Collaborative Research: A Virtual Reality Laboratory and Curriculum for Undergraduates
Project Award Date: 06-01-2007
Description
Virtual Reality (VR) is an important, contemporary subfield of computer graphics that receives little attention in most undergraduate computer science (CS) programs. A recent study reports that only about 3 percent of colleges and universities worldwide offer any sort of curricula in virtual reality. In contrast, the number of application areas for VR continues to increase steadily. The omission of VR from undergraduate CS programs can likely be attributed to the expense of teaching YR, the difficulty of finding a place for VR in the already full undergraduate CS curriculum, and a general lack of expertise among faculty for teaching the subject. This project aims to find solutions to the aforementioned problems by expanding on initiatives already begun by ITTC investigators and collaborators.
Researchers will first construct an effective and economical projection-based undergraduate virtual reality laboratory that builds on lessons learned. The investigators then plan to expand on previous curricular work by developing online VR lesson units that can be incorporated into existing undergraduate computer graphics courses. These lesson units will be made freely available, and will include appropriate laboratory activities that can be performed using the equipment constructed as part of the first objective. The third, and final, objective will be to provide tutorials and workshops, at national and regional conferences, describing the proposed VR laboratories and curriculum to enable faculty members at other institutions to teach this subject to their students.
Collaborative with the University of the Pacific, Stockton, Calif.
Investigators
Faculty Investigator(s): James Miller (PI)
Project Sponsors
Primary Sponsor(s): NSF
