IF technology is the future of learning, then students are light-years ahead at USP College’s XTEND Digital Campus.
If you have ever wondered what the future of education looks like, take a visit to their campus on Canvey and you will find out.
They have a motion capture studio, recording suite and an emerging technology studio, and most recently, a huge LED installation. The students get the chance to work with industry clients to develop augmented reality and virtual reality applications all under one roof.
Dan Pearson, CEO and Principal of USP College first dipped into technology six years ago when he installed an immersive learning room within the college.
The digitalised spaces allow lecturers to teach from interactive working screens placed inside the room, meaning students from different campuses get the same standard of teaching.
“Initially I was trying to solve the problem of staff shortages and the difficulty recruiting the best teachers. The immersive learning rooms have meant we can access the top people for the job and share them between USP College, between our Palmer’s and Seevic campuses,” explains Dan.
The students work with businesses throughout the UK to improve their digital content and products using technology such as motion capturing, 3D-imaging, a 360˚ view volumetric capture studio, movement simulators, and VR headsets.
“What is great for us is seeing how much the students get out of the technology available to them here,” said Andrew Martin, XTEND Digital company manager and HND Games lead tutor.
“The consumer side of what we do sees them work with industry clients where they get experience with anything from game design, visual effects to film production.”
USP College was established in 2017 from the merger of Palmer's College in Grays, and Seevic College in Thundersley. The XTEND Digital Campus opened in 2021 and is a specialist digital campus focusing on augmented reality, virtual reality, extended reality and immersive education.
Within the futuristic volumetric studio they can make 360˚ imaging which can be applied to digital production such as making game apps to shows (one group of students were creating an episode of Catchphrase while we were there).
The LED is being installed at the moment and soon students will be able to perform with a virtual set behind them and it will also be a space where students can experience virtual reality learning.
“Traditional green screens are dying out, this technology means actors can react to things on set as they are happening,” said Andy.
Next in the pipeline is a LiDAR technology which uses laser light to create a 3D representation of an object.
The college also has two Teslasuits for creating and experiencing content in virtual and augmented reality.
The full-body suit, not for consumers, give a full body virtual reality experience.
“If you have experienced a tens machine you may know the sensation, it feels like touch or physical exertion as well as the sensation of rain on your shoulders and heat,” explained Andy.
“They are used for many things including for SWAT teams to capture motion and biometric information such as stress levels to assess an individual’s ability to perform under pressure.”
To find out more about the courses available at the XTEND Digital Campus or XTEND Digital’s commercial services visit www.uspcollege.ac.uk.
USP College offers A-Levels, BTEC Diplomas, T-Levels, Professional Qualifications and Higher Education to school leavers and Adult Learners. The college received a grading of Good from Ofsted a year ago following the inspection carried out between in November 2021.
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