We’re announcing a new course today! Exploring the Mixed Reality Landscape will trace the evolution of virtual, augmented, and mixed reality, examine differences between various platforms, and introduce students to creating AR/VR/MR experiences in the industry-standard software Unity.
Created in partnership with Pacific Northwest College of Art, it’s the first part of our three-course Program called Creating for Mixed Reality. It will be taught by Thomas Wester, a Faculty and Research Fellow with over 15 years of experience in using digital and blended techniques for interactive mediums.
The overarching goal of this program is to make these fields accessible to a wide audience that includes students across the spectrum of art and design disciplines—performing arts, visual arts, graphic design, interaction design, and more. There is massive creative potential for all makers in this world.
This four-session course gives you both the theoretical foundation and practical, hands-on projects needed to learn how to create virtual reality experiences. Lessons are designed to teach you how to think critically about what constitutes reality in a virtual realm and how it’s perceived. You’ll also get introduced to Unity, an easy-to-use, powerful software for designing your own immersive mixed reality environments.
Later, you’ll observe current virtual and mixed reality concepts and practices, positioning them within the broader concepts of cognitive theory and philosophy. You will further explore this knowledge to inform your own mixed reality creations. By the end of the course, you will have thoroughly analyzed the deconstructed mixed reality space, and have the know-how to apply it to real-world projects.
The first course is open to everyone, however, students who enroll in the Program can go on to learn specialized techniques and concepts in mixed reality. Developments in this field are moving faster than ever, so the Program Creating for Mixed Reality is especially suited to those who are looking to develop a deeper understanding or pursue a career in VR. For those pursuing a college degree, the Program also provides 3 transferable college-credits from PNCA after successfully passing the courses.
Course 1 is live now, so join in for free below!
Exploring the Mixed Reality Landscape
Pacific Northwest College of Art