Coursera, the online education and learning site, launched its first series of courses on Virtual Reality developed by the University of London.
The specialisation, comprising five course modules, has been developed by Dr Sylvia Pan and Dr Marco Gillies from Goldsmiths, University of London, based on a combined 25 years’ experience in some of the world’s most prominent Virtual Reality (VR)research labs.
Psychology of VR
Their expertise in VR centres on the generation of interactive and engaging virtual characters, which is one of the focus areas in the new specialisation. “Many of the mistakes made by VR content creators come from not understanding the psychology of how VR works and what it means for how we create content,” said Dr Marco Gillies.
“In VR, users need to physically interact so they feel present in the surrounding environment. This means other characters must respond in the same way they would in the real world. These courses combine theory — the basic psychology of how VR works — with practical production skills. All the time learners do the practical work, they also have to think about the psychology behind it,” he adds.
Marco also stresses on the importance of Social VR. “Social interactions in VR are a powerful experience; users share the space with someone who is life-sized, so the body language works in a way it doesn’t on a regular screen.”
Learning through tech tools
Learners in this specialisation will get hands-on experience using many of the leading technology tools for VR content development, and in particular, the world leading game development project, Unity.
“The potential for VR to change the way we work, learn, and play is significant. But we need more people educated in VR technologies and design to get there,” said Jessica Lindl, Unity’s Global Head of Education. “This series is a great example that can help anyone interested in applying VR in the work they do.”
Dr Sylvia Pan, Lecturer in Graphics at Goldsmiths, University of London, said, “The launch of the Virtual Reality specialisation presents a real opportunity to use online learning to grow the number of people equipped with the skills required to become VR content creators.”
“The development of Virtual Reality courses is pivotal to cementing the role the technology will play in everyday life and across enterprises. The potential applications range across many industries including healthcare, engineering, and online collaboration, among others. The medium of VR is developing rapidly and those making content now are creating the fundamentals of the technology.”
Below are the five courses that will start on September 25:
1. Introduction to Virtual Reality
2. 3D Models for Virtual Reality
3. 3D Interaction Design in Virtual Reality
4. Building Interactive 3D Characters and Social VR
5. Creating Your First Virtual Reality Game