The rapid growth in technology is constantly changing the world around usand education is no exception. In the realms of science fiction, including gaming, virtual reality is already a buzzword. However, it is now transforming the education landscape by providing the end user with a virtual experience of attending real universities, including real professors and people, who interact in a natural way as it is in the real world. The aimfor implementing VR technology in the education systemis to make it more interesting, easier, accessible, and affordable for everyone.
In recent years, online and distance learning have become the new methods of education. It has revolutionized the education industry by making itself accessible to everyone. One company which is working at the forefront ofmassive changes in the education industry is Immersive VR Education. Founded in 2014 by David Whelan and Sandra Whelan, the company is dedicated to optimizingVR technologies todeliver fully immersive virtual learning to all.Backed by leading industry domain knowledge and experience, Immersive VR Education is serving top universities, colleges and corporate trainers.The company CEO, David Whelan, says “The team is proud to work with Oxford University, Royal College of Surgeons Ireland, Bristol University and more.”The company’s goal is to transform the future of education by implementing new methods and techniques to make learning available to everyone,everywhere.
In today’s digital era, modern students are moving rapidly towards online learning. However, the lack of dynamic content and educators is fuelling disinterest among themto continue with their online courses. In order to increase the learning interest and student’s engagement, the company has launched a platform called ENGAGE, afree to use social education and presentation platform.The company’s award-winning ENGAGE platform allows educators and corporate trainers to share their content ina virtual platform,which can be used by schools, colleges, universities, research centres and corporate trainers to teach any topic in a virtual environment.Whelan stated “ENGAGEis designed as a complementary tool to enhance classroom teaching or as a standalone environment providing distance learners with access and opportunities to connect at a unique level with their fellow students.”
Immersive VR education is at the leading edge of mainstreaming VR technology with its flagship ENGAGE platform. Its CEO explained “Cloud file storage integration allows you to stream in documents and media from OneDrive, Google Docs and Dropbox as well as PowerPoints, Videos, Audio and a range of different documents using our media playback system.”By integrating VR technologies with the cloud, the ENGAGE Presenter Tablet allows teachers to record their sessions and share it to other users or upload it publicly to theENGAGE platform.
By partnering with leading institutions, Immersive VR Education is flourishing in the education sector. David explained “We have been humbled by the extraordinary level of interest and participation in the ENGAGE platform. Our partnerships are hugely collaborative and we work closely with the educators and support teams on content and environmentswithin the platform to ensure an effective experience.”
David said “The Company has catapulted itself from a small Irish start-up with two employees in 2015 to a PLC with a team of 34 people. In 2018, the company was taken public, listing on both the London AIM Market and the Irish ESM Market with a market cap of €25m approx”.After achieving such a great success in the market through its ENGAGE educational platform, Virtual Reality experiences and software, namely the Apollo 11 VR and Titanic VR experiences, and being awarded for best educational experience, best film/ interactive story, best VR animated film and many more, the company is looking forward to creatingthe best VR experiences and establishing the ENGAGE Platform as the world leading platform for educators and trainers.
Concluding, the company is focused onenhancing its online social learning and presentation platform ENGAGE. David concluded “In due course, ENGAGE Enterprise will be released with additional options for private hosting, monetisation options, and extra creation tools We are excited that the future of education through VR is evolving and we are proud to play our part in making that happen across the world.”
