Immersive Environments: exploring current practice and barriers in Higher Education

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Booking Closed

Date

13 December 2024

Book Before

6 December 2024

University of Leeds

HELIX, Level 7, EC Stoner building, Vernon Road, Leeds, LS2 9JL

About the Event

This event is at the University of Leeds

In 2018, UCISA DEG hosted an event on immersive environments, then a growing area. In this follow-up event, we will consider what has changed in HE over the last 6 years. Has the use of immersive environments/virtual reality expanded into more disciplines? Is cost still a barrier or are there ways to implement this technology with a constrained budget? How has the technology moved on? Are there other potential constraints e.g. accessibility, and how are these being overcome?

This event will showcase examples of practice taking place across different institutions, outlining the value that they are offering to students and the practicalities of creating these environments and experiences.

This event will be hosted simultaneously at two venues: The University of Leeds and Birkbeck, University of London. There will be activities specific to each venue with keynotes streamed between venues.

Event Schedule

Friday

09:30

Registration opens

10:00

Welcome and introductions

DEG committee members
10:05

Keynote 1 (live-streamed from Birkbeck): On-boarding HE students for immersive experiences: The need for an XR ‘driving test’

Gary Burnett, Professor of Digital Creativity, Loughborough University
10:50

What’s happening where you are?

Melanie Barrand, Digital Systems Lead, University of Leeds
11:10

How WondaVR and Immersive Technologies are being used at the University of Sheffield

Dave Holloway, Senior Digital Learning Advisor and Sophie Ward, Digital Learning Adviser, University of Sheffield
11:50

Comfort break

12:05

Insights and Innovations in Immersive Learning: Lessons from Glasgow and Leeds

Josh Gregg, Innovation Technologies Specialist, University of Leedsand Imants Latkovskis, University of Glasgow
12:45

Lunch and tours

14:15

Keynote 2 (live-streamed from Leeds): Developing Students' Digital Creativity through Virtual Reality: Approaches to Balancing Open-Ended Exploration with Readily Available Experiences

Katie Gardner, Lecturer in Arts-based Pedagogical Practices, University of Leeds
15:00

VR in Healthcare Simulation: Applying Theory and Practice to Support VR Design and Delivery

John-Paul Mills, Senior Lecturer in Simulation and Digital Innovation, Liverpool John Moores

15:40

Closing remarks

15:45

Close