About the lecture
Ready Player One by Ernest Cline portrays a utopian vision for education, in which Virtual Reality (VR) engages students worldwide with magical, gamified and highly memorable learning experiences.
But is this a potential reality for universities?
In this Inaugural Lecture, Professor Burnett will reflect on the research he has conducted within his own teaching of VR.
Hundreds of his students have been socially immersed as avatars within virtual worlds based on past, present, future or imaginary places and been bestowed with “super-powers”. They have interacted with biological cells within the human body and viewed the world from the perspective of someone who is colour blind.
He has also explored the use of advanced hologram technology in university environments – for example, “beaming in” guest speakers from across the globe.
Drawing on this experience, he will outline the fundamental arguments for immersive technology and describe the research partnerships he has nurtured with both students and staff – seeking to understand how best to use immersion for enhancing and extending learning outcomes.
This will lead to an exploration of how the Higher Education sector can scale immersive learning to transform the experience of all students within the context of an inclusive and accessible “virtual campus”.
About the lecturer
Prior to joining the School of Design and Creative Arts, Professor Gary Burnett was Head of the Human Factors Research Group at The University of Nottingham.
An experienced lecturer, he teaches and conducts research in Human Factors and Human-Computer Interaction.
His research interests lie in the human-centred design of disruptive technologies in complex contexts, including novel information and automation systems within future vehicles. Most recently, he has turned his attention to the impact of virtual and augmented reality – as well as holograms – in the Higher Education sector.
During his career, he has been awarded research funding in excess of £20 million from industry partners, UK Government, the EU and charities.
Having published more than 300 peer-reviewed papers, he has chalked up over 6,000 citations.
He contributes to the influential work of the JISC steering committee for Extended Reality in the UK, is an elected member of Innovate UK’s Immersive Tech Network Accessibility Working Group, and Associate Editor for the international journal, Virtual Worlds.
In 2022, Gary was named Most Innovative Teacher of the Year by the Times Higher Education Awards.
For further information on this lecture, please contact the Events team.
