Going Global with Virtual Educational Experiences
April 09, 2021 / Matt Ryan, Assistant Director, Study Abroad
What is discoverED 360?
If you have an FGCU staff or eagle email address you have access to discoverEd 360. discoverED 360 is a learning experience platform that allows the viewer an enhanced perspective of locations around the world and offers educational content in Humanities, Sciences, Business, and Global Perspectives. The platform enriches the learning journey by featuring 360° photography and video, captioned audio, text boxes, drone videos, high definition videos, quizzes, time warps, interactive maps and more. It was created for educators to support topics already covered in their curriculum in a uniquely international context but it can also be used outside of the classroom to allow students, staff and faculty to explore and experience new places. The intention is not to replace travel but instead to inspire travel, global interest and remove barriers of accessibility to international education through virtual immersion.
The intention is not to replace travel but instead to inspire travel, global interest, and remove barriers of accessibility to international education through virtual immersion.
The tutorial helps but it was easy to understand the platform’s layout and it`s user friendly. The videos and other media learning tools within all of the scenes are laid out in short clips of anywhere from 45 seconds to 5 minutes. The shorter instructional clips both align with Gen Z media comfort zones and also with current micro learning theories. The 80+ hours of content has the potential to add multiple means of engagement and varied information representation while offering practical exhibits from around the globe. Perhaps a Chemistry student may gain perspective by the scene that tours Busards Brewery near Lyon, France that demonstrates how they produce variations of beer in the fermenting process using local water and cereals. Or, an Anthropology student can get a glimpse of why an indigenous shaman house in the Costa Rican rain forest is built like it is.
Simple Steps to Get Started
(*FGCU email address required )
1. SIGN UP 2. LOGIN 3. TUTORIAL VIDEO 4. USER GUIDE
discoverED 360 was launched during a pandemic and due to travel restrictions only 9 countries are covered in the initial version, but there are plans to update the program with more Asian, African and South American countries in the near future. The current countries covered are England, Germany, Costa Rica, Italy, Hungary, India, Switzerland, Greece and France. Instructors are usually going to have to be flexible in its incorporation whether they’re utilizing discoverED 360 as topic content or assigning the tool for student assignments. But in return for the flexibility in content they will be adding the benefits of global perspective.
How will you integrate discover ED360 into your courses?
Contact your Instructional Designer to brainstorm ideas.