OSU Institute of Technology Metaversity is Reimagining Technical Education
OSUIT in the Metaverse
Oklahoma State University Institute of Technology is taking the lead in filling the skills gap by reinventing the delivery of hands-on training with the next technology platform—Extended Reality (XR).
The OSU Institute of Technology Metaversity is the "digital twin" of OSUIT in the Metaverse. It serves as a single deployment platform for all Virtual Reality (VR) learning modules, VR experiences and other Metaverse-related tasks for OSUIT students, faculty and staff. The Metaversity will consist of various virtual spaces, including the quad, virtual schools and virtual workforce development offices.
Virtual Reality in Curriculum
The institution currently has six VR modules under development with plans to create additional modules across multiple subjects and programs. To support instructional delivery of the modules and the Metaverse, OSUIT has invested in Meta Oculus Quest 2 all-in-one VR headsets to begin student and faculty implementation. The initial course modules, which began development in early 2021, are currently in beta testing. Pilots are set to start this summer for an anticipated fall term implementation.
The six current VR modules include Culinary Place Settings, Culinary Service Steps, Engines: Basic Function and Operations & Service, Gas Compression Skids, Instrumentation Engineering and an Escape Room.
Source: PwC Research, June 2021
"This project will help OSUIT expand its inclusiveness and reach by allowing students to learn in virtual reality, empowering distance learning and adapting to ever-changing learning conditions. VR doesn't replace hands-on learning – it accelerates it and allows OSUIT to continue to be the leader in technical education."
-OSUIT President Bill R. Path
Partnering for Success
OSUIT has partnered with Tulsa, Oklahoma-based XALTER, a 21-year-old, award-winning media and technology company to re-design what is possible in an applied technical training campus. This team brings together renowned instructional designers, researchers and data scientists alongside award-winning visual artisans who are committed to creating XR-integrated curricula.
What is unique about this project and OSUIT's curriculum is that the creation of each is informed by industry partners and the current workforce landscape.
OSUIT Partnership Opportunity
Your company can partner with OSUIT to develop a roadmap of VR models (“digital twins”) of OEM equipment, pipeline infrastructure, and plant operating sites that XALTER will create for OSUIT to use in the classroom and you to use in daily operations for the following:
- Workforce MRO & EHS training
- Product R&D
- Virtual sales demos
- Customer training & onboarding
By working together with OSUIT and industry peers to pool resources – everyone saves time, money, and reduces the risk of trying to “go it alone” to execute an industrial VR strategy. We can share industrial VR use cases and best practices to help you get started.
