Realms becomes part of something bigger: AXIS "Tech Meetup"
A New Chapter: From Realms to AXIS “Tech Meetup”
The world of Virtual Reality (VR) has a surprisingly long history, with some arguing its roots reach back to the 1800s. In 1838, Charles Wheatstone's stereoscope allowed people to view flat images in 3D, making the birth of VR nearly 200 years ago. Today, VR use has exploded across various industries, from entertainment to training and education. As emerging technologies like Artificial Intelligence (AI) gain prominence, many industries are integrating them into their processes. That’s where Realms comes in! Let’s dive into the history of our Realms initiative and explore what it is turning into.
Realms: Launching VR Learning
The growing momentum of VR in the professional sphere inspired the Innovation Hub to foster similar innovation within our community. We created Realms, a launchpad for students and faculty to explore the capabilities of VR. During the program's development, we drew inspiration from case studies like PricewaterhouseCoopers. This case study highlighted the potential of VR as a learning tool, stating it provided students with a deeper understanding of their course materials.
The weekly Realms events proved the case study right in every way. Participants were highly engaged, and their detailed discussions during and after the events showed the value of VR. Witnessing firsthand how students were learning through this immersive technology was incredible to be a part of.
Challenges and Overcoming Obstacles
Despite the success of Realms, inspiring VR adoption always has its challenges. Many faculty members were unsure of VR's value, mirroring a wider trend. As showcased in a Perkins Coie case study, over half of businesses need help to integrate VR into their existing systems. Additionally, many individuals, including some faculty members, expressed a need for more knowledge or confidence to use VR effectively.
Some faculty members questioned how VR could be incorporated into their classes and felt unequipped to teach students how to use the headsets and software. Others were concerned that VR might not be suitable for their classes and could potentially hinder learning.
However, Realms continued to offer a low-barrier way to explore VR. Due to the program's accessible nature, faculty members began to take notice.
Realms pops-up in classes
As professors, administrators, and other faculty members started attending the events, they began to understand, alongside the students and the team, the benefits of VR. This growing enthusiasm led professors to seek Realms' assistance in facilitating VR workshops tailored to their specific course material. These workshops provided students with an unparalleled opportunity for immersive learning across various disciplines, from marketing to mental and physical health.
The positive impact was undeniable. A group of students participating in an interview workshop were surveyed. They reported an average confidence increase of 16% after regular use of the program in VR and other mediums.
Realms Evolves into AXIS: Tech Meetups.
As Realms continued we began to see a growing interest from the participants in exploring a wide array of emerging technology. People were coming to Realms not just to understand and explore VR but to have meaningful conversations about Artificial Intelligence (AI). People came to delve into the different AI tools and how to use them both effectively and ethically. Realms began to expand and include many different emerging technologies from AI to blockchain technology and NFT art.
As people continued to come and immerse themselves in the world of technology and all it had to offer it became obvious that this weekly event was no longer just about exploring VR. It was about exploring all emerging technologies and their potential in the academic and professional worlds. This is where AXIS comes in, it aims to solidify this space and give the community the chance to fully explore all emerging tech and everything it has to offer.
Learn more about AXIS “Tech Meetup”
The Hub is proud to be a founding partner of AXIS “Tech Meetup” in collaboration with Enactus SLC. We will be welcoming a great lineup of community partners every week to help us explore all of these emerging technologies, and we can’t wait to continue learning with our SLC community. We will see you here at the Innovation Hub every Friday from 3 pm - 5 pm.
If you want to see the full lineup of our regular attendees or just want to learn more about AXIS “Tech Meetup” in general, check out Enactus SLC’s announcement blog!