The metaversity campus was created by Virtual XR’s team utilizing thousands of images capturing multiple angles of the Westchester Campus.
LMU received a $72,000 grant from VictoryXR, including 40 Oculus virtual reality (VR) headsets and a digital twin campus located in the metaverse, which is a virtual recreation of LMU’s Westchester campus.
Confirmed by the University in a press release on March 14, LMU will be joining 15 universities in Meta’s “Metaversity” program offering immersive learning opportunities. The project serves as a pilot in transitioning the online and hybrid class experience beyond Zoom conferencing and into meeting spaces within the metaverse. “It’s only for courses that are being offered at an online and hybrid modality; [it] is not designed to replace any classroom work,” explained Jeffrey Schwartz, director of digital learning and innovation.
Currently, seven buildings are recreated on the metaversity campus, including University Hall, the Life Sciences Building, Hilton Center for Business, Howard B. Fitzpatrick Pavillion, Foley Building, William H. Hannon Library and Sacred Heart Chapel.
The metaversity campus is walkable and to scale, but only Sacred Heart Chapel has an accessible interior. The remaining six buildings currently exist as exteriors, but with the VirtualXR library, users can schedule a meeting in any of the 60 learning environments and explore over 6,000 3D learning objects. According to Schwartz, metaversity users can travel to traditional classrooms, labs, locations around the globe and even through time.
On LMU’s Metaversity campus all six of LMU’s colleges are represented by five buildings. William Hannon Library and Sacred Heart Chapel were included in addition to the 5 recreated buildings.
Visits to the metaversity don’t require a potentially costly headset since navigating the virtual campus can be done via web browser or smart device. Schwartz confirmed accessibility was a priority for this project. “Things that would be very expensive or difficult to access on campus [can] be done in VR,” explained Schwartz. “Imagine that a … biology student is actually going to dissect a frog in class; they can practice it in VR before they come to campus.”
Only one course is scheduled in the summer 2023 and fall 2023 semesters. After these semesters, the University will explore scaling up or abandoning the pilot project. “I would see it more as a supplemental tool. LMU is not going to become a virtual university … we’re an in person campus; that’s the core of who we are. It’s just a cool pedagogy,” explained LMU Vice Provost for Research, Professional Development and Online Learning Kat Weaver, Ph.D.
Last week’s press release announcing the grant was originally titled “LMU joins the Metaversity System” and did not include mention that the program is in pilot stages and will only be implemented in two courses within 2023.
Following the original press release on March 14, there was immediate confusion among professors regarding the scope of the project, as faculty feared the program would be implemented university wide.
“Metaversity is horrifying. One of the worst things about Metaversity is that faculty found out about it and its connection to LMU after the commitment was established,” said Anna Harrison, Ph.D., associate professor of theological studies “The University administrators really have an obligation to the students to consult with the students’ faculty, and faculty needs to be included in any significant decision that affects teaching.”
“Faculty are on the front lines in thinking about pedagogy — how to best communicate to students. [Information technology] systems are meant to support change, not the other way round,” explained a faculty member who requested anonymity due to non-tenured status. “I think here, the fear for many is that it’s not actual educators who are leading the conversation; it’s non-educators presenting these flashy ideas.”
In response to faculty concerns, the title of the press release was changed to “Grant Funds Virtual Reality Course Delivery” along with revisions and added context, according to Interim Director of Media and Public Relations Mason Stockstill.
Though Weaver is closely involved in the project, she did not read the press release prior to its publication. Upon reading the article, she noticed it wasn’t accurate. “As someone who read it, I went, ‘Oh, [they’re] overselling what’s happening here’ … I mean, even [titling the article] ‘LMU joins the [Metaversity System].’ There’s no system of metaverse universities,” recalled Weaver.
Professors of management Ellen Ensher, Ph.D., and Kelly Watson (’06), MBA, have been meeting their Masters of Business Administration (MBA) students in VR since 2021. After starting without any prior experience, Ensher collaborated with Watson to supplement virtual abroad experiences for their MBA students who would have traveled if not for COVID-19 restrictions.
“Honestly, I [was] a complete novice. I’ve never gamed. I mean, I like to joke that my [only] experience with gaming is to yell at my son to get off of Fortnite … I had to learn how to use the controls, but the good news about being a novice is we were able to have a lot of empathy for our own students,” explained Ensher.
No longer novices, Ensher and Watson have used their experiences as inspirations for a co-authored article that is under review for publishing and a YouTube channel called “TeachinginVirtualReality.”
Meeting in virtual classrooms, Ensher shared that students still decorated the space, wrote on sticky notes, bumped into each other and even celebrated a birthday. “I think it’s a natural extension of Zoom,” said Ensher. “We’re just [going to] continue to see it evolve. I don’t think it’s [going to] replace in-person [instruction]. I don’t think any of this will, but I think it will augment what we’re doing.”
Only limited faculty and administrators have visited LMU within the metaverse as it is still weeks away from being finished. However, this hasn’t stopped students from pondering how this technology could affect their academic studies.
“It’ll just help in the diversification of learning itself … a more diversified learning atmosphere is going to allow for societal diversity [as well],” said Austin Rae, a sophomore screenwriting major.
“I think that they are putting way too much money into it. I think that’s a bit ridiculous. We have Brightspace, [and] people can still learn virtually … I think there’s a lot of value in meeting in-person,” said Mia Rehwaldt, a senior theatre arts and psychology double major.
The Metaversity campus hasn’t been finished, and Schwartz is already having conversations about the future of events hosted on the twin campus, including the potential for campus tours hosting prospective students from around the globe. Though he’s excited about the future of the program, Schwartz acknowledged the usage of this technology is strictly up to the faculty.
“I look at the digital campus and these virtual classrooms as another academic technology set that will work for some instructors, and some instructors won’t be interested,” explained Schwartz. “Certainly when we adopt any new platform on campus, the hope is that … it enhances teaching and learning for those that want to explore.”