Virtual Reality Classroom
Emergent Design [Course 325–040]: Fall Quarter 2020 Reflection
Emergent Design at Eastern Washington University [taught by Travis Masingale] touches on the future of design. It dives into another realm, the Virtual Reality (VR) world. This virtual world is integrated with the physical real-life realm, creating an immersive experience for the user. The merging between the digital and the physical is a glimpse into the future. Seamless interactions between man and machine will harness a new technological era, where our reality will be expanded into something much larger than life.
After taking this course, one thing I could have done better is have more confidence going in. All this was brand new and so farfetched I didn’t think I would understand it, but instead I excelled in the subject and started diving deeper and applying it to my Spark AR tutorials. I actually understood the concepts pertaining to the extended reality (XR). I gained a new interest and passion.
I think this course as a whole worked very well, especially in times of online learning and having to teach myself many new things and delegate my time. I think the Spark AR program and tutorials were a great way to introduce the XR subject and materials. It was an easy platform to navigate and the tutorials were easy to follow. While taking Emergent Design, I read many articles that helped me gain a better understanding of what I was creating. I think having this knowledge is important in understanding how things work. I also liked experiencing different XR application’s firsthand and dissecting what XR implementations and supporting technologies applied to each app.
Normally I would be opposed to longer online lectures, but Travis is such a great teacher, instead of just having his weekly Milanote boards with lecture notes and info where he briefly touches on the topics, he should dive even deeper and possibly have discussions on our thoughts, in real-time over Zoom. I think this would help with the classroom experience and giving the students the interaction, they are craving! It was nice having our group project where we had break out rooms because we got this interaction. [I would also make the Segmentation tutorial one of the first ones the students complete; because it touches on everything.]
Not to sound corny, but I actually enjoyed every part of this class. I enjoyed the materials, resources, lectures, Travis, tutorials, reading, medium posts, and most of all my group! I also think it was quite amazing I created everything I did without using any code [the patches did all the work].
The worst part was not being in class or being on campus in person; not being able to enjoy the new catalyst building in Spokane. Another down side was, it was hard to focus and give my whole attention during class time because it followed a two hour [dry] lecture in Professional Practice which started at 8:00 am; by the time Emergent started my brain was fried, but by the end of class I was enjoying myself so much, I felt rejuvenated and was able to tackle the day. This class would be a great afternoon class. Also, the group project was also a little hard, especially not being able to meet in person and having to coordinate everything online; scheduling was a bother at times.
Having my teacher give such good feedback on assignments and give such encouraging words helped me make it through the quarter. I honestly don’t think I would have made it if it wasn’t for Travis. Grades can reflect your status and accomplishments in a class but having someone notice and comment on your achievements brings validation. I can’t thank him enough.
