Virtual reality is a rapidly developing technology. As the technology expands, becoming more portable and affordable, the potential uses have expanded as well.

One virtual reality creator calls virtual reality the “ultimate empathy machine.” Promising research shows that virtual reality can improve empathy toward groups such as people experiencing schizophrenia, children who are refugees and people who are unhoused.

Working with an interdisciplinary research team, we put this statement to the test within the context of residential schools in Canada.

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“The device itself will actually shoot lasers out of it, and those lasers will create distance measurements, and will allow us to replicate ‘The Wall’ itself,” Shields said.

The assistant professor in the department of interior design said these scans will allow “The Wall” to be digitally re-created in various mediums such as virtual reality.

To read the entire article, please follow the link to CTV Winnipeg.

Construction robots are set to help with tasks on the job site as the industry is in a major flux and the engineering students are preparing for the industry’s technological shift.

Assistant Professor in Civil Engineering, Gursans Guven Isin, showcased how our engineering students are using VR to gain hands-on experience with construction processes and project management in a simulated environment.

To view this story on CTV National News, please follow the link here.

The series, designed by Dr. Brenda M. Stoesz, Research Lead – Science of Teaching and Learning, at The Centre for the Advancement of Teaching and Learning, begins Tuesday, October 29, 2024, with the Effective communication: How to have better conversations with your students workshop.

The Centre’s Evaluation Developer, James Plohman, led the development of the first installment in the program and will be co-facilitating the workshop session component with Evaluation Developer Dr. Ibiyemi Arowolo. Following the workshop, participants of the program will take part in in three immersive VR sessions in private sessions facilitated by undergraduate student research assistants.

The program was developed to support faculty members and sessional instructors looking to improve their communication skills in a variety of situations that may be difficult or high stakes.

“We’ve heard from faculty that they were looking for more information on how to improve their skills to better communicate with students—especially in situations that may be more challenging—and create better outcomes,” says Plohman.

Through a workshop and immersive VR sessions, participants will explore effective communication techniques relevant to various educational contexts and will be able to practice their skills in a judgement-free environment that incorporates role play within virtual reality simulations.

“The use of virtual reality as part of the training provides an environment that allows participants to practice in a semi-realistic way,” says Plohman. “They can do the modules multiple times, trying different approaches to see how it changes the interaction. The overall goal is to help people become more comfortable, confident and effective verbal communicators.”

Anika Budhiraja is a research assistant at The Centre and was involved in the pilot project as a student. She will also be facilitating some of the VR sessions. She says the focus on active listening and clear verbal communication, combined with being able to practice in virtual reality, made it a valuable and engaging experience.

“Going through it myself as a participant, I remember thinking that these are the things you may not think about explicitly—things that you sort of forget,” she says. “The VR practice gives you a safe space to check what you’re doing and practice and get better. It can be hard to pinpoint what might be going wrong. With VR you get that immersive feeling that you’re in that space, you’re communicating, but you’re not being judged.”

Following the training, a reflection workshop will enable participant to share their experiences with others in the program and discuss ways that they will transfer their training to their classroom and meetings with their students.

 “We’re very excited to roll this out and hear back from faculty and use that feedback to develop further modules in the future,” says Plohman. Feedback will be used to improve this series and other teaching skills programs from The Centre.

Along with supporting instructors in improving their skills, the program also gives educational and research opportunities to three UM undergraduate students.

The program runs October 29 to December 10, 2024, with an approximate eight-hour time commitment from participants.

Register for the Teaching Skills Program: ‘Effective Communication: How to Have Better Conversations with Your Students’

Traditionally, the industry relied on pen-and-paper design before being introduced to Computer-Aided-Design (CAD) for easier drafting and design visualization. While BIM shares many similarities with CAD, it goes far beyond, serving as more of a process for creating and managing information rather than just a software to build it. The technology keeps entire teams of designers, contractors, consultants, and clients updated in real time. Reducing the need for constant back-and-forth communication, as the design can be accessed and modified instantaneously by the team. The cloud-based nature of BIM also promotes virtual collaboration, allowing team members from around the globe to contribute, thus reducing costs and increasing the possibility for collaboration. BIM’s capabilities extend beyond 2D and 3D modelling into the 4D, 5D, and more, and this allows for dynamic tracking of variables such as time, cost, sustainability and safety as designs are updated. As BIM adoption increases, future engineers and architects will be called upon to understand new means of coordination and collaboration of design and construction, and new project delivery systems and technologies for integrated practice in the Architecture, Engineering and Construction (AEC) industry.

BIM has been changing the way construction projects are designed, built and managed. To keep up with these impressive advances in technology and the shift happening within the AEC industry, a pioneering Virtual Reality integrated BIM course has been recently introduced in the Civil Engineering program at the University of Manitoba. The new technical elective course “CIVL 4028 – Building Information Modeling in Construction” introduces students to cutting-edge immersive technologies and their applications in the AEC industry. Taught by Dr. Gursans Guven Isin, the course aims to equip the next generation of civil engineers with essential skills for using BIM in construction projects as well as for performing VR-assisted construction model coordination and digital model reviews. She recognized the need for this course as one of the most important barriers to BIM adoption is the lack of knowledge and training in BIM and this elective course helps to fill this critical knowledge gap, addressing this lack of training. Dr. Guven Isin hopes to enable her students with the necessary skills to be leaders in the change from 2D drawings towards 3D digital models. As more emerging engineers enter the field with foundational BIM knowledge, companies will hopefully increasingly welcome this transformation. The Oculus Quest 2 VR headsets utilized in this course were acquired through the support of the Price Faculty of Engineering endowment fund and the Department of Civil Engineering. Dr. Guven Isin has also recently purchased Microsoft HoloLens AR headsets, again through the support of the endowment fund and will start introducing the students to the AR technology this upcoming Winter term.

Building Information Modeling (BIM) Management certificate program
You can also learn about BIM project management processes and earn a UM certificate to add to your resume with Extended Education’s Certificate in Building Information Modeling (BIM) Management.  It’s focused on the process, not the software. Learn BIM concepts, principles and processes to effectively manage your part of a project’s lifecycle.

Construction for UM Libraries new Digital Scholarship Commons began Monday, September 16, and will continue until Spring 2025. The facility is being built on the main floor of the Elizabeth Dafoe Library, close to the main entrance. The library will remain open throughout construction and the Starbucks will be accessible through another entryway.

The Digital Scholarship Commons is an exciting new collaborative space for research and interactive learning, with a focus on geographic information systems (GIS) and data visualization. The space will include state-of-the art technology, such as a large data visualization wall, video conferencing, and programmable sound and lighting. The Digital Scholarship Commons will serve as a dynamic learning environment to support the development of data visualization skills among students, faculty, and staff, and will encourage researchers to explore and communicate their findings in innovative ways.

While there may be some construction noise on the main floor of the Elizabeth Dafoe Library, the Libraries is making every effort to keep excessive noise to a minimum. Quieter study zones are available on the second and third floors of Dafoe, and in other campus libraries.

XR Lab construction begins early October

XR Lab construction is set to begin this Fall, occupying a current first-floor computer lab space. Students can access computers in the Gold Lab around the corner as well as from the library’s Laptop Lending Locker.

The XR Lab is designed to bring learning to life using virtual reality (VR) and other immersive technologies. The Lab will include four VR workstations, along with access to a collection of virtual reality apps and programs for teaching, learning and research.

The XR Lab and its VR capabilities can enhance learning and research by allowing users to dive into an interactive environment, engage with different perspectives in ways textbooks cannot, and enhance collaboration and engagement with others by sharing virtual explorations in real time.

Learn more about how UM Libraries supports learning, teaching, and research.