Immersive AI and VR Experiences Bridge the Skills Gap in Higher Education – EdTech Magazine

Report on the Integration of Immersive Technologies in Higher Education to Advance Sustainable Development Goals

Executive Summary: Aligning Educational Technology with Global Goals

This report details the implementation of immersive technologies, such as Artificial Intelligence (AI) and Virtual Reality (VR), at the University of North Carolina Greensboro (UNCG). The initiative, supported by a strategic partnership with CDW, demonstrates a scalable model for enhancing educational delivery. This project directly contributes to several United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), primarily SDG 4 (Quality Education), SDG 8 (Decent Work and Economic Growth), SDG 9 (Industry, Innovation, and Infrastructure), and SDG 17 (Partnerships for the Goals).

Enhancing Quality Education (SDG 4) Through Immersive Learning

The integration of VR and AI technologies provides inclusive, equitable, and high-quality learning experiences, directly supporting the targets of SDG 4. By moving beyond traditional teaching modalities, institutions can improve learning retention and student persistence rates.

Case Study: University of North Carolina Greensboro (UNCG)

UNCG has successfully deployed immersive learning solutions across multiple disciplines, demonstrating the technology’s broad applicability in creating effective educational tools.

• Bryan School of Business: Offers AI, cybersecurity, and immersive communication training.
• Nursing School: Utilizes VR for practical skills training, such as needle insertion and heart anatomy, without risk to patients.
• Dental School: Has developed specific use cases for dental education.

The university’s success in securing a grant for innovative learning and attracting further investment from partners like HTC validates the educational impact of this approach. The project now includes data and analytics integration to track learning outcomes and ensure educational effectiveness.

Fostering Innovation and Building Future-Ready Skills (SDG 8 & 9)

This initiative serves as a model for SDG 9 by building resilient infrastructure and fostering innovation within the education sector. It also supports SDG 8 by equipping students with the advanced skills required for the modern workforce.

Infrastructure and Technological Innovation

The successful deployment of immersive technology required a foundational focus on IT infrastructure. Initial challenges, such as network security concerns regarding VR headsets, were overcome by treating the devices as manageable endpoints, similar to laptops or phones. CDW provided full-stack support, ensuring devices were secure, updated, and optimized for the network.

Essential Components for Scaling Immersive Learning

For institutions to scale these innovations, several key components are necessary:

• Network Throughput Assessments: To ensure cloud-based VR experiences operate without lag.
• Security-First Provisioning: Integrating Mobile Device Management (MDM) from the initial stage.
• Hardware Flexibility: Support for a range of devices, including Meta and Apple Vision Pro.
• Comprehensive Support: Both pre-sales and post-sales support from technology partners.

The evolution of this technology is leading to the development of immersive rooms that use large-scale displays and AI avatars, reducing the reliance on individual headsets and furthering innovation in educational delivery.

The Role of Multi-Stakeholder Partnerships (SDG 17)

The success at UNCG highlights the critical importance of partnerships, a cornerstone of SDG 17. Collaboration between the university’s IT and academic departments, along with external technology partners, was essential for moving from a pilot project to a campus-wide strategic priority.

A Collaborative Model for Success

The partnership between UNCG and CDW was instrumental. CDW facilitated the pilot by providing space and expertise, performed network assessments, deployed device management solutions, and helped secure institutional buy-in by demonstrating the technology’s security and manageability. This collaborative approach ensured that infrastructure and instruction evolved together.

Recommendations for Replication and Scaling

Institutions seeking to implement similar projects should adopt a partnership-focused strategy to ensure long-term success and scalability.

1. Establish Early Collaboration: Engage IT departments, academic stakeholders, and vendor partners in initial conversations to align on a long-term vision.
2. Develop Comprehensive Support: Secure buy-in and support across the institution before and during the pilot phase.
3. Consult with Peer Institutions: Reach out to other higher education institutions to gather feedback and learn from their experiences.
4. Integrate Infrastructure and Instruction: Ensure that technological deployment and pedagogical goals are developed in a coordinated manner.

SDGs Addressed in the Article

SDG 4: Quality Education

• The article’s central theme is the enhancement of higher education through technology. It describes how UNC Greensboro is using immersive AI and VR to improve learning in various fields like business, cybersecurity, nursing, and dentistry. This directly aligns with the goal of ensuring inclusive and equitable quality education and promoting lifelong learning opportunities.

SDG 9: Industry, Innovation, and Infrastructure

• The text heavily emphasizes the need for robust technological infrastructure to support immersive learning. It details the requirements for “network throughput assessments,” “security-first provisioning,” and “hardware flexibility.” This focus on building resilient and innovative infrastructure to support educational advancement connects directly to SDG 9.

SDG 17: Partnerships for the Goals

• The article highlights the critical role of collaboration between different entities. The entire project at UNC Greensboro is a result of a partnership between the university, the technology solutions provider CDW, and hardware companies like Meta and HTC. The text explicitly recommends that institutions “include IT and vendor partners in conversations,” underscoring the importance of multi-stakeholder partnerships to achieve technological and educational goals.

Specific Targets Identified

SDG 4: Quality Education Targets

1. Target 4.3: By 2030, ensure equal access for all women and men to affordable and quality technical, vocational and tertiary education, including university.
   • The article focuses on a university (UNC Greensboro) and the implementation of advanced technologies to improve the quality of tertiary education. The scaling of these technologies aims to make high-quality, practical learning experiences more accessible to all students within the institution.
2. Target 4.4: By 2030, substantially increase the number of youth and adults who have relevant skills, including technical and vocational skills, for employment, decent jobs and entrepreneurship.
   • The article mentions specific applications that provide job-relevant skills, such as “AI and cybersecurity courses,” VR training for nursing students to learn “needle insertion and heart anatomy,” and other practical use cases in the dental school. These are direct examples of using technology to impart vocational skills.

SDG 9: Industry, Innovation, and Infrastructure Targets

1. Target 9.1: Develop quality, reliable, sustainable and resilient infrastructure…to support economic development and human well-being.
   • The article details the work done to create a reliable and secure IT infrastructure for the VR/AI initiative. CDW’s role in performing “network assessments,” deploying “mobile device management,” and ensuring the goggles could be “secured, updated and fully managed” is about building the quality infrastructure necessary for this innovation.
2. Target 9.c: Significantly increase access to information and communications technology (ICT).
   • The project’s goal is to scale the use of immersive learning technologies like VR and AI across the entire university (“Every college within UNCG is developing applications”). This represents a significant effort to increase access to advanced ICT for students and faculty to enhance education.

SDG 17: Partnerships for the Goals Targets

1. Target 17.16: Enhance the global partnership for sustainable development, complemented by multi-stakeholder partnerships that mobilize and share knowledge, expertise, technology and financial resources.
   • The collaboration between UNC Greensboro, CDW, Meta, and HTC is a prime example of a multi-stakeholder partnership. CDW provides technical expertise and support, Meta and HTC provide technology, and the university provides the educational context. The article also mentions financial resources mobilized through a grant and an investment from HTC.
2. Target 17.17: Encourage and promote effective public, public-private and civil society partnerships.
   • The partnership between a public university (UNC Greensboro) and private sector companies (CDW, Meta, HTC) is a clear example of a public-private partnership. The article advocates for this model by advising other institutions to “reach out to other higher ed institutions for feedback” and “include IT and vendor partners in conversations.”

Indicators for Measuring Progress

SDG 4 Indicators (Implied)

• Learning Outcomes and Student Performance: The article explicitly states an intention to integrate “data and analytics to track learning outcomes.” This involves measuring if students are “progressing faster, retaining more or persisting through difficult coursework at higher rates than in traditional modalities.” These metrics serve as direct indicators of educational quality.
• Acquisition of Vocational Skills: The successful use of VR by the nursing school to teach “needle insertion and heart anatomy” or by the business school for “cybersecurity courses” can be measured by student competency in these practical skills, indicating progress towards providing relevant job skills.

SDG 9 Indicators (Implied)

• Deployment of Secure and Managed Infrastructure: The successful deployment of “mobile device management” and security policies for the VR headsets is a clear indicator of building a reliable and resilient infrastructure. The article notes that once the goggles were shown to be “secured, updated and fully managed, the IT team came around.”
• Rate of Technology Adoption Across Campus: The expansion of the program from a pilot to a campus-wide initiative is an indicator of successful innovation and infrastructure scaling. The article states, “Every college within UNCG is developing applications, and CDW is helping to scale them.”

SDG 17 Indicators (Implied)

• Formation of Public-Private Partnerships: The existence of the working relationship between UNC Greensboro, CDW, and other tech companies is an indicator of an effective partnership.
• Mobilization of Resources: The article mentions that UNC Greensboro “won a grant for innovative, immersive learning” and was “approached by HTC with another sizable investment.” These are quantifiable indicators of financial resources being mobilized through partnerships.

Summary Table of SDGs, Targets, and Indicators

Source: edtechmagazine.com