Maryville’s unprecedented enrollment growth is expected to continue, primarily fueled by students enrolled in online courses. To that end, the University has made investments in video technology, learning designers and creative developers for Maryville’s online programs including embracing technologies like virtual reality and 360-degree videos.
“With virtual reality, the ultimate goal is true immersion: feeling that you’re in another place without physically being there,” said Thomas James, creative director for the School of Adult and Online Education. “Your screen becomes your world.”
A recent partnership with Katherine Kline, PhD, associate professor of rehabilitation counseling, created a virtual reality experience simulating what it’s like to have schizophrenia including auditory and visual hallucinations. The simulation, part of the class Perspectives on Disability, was filmed in Gander Dining Hall and included hired actors as well as collaboration with departments across campus like the Office of Public Safety and the Maryville Mascot Team.
Another recent partnership with Geriann Brandt, MA, director of the criminal justice/criminology program and assistant professor of criminal justice and criminology, is the online debut of Introduction to Criminal Investigations. Brandt prepares for the on-ground course by burying a pig carcass and other evidence at Maryville’s 92-acre educational reserve in Augusta, Missouri, to teach students about finding and handling evidence. In the online environment, students are immersed in a 360-degree video and click on “hotspots,” containing images, videos or other graphics, so students can interact with that same evidence without physically being there.
Congratulations to the faculty and staff who put in many hours of hard work on these projects! In honor of their groundbreaking work with these new technologies, members of Maryville’s School of Adult and Online Education have presented at numerous national conferences including events hosted by the University of Wisconsin-Madison, Missouri S&T and the University of Missouri-St. Louis.
