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A college with a history dating back hundreds of years ago has renovated its system of teaching through the help of innovative technologies. It has always been a discussion for a while to bring more advanced technology into the classroom to better supplement the lessons taught and now, it is finally becoming a reality.
Imperial College Business School is set to be the first higher-education institution to teach lectures using projected holograms.
What Is Happening?
Imperial College London is looking to improve the college experience for its students by changing the format of lectures. With almost everything being digitized in the modern world, Imperial College is looking to incorporate video conferencing in lectures.
The conventional way of teaching where professors are standing in front of the classroom will soon be obsolete. Developed by Toronto-based telepresence company AHRT Media, this new technology will allow professors to be out of the classroom during lectures, and in place, will be a three-dimensional projection of the professor themselves. But this hologram won’t be the same as the ones that are widely used today.
It was announced by E&T that this technology will take on a new angle, “using light and mirrors to project an image onto a reflective and transparent surface (such as glass or stretched film) set at an angle above a stage.” It is a creation of large realistic projections that only appears to be holographic. It has previously been used to pay homage by private parties to create realistic projections of famous artists Tupac Shakur and Michael Jackson.
With this, students will still be able to talk to the holographic professors as the professor will be speaking live from studios around the world, regardless of the distance. This proves to benefit speakers who often have to travel around to give their speeches, as they now have the option not to.
Dr. David Lefevre, director of Imperial College Business School’s Edtech Lab significantly advocates for this technology. He believes that this will tear down the limitations of traditional teachings.
“Rather than replacing or reducing real-life lectures, the hologram technology will provide greater flexibility for academics by enabling them to continue teaching while traveling, ensuring consistency and quality for students. The technology will also widen the scope for Imperial to invite global leaders and influencers from industry to give talks to students, therefore enriching the learning experience.”
Another upside to this will be its ability to be ubiquitous in classrooms around the world. It has the capability of connecting multiple audiences simultaneously as well as having discussion panels to supplement the theme. In other words, it is like a beefed up version of Skype.
With this, more and more colleges will be able to utilize talents around the world for their purpose of teaching its students. The ability to bring the world together has never been more effortless.
