Ten years of immersive education: Overview of a Virtual and Augmented Reality course at postgraduate level

Abstract

In recent years, the market has seen the emergence of numerous affordable sensors, interaction devices, and displays, which have greatly facilitated the adoption of Virtual and Augmented Reality (VR/AR) across various applications. However, developing these applications requires a solid understanding of the field and specific technical skills, which are often lacking in current Computer Science and Engineering education programs. This work details an extended version from a Eurographics 2024 Education Paper, reporting a post-graduate-level course that has been taught for the past ten years to almost 200 students, across several Master’s programs. The course introduces students to the fundamental principles, methods, and tools of VR/AR. Its primary objective is to equip students with the knowledge necessary to understand, create, implement, and evaluate applications using these technologies. The paper provides insights into the course structure, key topics covered, assessment methods, as well as the devices and infrastructure utilized. It also includes an overview of various practical projects completed over the years. Among other reflections, we discuss the challenges of teaching this course, particularly due to the rapid evolution of the field, which necessitates constant updates to the curriculum. Finally, future perspectives for the course are outlined.