Exploring the future of learning through virtual and augmented reality | Around Campus - MIT News

At a recent symposium, MIT Open Learning invited experts to discuss the power of VR and AR tools to drive engagement with education, says Steve Nelson, Program Manager, MIT Integrated Learning Initiative (MITili).

Guests speakers at a recent MIT Open Learning AR/VR Symposium were: (clockwise from top left) MIT Professor Fox Harrell; director Shekhar Kapur; Berklee College of Music professor Susan Rogers; sound designer Mark Mangini; Princeton University Professor Edgar Choueiri; and MIT Vice President for Open Learning Sanjay Sarma.
Photo: courtesy of MIT Open Learning

At a recent on-campus symposium titled “VR, Sound and Cinema: Implications for Storytelling and Learning,” MIT Open Learning explored the future of storytelling and learning through virtual reality (VR) and augmented reality (AR).  

The event featured a panel of faculty and industry experts in VR/AR, cinema, and storytelling, showcasing the power of these tools and their potential impact on learning. Speakers included Sanjay Sarma, vice president for Open Learning; Fox Harrell, a professor of digital media and artificial intelligence at MIT; Academy Award-winning director Shekhar Kapur; Berklee College of Music Professor Susan Rogers; Academy Award-winning sound designer Mark Mangini; and Edgar Choueiri, a professor of applied physics at Princeton University.

Harrell, who is currently working on a new VR/AR project with MIT Open Learning, studies new forms of computational narrative, gaming, social media, and related digital media based in computer science. His talk focused on answering the question: “How do virtual realities impact our learning and engagement?” He also screened a preview of Karim Ben Khelifa’s “The Enemy,” a groundbreaking virtual reality experience that made its American premiere at the MIT Museum in December 2017...

Finally, Susan Rogers, a professor of music production and engineering and an expert in music cognition at Boston’s Berklee College of Music, took the floor to talk about how technology is influencing our daily lives.

“Our behavior is becoming further from reality the more our technology imitates reality,” she said.

Rogers’ assessment focused on reality versus truth, examining what would happen to VR once it becomes so close to reality that it no longer seemed virtual.

“Scientists worship the truth — so how can scientists appreciate virtual reality?” she asked.“It isn’t truth.”
Read more...

Source: MIT News