on development work either independently or collaboratively. Plans for the new space are ramping up again after being delayed by the pandemic. Also, William Gaudelli, dean of the College of Education and the new vice provost for innovation in education, has been meeting with faculty to discuss redesigning the curriculum, including expanding immersive student experiences “I recognize that such as XR. Lehigh ofers opportunities for there’s already its students outside of traditional lecture an ecosystem of halls, with experiences such as internships or study-abroad programs. XR learning is innovation in education another way to expand that experiential on campus, and as learning, Gaudelli explained. much as possible, this “Experiential learning is a hallmark of what a Lehigh education is known for,” is about plugging into he said. that and generating During an Education Innovation new synergies where Summit on campus earlier this year, Lehigh they can happen and administrators discussed how educators can incorporate more technology into their new directions for this courses and the support that might require. work to happen.” Some of the suggestions included granting sabbaticals for faculty to work –WILLIAM GAUDELLI on XR projects, setting up more internal funding to support such projects and creating a system that recognizes and rewards successful innovation in education. “I recognize that there’s already an ecosystem of innovation in education on campus, and as much as possible, this is about plugging into that and generating new synergies where they can happen and new directions for this work to happen,” Gaudelli said. The proposed curriculum redesign outlines seven core principles to follow, including “cultivating mindsets and skill sets of continuous learning” and “immersive and experiential learning experiences.” It is an opportunity for the university to reset the undergraduate curriculum and take advantage of “what we might call tech 3.0, or what’s coming online right now, and using those tools to promote diferent ways of thinking, knowing and learning,” Gaudelli said. Stephen Sakasitz, a senior instructional technologist forLehigh’sLibrary andTechnology Services (LTS) who does work for CITL, had been working on the new XR Lab prior to the pandemic. The space will include VR headsets, tablets for AR projects, 360-degree cameras and photogrammetry tools for 3D modeling. It will be a 24-hour accessible space to students who have been given special permission, he said. The existing Visualization Lab in the E.W. Fairchild-Martindale Library will continue to function, but the focus has shifted more toward XR activities, Sakasitz said. CITL recently purchased fve new Oculus Quest 2 headsets, the latest in VR technology. Unlike older models, these new headsets don’t have to be tethered to a PC when in use. This means they can be used in more locations, Sakasitz said. Broadening the use of AR and VR may lead to important enhancements in types of learning that depend on place and immersion, such as learning how to fy a plane, perform certain medical procedures, or train with specialized tools, said Provost Nathan Urban. AR/VR is rapidly developing and could play an important role in such education and training. “I think that universities need to explore the educational potential of new tools such as these rather than leave the development of these approaches to the private sector companies with diferent missions and motives,” Urban said. A History of AR/VR at Lehigh Such projects are becoming more accessible because of better and less expensive technology. Lehigh’s Library and Technology Services frst began exploring AR and VR in 2008, said Gregory Reihman, vice provost for LTS and director of CITL. Augmented reality allows a person to use technology to interact with the real world. For example, you could hold your iPhone up to a building on campus and be able to see information about its history and architecture on your phone screen, Reihman said. C H R I S T A N E U Graduate students Robson M. Araujo-Junior and Tarah Cicero have been assisting Alec Bodzin and his team on the development of a virtual reality game about the Lehigh River Watershed. 3 2 | L E H I G H B U L L E T I N
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