A $500,000 grant from the Embark Student Foundation is funding a three-year project at Douglas College’s New Westminster Campus. With the money, computing science students are developing virtual reality experiences. Marija Robinson reports.
Posted November 6, 2026 11:30 am.
Imagine you’re a veterinary technologist just starting on the job, and for the first time you have to deliver bad news to a pet owner.
For some students, it would be easier to have a practice run first.
Thankfully, that’s about to become a virtual reality for students at Douglas College.
Starting this fall, computing science students are developing augmented and virtual reality experiences for other departments.
“It could be earth and environmental students getting access to a virtual field site that they physically aren’t able to get to,” said Brian Chapell, dean of science and technology for Douglas College.
“Now they can do it in a virtual context.”
In addition to earth and environmental science, the students will develop simulations for those in vet tech, biology, and sport science.
“It’s important for us, for our programs, to give these kinds of immersive opportunities for our students, so that they can practice before they go out into the field,” said computing science instructor Shahriar Khosravi.
It could look like breaking bad news to a pet owner in a safe space or practising a dissection without any ethical or religious constraints.
Plus, the process of developing these simulations in-house gives those in computer science a chance to create a tangible project, which student Emily Taylor says mimics the realities of working in their industry.
“I wasn’t designing with my own wants; I was working with a team,” Taylor said.
“I was designing under constraints, which is something you don’t have when working on projects in classes and which is a critical skill.”
The funding for all of this is coming from the Embark Foundation, which provided Douglas College with $500,000.
According to research from the college, students using these virtual simulations to practice real situations have higher test scores compared to those using more traditional models.
Students will be able to use these tools designed by their computing science classmates starting in the fall of 2029.
Starting this fall, computing science students at Douglas College are developing augmented and virtual reality experiences for other departments. (CityNews Image)
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