Montclair State University opened a virtual reality learning facility Tuesday with the support of a legendary Hollywood executive.
Walter Parkes helped develop DreamWorks and has produced more than 50 films, including the “Men in Black” series. In more recent years, he has promoted cinematic storytelling and immersive technology as an educational tool.
Parkes, 75, attended the opening of the 2,450-square-foot virtual reality lab in the College of Communication and Media building.
In remarks from the podium, Parkes said virtual reality is a powerful tool for engaging students who are preparing to enter a “terribly uncertain” workplace in which “almost every standard we all took for granted is shifting daily.”
“Nobody knows what jobs are going to be replaced by AI, by robotics, so maybe the very best career training in a general sense that we can give our students is to provide them a very deep tool chest with which they can navigate a very uncertain future,” Parkes said.
Some students tested out the lab prior to a 10:30 a.m. opening ceremony. It includes a 26-seat classroom and a free-roam pod that the university says allows students to explore a virtual world in a way that could never be experienced
The lab uses 360-degree motion-capture technology and highly advanced haptics, which is a system of vibrations and other physical stimuli that simulate touch. The technology creates a “truly immersive educational experience,” the university said.
Keith Strudler, dean of the College of Communication and Media, said the lab will aid students in learning how to storyboard, design and code, among other technology-related skills.
“We are all in on this,” Montclair State President Jonathan Koppell told the audience.
The new lab was built in partnership with Dreamscape Learn. The company is a joint venture between Arizona State University and Dreamscape Immersive, where Parkes is a co-founder.
The New Jersey Economic Development Authority’s “New Jersey Film Works Grant Program” is partially funding the lab as part of a statewide strategy to strengthen the digital media industry, officials said.
Montclair State did not immediately respond to a request for comment on the cost.
One example of the lab’s new programming is Dreamscape Learn’s “Biology in the Alien Zoo” course, which simulates a series of missions relying on data analysis and scientific concepts as students attempt to save a species from extinction.
Koppell told NJ.com that the lab “prepares students for the world that they are going to enter.”
“We’re constantly thinking about, how do you make learning better. Part of the reason that we’re excited to have this on campus is, it’s been proven that by engaging students in this innovative way — putting them in a story, giving them opportunities to apply lessons from biology, lessons from chemistry — they do better. They get better outcomes. That’s ultimately what we’re about, trying to create the best experience,” Koppell said.
New Jersey’s secretary of higher education, Margo Chaly, told attendees that the new lab shows “how New Jersey colleges and universities continue to evolve to meet the needs of our students and connect them to economic opportunity.”
“If we really, truly want to prepare students for the workforce and for a future that is changing rapidly, we must be willing to think creatively and partner strategically to provide new and innovative opportunities for students to learn, explore and understand how to apply what they’re learning to everyday life,” Chaly said.
Montclair State has approximately 24,000 students, making it the second-largest university in New Jersey behind Rutgers.
Koppell said that around 7 in 10 students hail from households reporting a yearly income of under $80,000 and that half will be the first in their family to attain a four-year degree.
The fall semester began Aug. 27.
Parkes said the new lab will encourage creativity, a trait transcending technology.
“I think we can all agree that creativity is that one aspect that we can hold onto that is the province of human and not artificial intelligence,” Parkes said.
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