The Avatar Summer School (AvSS) is pleased to launch our inaugural seminar:

AvSS 101: Intro to XR in Education and Society

• Background

  • AvSS is the pilot run of Dr. Rabindra (Robby) Ratan's aspirational (quixotic?) vision to pioneer a new model of accessible, high-quality hybrid higher education, leveraging avatar-based platforms that can be accessed via VR, computers, and mobile devices. The fundamental pedagogical premise—based on Dr. Ratan’s years of teaching in VR and conducting research on student outcomes—is that well-designed avatar-based educational experiences support significantly more student engagement with their professors, peers, and course content than many other forms of synchronous instruction, both remote and even in person. Dr. Ratan is launching this nonprofit initiative within the umbrella of the Avatars International Institute of Technology (working toward nonprofit status) to expand access to such immersive educational experiences and technologies alongside training for educators who would like to utilize these tools in their own teaching and scholarship. 

• Course Goals

  • Provide an engaging experience of learning in VR that exemplifies the effective pedagogical and technological approaches that Dr. Ratan has developed through years of teaching in VR. 

  • Facilitate a historical, technological, psychological, and social understanding of research on VR and XR (extended reality).

  • Elucidate Dr. Ratan and other scholars' research findings on the social and psychological importance of avatars, defined broadly across any medium (e.g., video games, virtual worlds, robots, automobiles, social media, etc.). 

  • Illustrate how XR technologies are being augmented by other emerging technologies, especially AI and blockchain.

  • Highlight potential positive and negative impacts of VR, XR, and the metaverse, avatars within meaningful societal domains, especially in education, but also in health, business, and relationships.

  • Empower participants to create VR or XR experiences—using both traditional and AI-based tools—through which they can teach others about their topics of interest.

• Technology

  • Class will meet in a cross-platform virtual world which is accessible by computer, mobile, and VR (e.g., VR Chat, Engage VR, Spatial, Frame VR) and which you can access with a free or low-cost (~$10) account. 

  • We recommend using a standalone VR headset (e.g., Quest 2, 3s, or 3) to join meetings, but you may also use a computer or mobile phone as needed. 

  • If you do not have access to a VR headset, please consider borrowing one from a friend or a local library. There are many unused VR headsets out there! Just ask around. 

  • Light tech-support will be provided, but you should already have a basic level of literacy with these technologies (e.g., downloading new apps, creating accounts, controlling an avatar with VR controllers, WASD, etc.).

• Intended Audience for this Course

  • Professors, instructors, and teachers (high school too) exploring innovative teaching methods or VR-based schools (they already exist!).

  • Academic leaders seeking to enhance hybrid or distance-learning models.

  • Researchers in fields such as (but not limited to) education technology, information studies, computer-mediated communication, human-AI interaction, extended reality, and media psychology.

  • Graduate and advanced undergraduate students pursuing careers in technology, media, or education.

  • Professionals working in industries where advanced communication tools are adopted to enhance workflows. 

• Timing: Each session will include one week with four class meetings, two hours per meeting.

  • Session 1, week of July 14th, 2025, Monday through Thursday

    • 10am - 12pm US Pacific time (1pm - 3pm New York, 6pm - 8pm London, 7pm - 9pm Frankfurt)

  • Session 2, week of July 14th, 2025, Monday through Thursday

    • 7pm - 9pm US Pacific time (following day 7:30am - 9:30am Mumbia, 10am - 12pm Singapore/Taipei/Beijing, 11am-1pm Seoul/Tokyo)

  • (tentative) Session 3, week of July 21st, 2025, same times as Session 1. 

  • (tentative) Session 4, week of July 21st, 2025, same times as Session 2. 

• Tuition for 1 session

  • Current students and K-12 teachers: $200

  • Working professionals: $300

  • Participants living in World Bank lower-middle income and low-income countries will receive a 100% scholarship (i.e., no cost).

  • Participants living in World Bank upper-middle income countries will be receive a 90% scholarship.

  • Participants living in high-income countries without organizational funding support (e.g., professional development funds) will be given a 50% scholarship. 

  • Further need-based scholarships will be available.

  • NOTE: Dr. Ratan is running this inaugural seminar pro bono. Fees collected will be used only to support class materials and scholarships for other students. Dr. Ratan's only compensation will be the joy of seeing this project materialize.

• Eligibility

  • Participants should be adults aged 18 and above who are working or studying in an area related to the course topics.

  • There are no official prerequisites, though we highly recommend participants have a basic knowledge of virtual reality. Also, participants who plan to use VR for course meetings should know their threshold for simulator sickness so that they can be prepared to switch from virtual reality to computer or mobile phone as necessary. 

• Applications

  • Class size is limited based on technological and pedagogical constraints, so interested learners must apply to join the school. 

  • Please note that there is no "ideal" applicant. Applications will be reviewed to ensure participants' interests are relevant to the course goals. We will also aim to curate a cohort of learners from a wide range of backgrounds. 

  • Apply by June 1, 2025 (deadline might be extended -- email if you need more time). 

    • Notifications will be sent by June 10, 2025.