Healthcare-focused Parker University is partnering with VictoryXR, a provider of virtual classrooms and campuses through virtual reality, to create the Parker Metaversity—a “digital twin” replica of the Parker University campus in Dallas.
Austin-based VictoryXR will re-create Parker’s campus grounds, building exteriors, and interior student spaces in a hyper-realistic 3D environment, the university said.
“Parker University is advancing its chiropractic and other healthcare programs through cutting-edge simulation in the metaverse,” VictoryXR CEO Steve Grubbs said in a statement. “Just as airlines train their pilots in a simulator, Parker University will take the same advanced technology to their students, leading to better-prepared practitioners.”
The Parker Metaversity is expected to be completed in December, the school said. Parker University students in the chiropractic blended program will have access to the VictoryXR Academy in 2024.
Parker University President Dr. William E. Morgan (left) and Steve Grubbs, CEO of VictoryXR [Photos: Parker University/ VictoryXR]
How the Parker Metaversity works
Parker University said its students can take courses, including labs, in virtual classrooms in the metaversity using virtual reality headsets, such as the Meta Quest 2 or 3, or via desktop access on their personal computers.
Remote students can do “hands-on” projects while interacting with instructors and classmates, something not always possible with most LMS systems or Zoom and other 2D webinar tools, Parker said.
Realistic simulations and explorations of rich, immersive content will be available to remote students to a degree not possible before. Parker said other universities that have created digital twin metaversities have reported increased student engagement, better test scores, and overall greater student achievement compared to both traditional on-campus and online courses.
Parker University said there are multiple key advantages to its partnership with VictoryXR, including:
Creating the digital twin Parker Metaversity — Using hundreds of 3D photographs shot on the grounds and in the buildings of Parker University’s campus, VictoryXR will create a fully immersive 3D space that students, faculty, and administrators will be able to use to conduct classes and labs, provide both formal and informal student meeting spaces, perform research projects, provide campus tours, and more.
Providing Parker University students and faculty access to the VictoryXR Academy metaversity — VictoryXR has its own metaversity campus called the VictoryXR Academy. It’s a multiplayer metaversity campus for students and faculty to learn together using VictoryXR’s library of more than 60 virtual reality classrooms and more than 9,000 3D assets. The academy is built on the ENGAGE metaverse platform and is accessible using headsets and desktop apps in the same way that ENGAGE is. Parker University can conduct classes in and provide access to virtual classrooms, labs, auditoriums, etc., to Parker University faculty and registered students as part of this agreement.
In addition, Parker University-branded signage will be available in the rooms used by Parker University faculty and students and generally visible only to those who enter the Academy via one of Parker University’s licenses as they use these digital assets. Parker University will purchase annual licenses for students and faculty in select programs to grant them access to the VictoryXR Academy. Initially, Parker University’s blended chiropractic program students will receive these licenses; other programs may be added in the future.
Chiropractic instruction and more
“Parker University remains at the forefront of educational innovation, steadfast in our commitment to harnessing pertinent technological advancements to enrich the learning journey of our students,” Parker University President William E. Morgan, DC, said in a statement. “By establishing our own metaversity and the availability of thousands of 3D Virtual Reality assets, we proudly extend an unparalleled and immersive learning experience. This extraordinary platform will undoubtedly continue our commitment to innovation in teaching and learning.”
VictoryXR is a leader in providing immersive educational experiences. Its Triple Play offers students the opportunity to dive into mess-free science experiments, historical moments in time, explore literature immersively, and more.
Parker University, the fourth-fastest growing college in Texas and the fastest-growing college in Dallas, was founded in 1982 by Dr. James William Parker and was formerly known as Parker College of Chiropractic.
Today, it has more than 2,100 students and more than 35 academic programs, including its chiropractic program, as well as master’s degrees in clinical neuroscience, strength and human performance, and functional nutrition.
Parker University’s chiropractic cohort is the second largest of any campus in the world, the university said.
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