Georgian College

34 GEORGIANVIEW SPRING 2023 TECHNOLOGy Imagine you could learn how to treat a casualty during a real-life natural disaster. Or practise your French skills as you soak up the sights and sounds of a Parisian café. What about learning to navigate a tanker ship through the open ocean waters? These scenarios might seem far-fetched from the comfort of a college campus, but thanks to immersive technology manager and professor Rob Theriault, Georgian is now making them a 'virtual' reality, leading the pack on experiential learning from behind the lens of a virtual reality (VR) headset. "We're a world leader in exploring and integrating XR, or extended reality, in an academic setting," shared Rob. "Through augmented, mixed and virtual reality, our students are getting as close as possible to hands-on learning situations that might otherwise be too dangerous, too expensive, or even impossible to replicate – ultimately better preparing them to excel from day one." Rob has long been pioneering new ways of using technology to help students learn more effectively, starting simply by podcasting his weekly lessons. But as the constraints of the COVID-19 pandemic forced others onto Zoom, he instead looked to an innovative technology that would be far more beneficial to students in their future careers. "My first experience with VR was mind-blowing, standing in a make-believe hospital room where I could interact with a patient, initiate treatment, and receive real-time feedback. I immediately knew it was a game changer that could supercharge the learning experience with a unique sense of physical presence, context in real-world settings and scenarios, and agency through learning by doing – qualities that would make Georgian students unstoppable." How virtual reality is transforming hands-on learning at Georgian

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