The University of Georgia (UGA) has been teaching classes for virtual reality for some time now. Kyle Johnsen, an assistant professor in the College of Engineering is offering one of the first courses addressing virtual reality technology. Johnson stated in an interview “Teaching “Virtual Reality” in the spring is the highlight of my academic year. It’s a multidisciplinary senior-level course in which students learn to design, build and publicly demonstrate innovative simulators and virtual experiences. I’ve seen everything from an underwater oil pipeline repair simulator to an augmented reality zombie fighting game. It’s amazing fun and such an incredible artifact for the students to talk about and even take on job interviews”.
This virtual app development course shows that universities are starting to take this development seriously enough to provide educational resources to further this technology. They seem to believe that VR gives their students an advantage in their job search. If they are right, virtual reality is something industries are seriously considering. That’s a good indication that VR is coming. – NH
