The University of the Western Cape (UWC) and EON Reality have partnered to create an innovative Interactive Digital Center in a bid to help mitigate the impact of COVID-19 on basic and higher education.
The Interactive Digital Center (IDC) will teach students how to develop Augmented Reality and Virtual Reality products — both remotely and in a formal class environment. The partnership between UWC and EON Reality will offer training solutions and simulations for a number of industries in Cape Town and surrounding areas.
The launch of the IDC will be announced in due course. The final installation of equipment will take place in May, depending on the National Lockdown Rules and Regulations
The Center, which will be located in close proximity to the Bellville main campus, will give students the opportunity to be a part of the Global Emergency Initiative — EON Reality’s response to e-learning in the midst of the COVID-19 pandemic.
As a part of the Global Emergency Initiative, the education-based center will be one of EON Reality’s key contributors in using and developing premium content and curricula for the company’s flagship EON-XR Platform for South Africa and beyond.
Through the Global Emergency Initiative — which focuses on using remote AR and VR technologies as well as the nine-step Self-Directed Learning implementation — UWC students and academics will be able to contribute to the world while also bettering themselves with more efficient and memorable educational tools. As evidenced by the success of such programs at institutions such as the University for Business and Technology in Kosovo and Al Akhawayn University in Morocco, the Self-Directed Learning movement allows students to learn and retain information more effectively than before by becoming the expert in a subject and creating a lesson themselves rather than simply attempting to absorb the educator’s information.
“The University of the Western Cape, as an institution and a campus community, is committed to our vision of being a place of quality, and a place to grow from hope to action through knowledge. The global spread of the COVID-19 virus shows us that as a research-intensive university, we need to remain committed to constantly seeking new ways of improving what we offer our students, especially in these unprecedented times. The launch of our new Interactive Digital Center will help us to continue to provide young people with an education that places excellence in teaching, learning, research and innovation at its center.”
Professor Vivienne LawackUWC Acting Rector and Vice-Chancellor
UWC’s Executive Director, Finance and Services, Mr. Manie Regal, said this is a proud moment for the University of the Western Cape.
“The National Lockdown and the worldwide spread of the COVID-19 pandemic has prompted universities to find innovative ways to use technology to continue with our mission of empowering students and future leaders, as well as finding solutions to societal challenges. This new Interactive Digital Center is another way UWC has taken the lead in the 4th Industrial Revolution space.”
Mr. Manie RegalUWC Executive Director, Finance and Services
“With the majority of South African students likely unable to return to school even in the months following the active Coronavirus pandemic, bringing remote AR and VR solutions to the area is more important than ever before. I believe that by partnering with UWC to demonstrate how lessons can be both used and created by a wide variety of students, we can easily effect change throughout the entire nation. There has never been a more important time to provide suitable learning and training solutions for people around the world.”
Dan LejerskarFounder of EON Reality
More information about the launch of the Interactive Digital Center will be announced in due course.
For more information, contact UWC Spokesperson Gasant Abarder via email at [email protected] or Harriet Box at [email protected].
About EON Reality
EON Reality is the world leader in Augmented and Virtual Reality-based knowledge and skills transfer for industry and education. EON Reality’s 21 years of success are tied to its belief that knowledge is a human right and should be available, accessible, and affordable for every human on the planet. To carry this out, EON Reality has developed the de-facto standard for Augmented Reality and Virtual Reality-based knowledge and skills transfer software that supports devices from mobile phones to large immersive domes. EON Reality’s global development network — with more than 20 locations worldwide — has created the world’s leading AR/VR library for education and industry with over 8,000 applications and over 40 million users worldwide.
