Episode 11: Immersive Classroom

Welcome to The Immersive Lens - the show where emerging tech meets creativity, education, and real-world impact. Hosted by Paul Engin (Professor of New Media) and Dave Ghidiu (Professor of Computer Science) at Finger Lakes Community College, this podcast dives into the technologies and creative innovations reshaping how we live, work, and learn - from AI and augmented reality to the future of media, design, and learning.

Topics Covered:

In this episode of The Immersive Lens, hosts Paul Engin and Dave Ghidiu sit down with Christine Parker, a Professor of Science and Technology and Finger Lakes Community College’s resident "Immersive Classroom Guru". The conversation centers on the transformative power of Mixed Reality (MR) in higher education, specifically focusing on the use of the Microsoft HoloLens to revolutionize how students learn human anatomy. Unlike traditional virtual reality that isolates the user, Mixed Reality allows students to remain present in their physical environment while interacting with high-fidelity, life-sized holograms of the human body, turning a standard classroom into a futuristic "Holography Lab".

Paul and Dave explore Christine’s journey from the pharmaceutical industry to the classroom, uncovering the technical hurdles - from sunlight interference to the necessity of "geometric carpets" - that come with pioneering new tech. The episode concludes with a powerful verdict: technology is merely a tool for storytelling, but when applied with intentional instructional design, it can significantly shift student performance and retention. As the HoloLens era begins to sunset, the team looks forward to the next evolution of immersive rooms that incorporate sound and even scent to simulate high-stakes environments for first responders.

Links & Resources:

Could HoloLens’ Augmented Reality Change How We Study the Human Body? - https://edtechmagazine.com/higher/article/2016/04/could-hololens-augmented-reality-change-how-we-study-human-body

Transforming Medical Education with Microsoft HoloLens - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=h4M6BTYRlKQ

How to Transform Your Classroom into a 360° Immersive Learning Experience with Projection Mapping? - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-6SoHMw0mdM

Microsoft is discontinuing its HoloLens headsets - https://edtechmagazine.com/higher/article/2016/04/could-hololens-augmented-reality-change-how-we-study-human-body

FLX AI Hub: https://www.flcc.edu/ai/

FLCC New Media: https://newmedia.csc.flcc.cloud/

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Recorded at Finger Lakes Community College in the heart of New York’s Finger Lakes region.

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