Lessons on virtual stages, AI chat, and cutting-edge photorealistic avatars: more and more professors are embracing the rise of virtual reality in academia to offer advanced teaching to their students.
Globally, virtual reality is already a protagonist in numerous educational institutions and universities: among the 10 most surprising applications of this technology is the economics professor from the University of North Carolina who gives a lecture in the form of an avatar on an entirely virtual stage, but that’s not all.
In New Zealand, VR reality is used to teach the use and forms of renewable energy, while in Germany, the robot avatar that allows a severely ill child to attend school stands out.
The paper, in addition to various international research, contains statements from Billy Berlusconi, founder of IgoodI, the first Italian avatar factory, and also from Marco Lombardi, professor of Media Languages at the Catholic University of the Sacred Heart in Milan.
“It is the supreme art of the teacher: to awaken joy in creative expression and knowledge”: with these words Albert Einstein highlights the significant role of professors towards individual students, who increasingly need stimuli and, above all, authoritative figures to draw inspiration from within a constantly evolving academic landscape. In this regard, a new global trend is emerging, embraced by more and more professionals in the sector: the use of virtual reality and, in particular, photorealistic avatars capable of replicating the physical professor as such, known as “avateachers”. The first confirmations of this come from the magazine The Conversation: the Australian portal talks about an economics professor from the University of North Carolina who, after taking a position on an entirely virtual stage, uses an avatar to teach his students the concepts of his course. But that’s not all, in another US university, young people in an artificial intelligence course discovered that one of their teachers is a futuristic avatar capable of answering their questions with 97% accuracy. Furthermore, Stanford University organizes a dedicated course on virtual reality for its attendees while they are immersed in a virtual universe: these students, using special viewers, can participate in lessons in the form of avatars and interact with their classmates, learning concepts in the most immediate and effective way possible. Staying on the same wavelength, here is The Japan News which reports on learning centered on the use of digital twins as a normality destined to become increasingly prevalent in the future.
This is what emerges from an in-depth study conducted on the occasion of Digital Learning Day on international publications by Espresso Communication for IgoodI, the first Italian avatar factory founded by Billy Berlusconi, which is further refining its offering to provide authentic digital twins capable of even speaking and interacting with real people thanks also to the use of QuestIT technology based on artificial intelligence. The applications of these avatars are countless, starting from the academic field. According to the startup founder: “The virtual will increasingly be part of the surrounding reality. For this reason, getting used to this trend requires a futuristic approach accompanied by the use of cutting-edge measures and technologies. Just like the fitness and sports universe, the medical and entertainment fields, the academic world also needs to keep up with the times. Starting from the premise that, due to the health emergency, changes have been innumerable, professionals in the sector can embrace virtual reality with the aim of improving their methods, or rather perfecting them to provide concepts and advice in more immediate and effective forms. In various parts of the globe, there is already talk of ‘avateachers’ – concludes Billy Berlusconi – We at IgoodI, as a leading reality in the sector, are aware of the benefits related to the use of digital twins, as they are created through scans of physical people reproduced perfectly in a 100% virtual version”.
The application of virtual reality and avatars in academia is further supported by Auganix, a reference website in the VR industry, which conducts an in-depth analysis focused on the strategic partnership developed by the University of Arizona. The American university, in fact, has decided to undertake research to understand what type of virtual avatar should be made available to students to guarantee them a perfect learning experience. Furthermore, it is important to remember the University of Saskatchewan, located in Canada, where a young professor, specializing in immersive learning design, gives lectures and in-depth courses centered on avatars, meeting her students on three different VR platforms based on their training level. This teaching method offers young people and professionals the opportunity not only to acquire new knowledge but also to feel like integral parts of a community built on the pillar of sharing.
The general scenario is also enriched by the opinion of another expert in the field, Marco Lombardi, professor of Sociology at the Catholic University of Milan and specializing in media communication, who focuses his attention on the innovation and technological revolution that is involving the entire academic landscape. “The world of teaching is changing very rapidly – states Lombardi – In the last two years there has been a complete upheaval, a paradigm shift that is almost frightening: at this moment we must not fall into the trap of accepting a new, unchosen normality. We must ask ourselves, now, how we want the academic future, of the professor and the student, to be. Teaching has transformed into immersion in a metaverse; the teacher in this case must choose an immersive technological approach oriented towards the younger generation because they are the recipients of educational processes. They are attracted to new technologies, and for this reason, virtual reality is an adequate strategy. The teaching of the future is therefore called to enter the digital metaverse. Will my digital double be a teacher avatar? Of course! After all, every avatar is a communicative medium, before being a mirror of oneself. I would say it is time to explore the new digital ecosystem, seeking its boundaries which are still far from those imagined so far”.
The journey into the new virtual ecosystem of teaching continues with Will, an avatar who teaches the use and forms of renewable energy to primary school children in New Zealand. A further insight is provided by Florida International University, where the digital twin of a bartender is introduced with the aim of exposing students to a new world of innovations related to hospitality, branding, and finally, the combination of technology and mixology. And what about the robot avatar from Berlin? The New York Post publishes an impactful article, as it speaks of a true robot-sized twin: this cutting-edge tool offers a child the opportunity to go to school. The student can interact with the teacher and classmates through this technological avatar, through which they send a blinking signal when they feel the need to speak. But that’s not all, in fact, the Times of Indiafocuses on the use of 3D holograms by individual teachers to increase lesson interactivity and better engage students who are struggling. Continuing in the same vein, PowerPoint presentations enriched with embedded avatars emerge, with the aim of teaching the multiple uses of 3D technology in industrial and design fields. Finally, the initiative from the University of Georgia is noteworthy: attendees who aspire to become future teachers interact with avatars to understand how to handle uncomfortable and delicate situations within the school environment.
10 most innovative applications of avateacher
- In New Zealand, they are used to teach children about the use and forms of renewable energy;
- In North Carolina, the instructor in question disseminates economic and financial notions, presenting himself on an entirely virtual stage;
- Open students’ minds to a world of innovations related to branding and hospitality: Florida International University relies on the digital twin of a bartender to look to the future;
- In Germany, an “avatar robot” gives a child with serious health conditions the opportunity to still attend school;
- In Canada, “avateachers” are applied with the aim of creating true sharing communities within virtual platforms;
- In India, digital twins are fundamental for creating interactive learning paths and improving school engagement;
- The University of Georgia leverages the effects of virtual reality to give shape and content to immersive scenarios in order to test young people’s skills;
- A Singapore new technologies are used to enrich professional presentations in order to teach the multiple uses of 3D technology in industrial and design fields.
- In the University of Arizona, avatars are studied precisely to understand which digital twin is most in line with the needs of the young attendees;
-  Staying in the USA, students in an artificial intelligence course can rely on an “avateacher” capable of responding with 97% accuracy.
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