Timothy Belloff, director of Academic Technology Services, and Matthew Pellegrini, instructional technology specialist, presented “Making Virtual Reality a Reality: Applications of Augmented/Virtual Reality” at the annual EDUCAUSE Conference in Philadelphia, Pa., in November.

Nearly 200 audience members participated in the interactive presentation, which highlighted the impact of augmented reality, virtual reality, and 360 video technologies in higher education.

“Virtual reality is poised to become the next big thing in media creation and consumption,” said Belloff. “Students will come into higher-ed looking to film in 360, edit in 360, and produce and develop VR games and applications.”

Participants also interacted with 3D anatomy software and watched an Apollo Launch simulation through Arcadia’s virtual reality technologies. Belloff and Pellegrini introduced the University’s cutting-edge virtual reality lab, complete with sensors and interactive controllers that enable visitors to immerse themselves in a virtual environment.