology and politics. He studied at a university in Italy and Coursera before settling in Switzerland for work.
VR Medical Research: Dream Big, Start Small in AltspaceVR: Researching in the medical field isn’t simple, and if you add VR into that plan, it can be frustrating to get it approved. Dr José Ferrer is a General Practitioner who dared to dream big in a small health center. After perseverance, he finally got the green light to start his research using VR for healthcare and medical training. He specializes in Family Medicine and primary and emergency care in Badalona Serveis Assistencials (BSA). He is a CPR instructor and clinical trainer for Family Medicine medical residents and the health professionals of BSA, as well as a Team Project Leader of the XR Medical Healthcare Team for EDVR.
XR Business: VR Research in AltspaceVR: An Intel and HTC Vive 5-year case study found a 300% ROI on VR training. Sciences, medical, and healthcare industries have been revolutionized with VR training and the impact and feedback has been profound. Join us for a discuss on XR business research, what’s been learned, where it needs to expand, and how this research is changing the enterprise industry. The EDVR XR Business Team Project meets regularly to explore business opportunities, investments, and education in immerse education, and understanding the metaverse marketplace and industry.
VR Assessment for Job Applications in AltspaceVR: VR has been used increasingly in corporate assessments as it presents an incredible opportunity to assess candidates in a realistic and authentic environment. Rebecca Chu’s research in collaboration with Serious VR explored the potential of using VR to assess applicants’ orderliness in the employee selection process. Rebecca Chu is a recent graduate of a Master’s degree in Educational Science & Technology at the University of Twente. Her work focuses on incorporating technology into education and using digital tools to help people learn.
UniVirtual VR Researchers Team Social in AltspaceVR: We end the event in Club Euphoria, a nightclub created for the UniVirtual Experience and Educators in VR with a great dance floor, drinks, and social areas. A great way to bring all of us together to celebrate the end of the event and get to know each other better.
For information on how to attend an Educators in VR event in AltspaceVR, ENGAGE XR, or elsewhere, see our How to Attend a VR Event Guide.
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