During the month of July 2020, Studio X staff administered a survey to undergraduate and graduate students at the University of Rochester to better understand their needs and interests regarding immersive technologies. These findings were used to inform Studio X’s fall 2020 pilot programming. As of the close of the survey in late July 2020, 58 students responded to the survey.
Q1: Please indicate your familiarity with the following tools:
On average, a majority of students are unfamiliar or have only heard of common XR tools and platforms. A minority of students have experienced deeper engagement by either creating something or teaching others.
Q2: Do you own a VR headset?
Few students own VR headsets. It may be reasonably assumed that they remain cost-prohibitive.
Q3: Given your experience with XR, how might you anticipate needing support to develop an XR project?
Q4: Which skill or tool are you most interested in learning?
Q5: What XR platforms or projects interest you? Can you imagine using XR to enhance your own research and learning? If so, how?
In general, students responses were very specific, but a majority of them fall under the STEM disciplines. For example, students envisioned engaging with XR for physical reasoning, machine learning, electrical design, 3D audio, etc.
Many students also expressed uncertainty about how they might use XR technologies but were very enthusiastic about developing a new skillset and gaining hands-on experience.
“I’m not really sure, but I want to learn more about it so I can think about how to use it.“
This response stood out, in particular, because it underscores the value of exposure not only to the tools and methods but to real examples and use cases. New XR users require opportunities to make and experiment but also to see how others are leveraging these technologies to grasp the possibilities.
Q6: Is there anything else we should keep in mind?
Students’ concerns, questions, and suggestions
COVID- 19 Provide virtual workshops & prioritize hygiene and sanitation of equipment
Beginner Friendly Options Demystify XR & cover the basics of tools and methods
Keep an Open Mind Provide equal access for all students & create “noneducational” opportunities
Involve us! “I would love to help!” & create peer-teaching opportunities
Stand Out from the Crowd Campus is over programmed & distinguish your space and services from Rettner
Practical Advice VR cables are annoying and Carlson can be out of the way for students
Renée Stevens is an interactive and immersive designer, educator, author, and speaker. Her creative work focuses on innovative ways design can help overcome learning disabilities and create more accessible and inclusive learning environments. For over a decade, she has run her own interactive design studio. You can find her teaching at the S.I. Newhouse School of Public Communications at Syracuse University, where she is the Associate Chair of the Visual Communications Department, overseeing the undergraduate and graduate design programs. In 2017, she was named an Educator to Watch by GDUSA. She has been invited to speak around the world about her work in XR. She is the author of two books, Powered by Design and Designing Immersive 3D Experiences: A Designer’s guide to creating 3D experiences for extended reality. You can learn more at reneestevens.design
Where: Zoom When: Wednesday, February 17th from 10:25 to 11:40am Register: bit.ly/XRVoices
Join Studio X at the River Campus Libraries in conversation with invited scholars, artists, professionals, and more, who will discuss their work with immersive technologies across disciplines and industries. These events are virtual, free, and open to all members of the campus community and the general public. View the full spring 2021 Voices of XR series.
This looks like a lot, but it’s not. Just making the process super-duper clear. 😉
Step 1: Download and Install the Unity Hub (available on Mac and PC) (~2 minutes)
The Unity Hub is a standalone application that streamlines the way you find, download, and manage your Unity Projects and software installations. Read more about the Unity Hub here.
From your Downloads folder, double-click on the Unity Hub Setup file to begin the installation. (If on a Mac, drag the application into your Applications folder, then double-click on it.)
Agree to Unity Terms of Service and follow the instructions to install Unity Hub.
Step 2: Download and install Unity version 2021.1.16f1 (~10 minutes depending on your computer and internet connection)
There are many different versions of the Unity software, as its developed and released over time. During this workshop, we’ll be using version 2021.1.16f1.
In the Installs tab, click Add to add a new Unity version.
Choose 2021.1.16f1
Choose to install Visual Studio (for Mac or PC) and Android Build Support
Accept any necessary terms and conditions and begin installation.
Step 3: Create a Unity ID
From the Account menu in Unity Hub, click to Sign in.
If you already have an account, sign in. Otherwise, you can create a new Unity ID.
You may receive a notice about needing to activate a license. You can do this under the settings menu (click the cog in the upper-right corner). From there, you can click License Management in the menu and choose a personal license.
Choose Unity Personal and I don’t use Unity in a professional capacity.
The Studio X team challenges you to create your own immersive escape room using Mozilla Hubs, a web-based, user-friendly virtual reality platform. We’ll provide you with a prompt and a hands-on training session to get you started. You decide what puzzles and aesthetic will captivate your participants. All learning levels are welcome. No experience is necessary.
Hubs room examples. Imagine the possibilities!
Note: Attendees will need sign up for a Mozilla Hubs account and explore a Hubs room before the workshop. We also recommend using Firefox as a WebVR compatible browser.
Example Hubs Rooms (Tons more available from the Hubs Scenes library)
Join River Campus Libraries and Studio X to create your own augmented reality (AR) effects for Instagram and Facebook and send a unique message to that special someone. Attendees will learn how to create and publish AR effects with Spark AR Studio. All learning levels are welcome. No experience necessary.
Note: Attendees will need a Facebook account and to download Spark AR studio (Mac and PC) as well as the Spark AR app (iOS and Android) for testing ahead of time.
The current social distancing guidelines mean there aren’t as many opportunities to casually interact with people you pass on campus, less time to catch-up with friends after a club meeting, fewer of the informal interactions that help us build shared experiences and community.
Join the Dream University Challenge to imagine, design, and build virtual university spaces that can provide opportunities to connect with your friends.
Learn design thinking and hands-on technical skills. Work in teams to build your dream space using Mozilla Hubs, a user-friendly virtual reality platform. Submit your space for a chance to win a prize.
The challenge is co-hosted by Studio X and Barbara J. Burger iZone with the support of River Campus Libraries and Hajim School of Engineering.
You are welcome to register as an individual (we will have a workshop to find teammates) or as a full or partial team (max four people). We look forward to seeing you at the challenge! All participants who complete the challenge will receive a certificate indicating the skills learned, and there will be prizes in different categories at the end of the challenge that will be given after the voting phase.
There will be Zoom Open Hours and a Slack Channel for you to ask questions and get help throughout the Challenge. No experience with virtual reality is necessary, just bring your creativity and your dreams for a virtual University.
Rules
Any Undergraduate or Graduate student of the University of Rochester is eligible to participate
The Dream University Challenge begins on Thursday, January 7th and ends on Thursday, January 14th, with the Celebration and Announcement of Winners event being held on Wednesday, January 20th.
Teams may contain up to four team members.
By submitting a virtual room in Mozilla Hubs, participants agree to all of the submission requirements, including confidentiality, selection, and voting process.
All submissions must include a virtual space in Mozilla Hubs and a written statement that describes your concept and acknowledges any sources used to create your virtual space.
Studio X will have access to all ideas at the end of the challenge, including those that didn’t receive an award.
You may use outside expertise or incorporate ready-made assets in creating your virtual room. However, we expect that the majority of the room will be of your creation. In other words, the concept and design should be yours, and we ask that you acknowledge your sources in your final presentation.
All designs will be shared on Mozilla Hubs.
Teams are expected to abide by the University’s Code of Conduct at all times.
Schedule
All times are EST. All events are via Zoom. Let the organizers know if you have time conflicts with mandatory workshops (emails are at the bottom of the package). You do not need to tell us if you are going to miss the optional workshops, or the virtual office hours.
Step 1: Design Phase (Jan 7). Participate in a workshop facilitated by the iZone to help you imagine and design your ideal university space.
iZone and Studio X will be hosting mentor hours throughout the challenge to provide you 1:1 mentoring time about your ideas, designs, prototypes and answer any questions you may have. A schedule will be posted here soon.
iZone consultants specialize in areas of idea development, project management, early stage brainstorming and problem solving
Studio X consultants specialize in areas of prototype development, Mozilla Hubs, virtual reality and spaces, and design consulting
If you have any technical or logistical questions about the Challenge, please contact the organizers listed at the bottom of this document and do not schedule 1:1 time through the mentor hours.
There will be five categories with awards. A panel of judges will vote on the top prize. The other four categories will be open for public voting. All submissions will automatically be considered for each category.
Judges (panel to be announced soon!) will vote on:
Best Overall Virtual Space
Public will vote on:
Most Creative Concept
Most Desirable Campus Space
Most Out of the Box
Most Likely to Facilitate Connections
Who is eligible to vote:
Anyone!
All teams will receive:
A certificate in Virtual World Design that shows you participated in resume building learning opportunities in Design Thinking, Project Management Skills, Prototyping, and creation of a Virtual Space to foster community.
Winning Teams will receive:
UR branded Google Cardboard for each team member, which will let you view your creation in Virtual Reality using your mobile phone
Cash prize of $100 for each team member for the Best Overall Virtual Space category voted on by the panel of judges
Judging rubric / Public voting rules
Clarity of concept
Execution of concept
Opportunities for connection and collaboration
Originality of concept
Success tips
Be creative. If you could imagine your ideal space for collaborating, learning, and connecting with your friends, what type of space would you create?
Be welcoming. Create a space that is safe and student-friendly.
Be realistic. While this is a virtual space–so anything is possible–remember that you have a relatively short time to build. Creating a well designed and complete space is better than trying to do too much.
Be a team. You might be great at imagining a space, or designing, or technology, or writing a rationale for your team’s concept. What are you good at? How can you contribute to the team?
Be UR. Remember that this is intended as a fun learning experience to help build our community.
November 19 & 20 | @MAGIC Spell Studios, Rochester Institute of Technology framelesslabs.rit.edu
The Frameless Symposium is an interdisciplinary symposium focused on research, innovation, and artistic creation in the fields of virtual and augmented reality. The Symposium Committee invites contributions from users and creators of immersive technologies and experiences involved in academia, non-profit and educational organizations, and industry.
Participation is virtual this year! View the full call for participation and learn more about presentation formats, topic of interests, and deadlines at framelesslabs.rit.edu.
Join Studio X at the River Campus Libraries in conversation with invited scholars, artists, professionals, and more, who will discuss their work with immersive technologies across disciplines and industries. These events are free and open to all members of the campus community and the general public.
Carl Domingo is the Global Student Programs Manager at Unity, working to support student communities. While studying game development at RIT and later working at Major League Hacking, he witnessed the rise of future tech leaders at hackathons all around the world. Carl has spent several years helping students and others discover their potential and empowering them. He will discuss how XR is used across different industries and how people can get started in their careers.
This looks like a lot, but it’s not. Just making the process super-duper clear. 😉
There are six steps to complete this pre-work. Depending on your computer and internet connection, these steps may take some time. We’ve provided time estimates for each step. You will be downloading three items: the Unity Hub, the Unity software, and a Unity project package. You must download and install them in this order. All are free.
Unity System Requirements – This page outlines the basic system requirements you need to run Unity 2019.4.
Step 1: Download and Install the Unity Hub (available on Mac and PC) (~2 minutes)
The Unity Hub is a standalone application that streamlines the way you find, download, and manage your Unity Projects and software installations. Read more about the Unity Hub here.
From your Downloads folder, double-click on the Unity Hub Setup file to begin the installation. (If on a Mac, drag the application into your Applications folder, then double-click on it.)
Agree to Unity Terms of Service and follow the instructions to install Unity Hub.
Step 2: Download and install Unity version 2019.4 (~10 minutes depending on your computer and internet connection)
There are many different versions of the Unity software, as its developed and released over time. During this workshop, we’ll be using version 2019.4. You’ll notice that there might be several versions of 2019.4. It doesn’t matter which one.
In the Installs tab, click Add to add a new Unity version.
Choose 2019.4._
Choose to install Visual Studio (for Mac or PC)
Accept any necessary terms and conditions and begin installation
Step 3: Create a Unity ID
From the Account menu in Unity Hub, click to Sign in.
If you already have an account, sign in. Otherwise, you can create a new Unity ID.
You may receive a notice about needing to activate a license. You can do this under the settings menu (click the cog in the upper-right corner). From there, you can click License Management in the menu and choose a personal license.
Choose Unity Personal and I don’t use Unity in a professional capacity.
Step 4: Download and Import the Unity Package (~10 minutes depending on your computer and internet connection)
Unity packages are a handy way of sharing and re-using Unity projects and collections of assets. Packages consist of collections of file and data that make up Unity projects. For our workshop, we’ve provided you with a Unity package of the Eastman Quad.
There are two options of this package: Option 1: Robust – The full, detailed 3D version of Eastman Quad (~800 MB) Option 2: Minimal – Rush Rhees Library + the quad green (recommended for slower internet connections) (~450MB)
The handout provides info about the Unity interface, key terms, and navigation tips. If you have access to a printer, please print it.
Step 6: Use a Mouse*
You do not need a mouse to participate, but if you’re a new user, it will be very helpful. Otherwise, please be prepared to right-click on your computer’s track pad.
