2020 Michigan IT Symposium Breakout Session
Reimagining Architecture Education Through Virtual RealityPresenters:
- Jeremy Nelson, Eric Schreffler, & Moeezo Saleem -- Center for Academic Innovation
- Jonathan Rule -- A. Alfred Taubman College of Architecture and Urban Planning
The XR Initiative worked with Professor Jonathan Rule and grad students David Siepman and Grant Parker to design a course to teach construction architecture in Virtual Reality. This was a collaborative approach to design and implementation that includes professional software development methodologies from the XR team combined with subject matter expert designers within Taubman College.
Through collaborative design, the teams worked together to create design challenges in multi-user VR that will evaluate how this technology will enhance the way students learn. This project is rooted in Learning Experience Design around the learning goals and objectives for an introductory course in architecture construction for over 100 undergraduate and graduate level students.
Reflecting the structure of the course, the virtual environment is divided into five material modules conceived as interactive museum pavilions. In addition, the platform will allow for student and faculty collaboration through multiplayer interaction and the ability to simulate aspects of an in-person on-site learning experience.