Virtual Reality and the Metaverse…Explained (NEW RELEASE!)
Rabindra (“Robby”) Ratan is an Associate Professor and AT&T Scholar at Michigan State University’s (MSU) Department of Media and Information, as well as Director of the Social and Psychological Approaches to Research on Technology-Interaction Effects (SPARTIE) Lab. A former MSU Lilly Teaching Fellow, he is the recipient of the MSU Teacher-Scholar Award and the MSU AT&T Instructional Technology Award. Dr. Ratan has written for Wired magazine and TheConversation.com and has been featured as a media technology expert on NPR and in the Washington Post. Ratan received his Ph.D. from USC’s Annenberg School for Communication and Journalism, his M.A. in Communication from Stanford University, and his B.A. in Science, Technology and Society, also from Stanford University.
Overview
Explore the evolving landscape of immersive technologies, particularly Virtual Reality (VR), Extended Reality (XR), and their role in the emerging Metaverse. This class outlines how VR provides computer-generated, lifelike sensory experiences and how XR encompasses VR, Mixed Reality (MR), and Augmented Reality (AR).
Professor Ratan will discuss the psychological appeal of VR through concepts like presence and engagement, highlighting its applications in education, healthcare, gaming, the military, real estate, and beyond. He also introduces the metaverse as a unified, immersive digital realm supported by XR, Artificial Intelligence (AI), and blockchain technologies. This presentation emphasizes ethical and practical usage of VR (following the DICE model) and encourages experimentation with VR tools and platforms while acknowledging barriers to adoption, such as cost, discomfort, and content quality.
If you feel like a “virtual” neophyte, but find these topics interesting, then this class is for you. Dr. Ratan will ease you into a new understanding of our metaverse future.