VR in HE - Multiplier event in Ruse, Bulgaria

Multiplier event in Ruse, Bulgaria

The University of Ruse is the coordinator and, together with the Bulgarian-Romanian Chamber of Commerce and Industry and partners from Austria, Cyprus, Greece, and Latvia, successfully finalized the VRinHE project.
 
The results of the project support teachers at all levels of the educational system in the introduction of new technologies and training methods, in support of the digital transformation of professions and the formation of necessary new competencies in future specialists. The approach of integrating augmented and virtual reality into the educational content enables a more effective understanding of the studied material and its connection with real production processes and technologies used by employers. This provides a new opportunity for synchronizing educational programs with the needs of companies and the labor market, pointed out the vice rector of Ruse University, Assoc. Dr. Desislava Atanasova - the coordinator of the VRinHE project. Modern students perceive information that is presented to them in a digital version much faster and much better. The introduction of virtual and augmented reality activates their participation in the learning process and also improves their digital and professional skills.
 
The project team has developed a toolkit, application, and online learning courses (MOOCs) to facilitate the entry of VR/AR into higher education, especially for majors that are not directly related to information technology - such as transportation, business management, mechanical engineering, pedagogy, and social activities. The development of competencies of teachers and students to use VR/AR technologies in the curricula of various university specialties is in line with the strategic goal of digital transformation of higher education. At the closing conference, the achieved results were demonstrated and it was shown how learning through virtual reality can improve the receptivity of learners, better prepare them for the expectations of employers, and enable them to solve real cases while still at university.