VR Concept launches VR Academy
VR Concept is launching the first VR Academy in Russia. The goal of VR Academy is to increase the speed of technology development in the educational process in the current realities by attracting competencies to create an ecosystem based on Russian solutions for developing a community of experts in VR.
More than 1,000 educational institutions, according to a study by the FEFU NTI Center and the Ministry of Education of the Russian Federation, own VR equipment, but few use it. First, this is due to the lack of skills in using VR, while the demand of educational institutions for specialists who own VR technology is growing. In addition, the situation is complicated by restrictions in the field of software under sanctions. The VR Academy was launched by a resident of the Skolkovo Foundation, a developer of a platform for teamwork and learning in virtual reality VR Concept, with the support of the Skolkovo Foundation, the NTI Center of the Far Eastern Federal University, Moscow State University, and Moscow State Pedagogical University can solve both problems.
The goal of the VR Concept Academy is to help educational institutions to implement VR into the educational process, including by providing a platform that allows them not to depend on Western counterparts. Secondary and higher education institutions will be able to improve the skills of their staff in the field of proficiency in working with VR equipment and the application of methodologies for creating lessons in virtual reality based on VR Academy.
VR Concept has been teaching the implementation of VR technology in education since 2021. During this time, the company has trained 1,000 teachers who know and use VR in the educational process for universities such as BSTU named after V. G. Shukhov, SSAU, MEPhI, Moscow Polytechnic University, MGSU, RUDN University, Moscow State University. Together with the University 2035 VR Concept organized a practical course "digital twins" for 120 hours. At the end of 2021, the company launched the first accelerator in the Russian Federation for introducing VR into education, which showed the demand for mastering the methodology of organizing lessons using virtual reality: 2,000 applications were submitted, and 680 participants completed the pre-acceleration program, and 53 entered the accelerator.
The accumulated experience formed the basis for the creation of three ready-made educational courses of the Academy, which anyone can take online. The flagship educational program is accredited by Moscow State Pedagogical University for 36 years: students receive a certificate of advanced training of the established form and all the necessary competencies for introducing VR into the educational process.
In addition to ready-made programs, the Academy plans to create online and offline courses on demand, launch hackathons, accelerators, and competitions for teachers and advise educational institutions on the introduction of VR into education in the context of an import substitution policy.
