Please note: this minor has a selection procedure. Read the entry requirements carefully before registering.

The rapid digital developments in recent years have made possible the transfer of information from traditional 2D screens (phones, laptops, and tablets) into 3D environments. The arsenal of immersive technologies includes Virtual Reality (VR), Augmented Reality (AR), Mixed Reality (MR), and everything in between. This emerging technology has versatile impact that affects various sectors and markets.  
 
The impact of immersive technologies is recognized and used in, for example, training in business, simulations in the construction and automotive industry, health care, social issues and culture and media. There is an increasing demand for immersive content creation, storage solutions and interactive displays. 

In this minor, students learn by researching and creating experiments in collaboration with experts in the field of immersive technologies. All classes, guest lectures, workshops and projects will focus on use of AR, VR, and MR. 

In the minor, the topics will be divided as follows: 
- Basic knowledge: VR, AR, MR, "human factors", "immersive thinking" and ethics 
- Technique: Digital Twins, Mixed Reality and haptics 
- Content Development: 3D modeling & design 
- User Experience: Human Centered Design and Multimodal Interface Design 
 
There will be a wide variety of guest lectures and workshops from experts on the field next to regular classes. Other working formats will be organized for students to explore: make week, pressure cooker in collaboration with other students, and a Hackathon during the Immersive Tech Week.   
 
The students will be challenged, based on their own expertise and the freshly acquired knowledge, to work together in multidisciplinary teams and develop concrete solutions for external clients.

Immersive technologies can be widely applied, and therefore the assignments will come from various application areas, such as healthcare, safety and security, cultural heritage, and industry. Examples of last year’s projects: fire prevention trainings, AR application for Museum Deelen, innovative hand tracking 3D interactions for TNO.  

In project groups, the students will answer concrete questions by conducting applied research and realizing prototypes of Proof-of-Concepts (PoC). The results of the projects can form the basis for further research, developments, products and possibly new (graduation) assignments to guarantee the further development of adequate solutions. 

The students will also be individually challenged to dive into a chosen topic and give a lesson or workshop about it.  

This minor forms the link between research, innovation and development of immersive technologies: this is realized within the Immersive Technologies programme of the CMI institute in collaboration with various study programmes (such as Computer Science, Informatics, CMGT, CMD, RMI), the Stadslab Rotterdam, and the knowledge centre Creating 010. In the business community, collaboration has been established with companies active in the research and development of various forms of "Immersive Technologies". We are proud to announce that TNO has established to be a partner of this minor, and we closely collaborate with companies such as 360 Fabriek,  Manus, Varjo, and VRDays.  

Content and program 
The minor has a standard size of 840 student hours, or 30 ects. These are divided full-time over two teaching periods with direct and indirect contact hours, and time to be spent independently individually or in groups. 

Within the minor, a division is made into Basic Knowledge that applies to all students, and three Deepening Lines from which the student can choose.  This choice will be made at the beginning of the minor. The lessons of the basic knowledge will be offered in the first weeks of the minor, the lessons of the deepening line will follow and will be offered during the period EP1 and beginning of EP2. As part of the in-depth lessons, guest lectures/workshops of external stakeholders will also be offered. 

In the Basic Knowledge learning line, the following topics will be discussed: 
- Introduction Virtual Reality, Augmented Reality, Mixed Reality (with Edubadges); 
- Introduction simulation and associated concepts; 
- Introduction to AR  and VR development; 
- Introduction Human Factors: what makes an application "fit-for-purpose"? 
- Ethics and Immersive Thinking; 
- Basic knowledge of project-based work: analysis, requirements engineering, architecture and design of systems, project lifecycle  
- Testing of immersive applications 

In the three in-depth lines, specific topics are dealt with. The student chooses one of the three lines. These lines are: 
- Tech Development 
- Content Development 
- User experience 

The following specific topics are covered: 

The "Tech Development" line will include the following: 
- Digital Twins 
- Extended and Mixed Reality: adding sensors and actuators to a (virtual) world 
- Bio- and neurofeedback 
- Haptics 

The "Content Development" line will include the following: 
- 3D modeling & design: 3D scanning and photogrammetry 
- 360 imaging techniques: video and photo 
- Sound engineering 
- Digital personae 

The "User Experience" line will include the following: 
- Designing user experience 
- Human Centered Design 
- Multimodal Interface Design: 
- Voice, Haptics, Touch, Kinaesthetics 
- Scenarios, Personas and Task Analysis 
- Tangible & Wearable computing             

As part of the in-depth line, the student will individually delve into a subject appropriate to the chosen specialization line. The student prepares a lecture or a workshop about this that will be given  to his own group and. This preparation is done in EP1. In EP2, this Lecture/Workshop is given to fellow students, teachers and at least one external expert. The external expert is also involved in the preparation and must be sought by the student himself. This part is assessed as an individual part of the minor. 

In parallel with the knowledge-based education from the first teaching period, the students will work, in a group, on (one of the) projects that will be formulated by the participating companies, in collaboration with the University of Applied Sciences.  The project groups will be set up with a view to multidisciplinary collaboration: students from all in-depth lines will be represented in a project group, to ensure that all aspects (technology, content and user) will be approached and developed in each project.  The projects offered form a wide range of different application domains where these technologies can be applied: e.g.  care domain, maritime applications, security domain (Police, Fire brigade etc.), urban domain (municipality of Rotterdam) and defense.  The projects will start with a (relatively) limited scope and space will be given for "exploring" various possible solutions. A feasibility study of a solution will be conducted before the students start building the prototype or PoC. This project will start in EP1 and end with an assessment at the end of EP2. This part forms the group part of the minor. 

Learning goals
The innovative nature of the minor stimulates creativity and "out-of-the-box" thinking. The list below shows the competencies of the minor based on the Dublin descriptors:

Knowledge and insight
The student can conduct research into current issues within the domains of immersive technologies and thereby acquire knowledge and insight with regard to feasibility and possibilities within those domains.

Applying knowledge and insight
The student demonstrates the groundbreaking ability to integrate the (technical) knowledge acquired earlier in the programme with the newly acquired knowledge within the field of immersive technologies, then to make the transfer to the application domain by devising, designing and realising innovative solutions.

Judgement
The student immerses himself individually in a subdomain of immersive technologies, by investigating and analyzing the problem, and can make choices based on his own judgment about the topicality of the problem, the degree of usability as a possible solution, the ethics of the solution and the added value compared to classic solutions of the problem.

Communication
The student is able to convincingly present both the self-acquired knowledge and the own innovative solution from different points of view (technical, practical, value, etc.), so that the audience of experts not only gains substantive insight into the technology and the important aspects of the solution, but can also create a willingness to further develop the solution in a follow-up project.

Learning skills
The student shows initiative and autonomy by influencing and managing their own learning path.
 The student can make choices in visiting relevant workshops, lectures and/or conferences and is responsible for the choice of topics for the individual deepening.

Teaching method
It is based on "Learning by Doing": practical cases bring the students into contact with relevant and applicable concepts.  
There will be a wide variety of guest lectures and workshops from experts on the field next to regular knowledge-based classes. Other working formats will be organized for students to explore this technology: make week, pressure cooker in collaboration with other students, and a Hackathon during the Immersive Tech Week.  Company visits and other experiences will also be organized. 

Students who, according to the rules of their own faculty, are eligible for a minor (in terms of number of study points and other constrictions) are also eligible for this minor. Students of the Computer Science (INF), Communication Media and Gaming Technology (CMGT), Communication Media and Design (CMD), Technical Computer Science (TI) but also for students of programmes such as Healthcare Technology and Willem de Kooning Academy can find sufficient connection.

Students from other faculties with sufficient affinity (prior knowledge of one of the sub-domains or application areas) and motivation can enter after assessment of a motivation letter (incl. CV) and an intake interview. Students who have not (yet) completed their third-year internship are in principle not eligible for admission 

For the "Designing User Experience" section, the following book is used: 
"Designing User Experience", 4th Edition (2019). David Benyon Pearson Education Limited.  EAN: 9781292155517 

For the theory of AR/VR the following book is used: 
“Virtual nad Augmented Reality (VR/AR), (2022). R. Doerner, W. Broll, P. Grimm, B. Jung. Springer. ISBN: 978-3-030-79061-5

More specific literature will be provided during the minor in line with the subjects. In addition, the student is expected to independently look for suitable theory. 

There will be three assessments and multiple feedback moments. For the group project there will be 2 formal assessments and several feedback moments, for the individual part there will be 1 assessment and, at the request of the student, feedback moments.

Volg onze online voorlichting 

Deze voorlichting is een interactieve online bijeenkomst via Teams. Je krijgt een korte presentatie over de minor. Je kunt daarna vragen stellen aan de docent. Je kunt meedoen op je mobiel, laptop of tablet.

Door hieronder op de datum van de voorlichting te klikken kom je in de Teams meeting.

Dinsdag 2 april van 17.30 - 18.00 uur 

Woensdag 3 april van 16.00 - 16.30 uur 

Woensdag 3 april van 17.30 - 18.00 uur