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Big trend: Colleges and universities adding VR, AR learning programs

EON Reality Inc., a provider of Virtual Reality-based knowledge transfer for industry, education, and edutainment; and Lehman College, a public, senior college located in the Bronx that is part of the City University of New York (CUNY), announced the establishment of an Interactive Digital Center (IDC) as part of Lehman College’s School of Continuing and Professional Studies.

EON Reality, also announced a partnership with Oral Roberts University (ORU) to make ORUs Global Learning Center (GLC) a leader in Augmented and Virtual Reality (AVR)-based education.

VR, AR at Lehman College

Lehman’s IDC will support the training of new Virtual and Augmented Reality professionals as well support the development of VR and AR applications that will assist in teaching Lehman’s students. The new program will be housed in the College’s satellite campus, CUNY on the Concourse.

As established industries continue to be disrupted by technological advances, workers who have been displaced will need retraining to find a new trade. The Virtual and Augmented Reality industries are quickly growing and require an infusion of talent to meet the market’s demands, which some project to be around $150 billion by 2020.

Additionally, EON Reality’s seventeen years of experience in using Virtual Reality for training and education aims to empower Lehman to create VR learning modules to help train workers for other industries.

“Lehman College is a perfect partner for EON Reality,” said Dan Lejerskar, chairman of EON Reality. “New York City is a place where our unique combination of training and education can make a difference in people’s lives, especially when combined with Lehman College’s expertise. Virtual Reality and Augmented Reality lets people learn by doing. This speeds up the entire learning process, improves retention, and helps learners make the right decisions in stressful situations. This technology is perfect for the School of Continuing and Professional Studies in one of the world’s most dynamic cities.”

“This vital partnership with EON Reality, is but one example of how Lehman is cementing its place as the most important, mission-critical senior college of The City University of New York,” said José Luis Cruz, President of Lehman College. “This effort will provide invaluable state-of-the-art experiential training to students of our School of Continuing and Professional Studies—positioning them well for the opportunities of the burgeoning VR/AR industry.”

The first phase of the IDC is a Virtual Reality and Augmented Reality training facility and development lab, which will train future VR and AR professionals. Students will engage in a yearlong program that involves three months of classroom training followed by seven months of project-based learning that includes project work done for real customers. Additionally, the facility will include an Icube Mobile, a four-wall immersive Virtual Reality room, that will enable the students to experience and test their creations.

The IDC will open in the second quarter of 2017 and is now accepting applications. For more information visit: www.eonreality.com [1].

VR, AR at Oral Roberts

ORU has entered a five year partnership with EON Reality to create an immediate and lasting global education footprint with EON Reality’s award winning AVR software platform. ORU will use the platform in its eight million dollar ‘debt-free’ Global Learning Center. The GLC will include eight classrooms, a recording studio, a 700 seat performance hall, and a state-of the art virtual reality space.

Through this center, Oral Roberts University will reach thousands of students through streaming media as well as through AVR lessons powered by EON Reality’s AVR Platform. The AVR Platform comes with over 8,000 AR/VR learning objects that can be turned into customized lessons for every educational discipline.

“We are thrilled to further the globalization of ORU with this new Global Learning Center,” said Dr. William M. Wilson, president of Oral Roberts University. “It will put ORU on the leading edge and equip the university as we work to expand the availability of ORU’s unique, whole person education to students around the world.”

Oral Roberts University has worked with companies like EON Reality and Carousel Industries along with ORU’s own trademarked Geovision™ technology to design the GLC. The Center will have supercomputer access, streaming media, and the latest high tech academic broadcast and lecture solutions that allow every global citizen to receive education where and when they need it.

“AVR is the first digital and mediated-technology that has proven to directly impact the success of students at every level,” said Michael L. Mathews, ORU’s chief Information and Education Strategist. “With EON Reality’s enterprise approach, ORU will be a global leader in offering the most influential enhancements to reaching the world with highly digitized, and mediated whole person education.”

“We like working with universities that have a forward looking approach to education,” said Mats W. Johansson, CEO of EON Reality. “They’re the perfect match for the transformative power of Augmented Reality and Virtual Reality education. As the demands of students change, EON Reality’s AVR platform and software will help match their needs by empowering professors and administrators in delivering innovative and relevant interactive Virtual Reality and Augmented Reality content to the classroom.”

The EON AVR Platform is the only solution to bring AVR to every device ranging from smartphones, Google Cardboard, Oculus, HTC Vive, Holographic displays, and fully immersive three-dimensional Icube VR rooms.

The Global Learning Center will open in October with its grand opening to the public on Nov. 9, 2016.

Material from press releases were used in this report.