It is fairly common to search for anything using a Google search, including good or the ultimate virtual reality learning courses. As expected, the search throws up a set of results that are the most popular from a local and global perspective. While these could be excellent sources to learn virtual reality, they may not always provide the most appropriate options in the Indian context, in terms of course delivery, cost and industry placement options.
In addition to the above, the most important factor students and parents place are career and earning prospects, which stands out a lot higher than all other factors. This is because they are genuinely concerned about the future well being of their kids as well as the cost outlay for the available options.
How does one discover the best courses there are out there for VR learning? What is the source of reliable and relevant information concerning VR design courses?
How does one discover genuine service providers from the ones that make a quick buck? What are the features of a quality VR course? We will attempt to answer these questions in this blog
I highly recommend that people do their own research and not rely on word of mouth recommendations. This is because each person’s expectations are different and even a highly rated course may not meet those specific expectations. There are many online platforms such as edX, LinkedIn, Coursera, Udemy etc. that provide detailed information on their VR course offerings and its salient features.
Some of these VR training courses are paid while others may be free. Going through this provides the opportunity for parents, children and even young professionals to obtain a broad understanding of what is being offered in terms of course prerequisites, content, structure, delivery, certification and career options.
These course providers typically have detailed brochures that provide the above information which can be compared with similar offerings from other course providers. In addition to these popular platforms, there are several other lesser known institutions that are offering top virtual reality courses.
The next place to explore is in the arena of established institutions such as colleges and universities. This can be local, national or international. The growth of the virtual reality industry has caught the attention of these institutions and they are vying with each other to meet the demand.
Traditionally, these institutions are late starters, but they are usually blessed with a faculty that have a strong foundation in proven pedagogical methods. These institutions also have significant resources on their side to deliver quality education and training. Moreover, these institutions tend to provide diploma and degree programs that employers are usually attracted to. The institution’s reputation aids the students when they seek opportunities in the job market.
One of the most exciting course programs is the Industry Academic Alliance Program (IAAP) in India. This is a unique venture that brings quality education to the students through the time tested concept of collaboration between the industry and academic institutions. The industry leaders drive investment in developing areas of the economy and are keenly aware of the talent it needs.
This recognition of the areas and the skills needed is crucial for institutions. It helps them to develop courses and curate content that meets the needs of the industry. Institutions that develop such courses are the ones that companies seek out to conduct placement interviews. Corporate investments, particularly foreign direct investments (FDI) are favored in states with such institutions as it saves costs and assures better returns on investment.
The IAAP program is a program developed by the partnership between Fusion VR and ARK Info Solutions Private Ltd. This is an initiative that solely focuses on setting up Extended Reality (XR) partnerships in India at colleges, universities and all types of educational institutions in India. Fusion VR is one of the pioneers in developing virtual reality solutions for the industrial, academic, entertainment, museum and corporate experience centers.
It always has a finger on the pulse of the XR industry and is keenly aware of the developments and trends in the industry. For example, the demand for VR developers who can design VR simulations is quite high. They are also keenly aware of the skills needed to support future investments which has helped to devise a unique program that aims to equip institutions with the infrastructure and faculty resources needed to deliver the ultimate VR courses the country needs.
Many prominent institutions across the country have adopted the IAAP and the training and skills development of thousands of students is already underway. The explosive growth of the VR,AR and MR domains will fulfill the aspirations of those students who are graduating from the IAAP. The IAAP enables institutions to set up high quality, state of the art VR/AR labs in their institutions.
This is an end to end service to design, customize and establish these labs that meet international standards and enable smooth delivery of the VR AR course curricula to students effectively. It is imperative that students get hands-on experience with projects using this infrastructure. It is also important to understand that skills are acquired through practice and teaching theory alone will not suffice to equip students with the skills needed by the industry.
IAAP also provides post installation training and technical support for the lab as and when requested to smoothly manage software and hardware upgrades. This relieves the institution of the burden of maintaining sophisticated systems allowing them to focus on imparting quality training and an immersive learning experience to its students.
IAAP enables instructors to provide a wide spectrum of course offerings to institutions. The IAAP Faculty Training program equips existing college faculty with the knowledge needed to impart these courses. The IAAP has the depth and breadth of industry and technical knowledge which brings the faculty up to speed within a short period of time.
The participating institutions can now offer specialization to standard degree programs and also provide VR/AR as a major or minor to its students. It can also provide this as an option for students to pursue a Honours degree program or VR certification programs at their college.
These institutions are provided with the capability to design courses that meet the desires and needs of its student community. The program can also offer continuing education programs for young professionals who wish to acquire additional qualifications or earn legitimate certifications for the skills they have acquired during their work experience. As the founder of Fusion VR and an evangelist for the adoption of VR, I really wish to see the growth of this wonderful technology in India and elsewhere.
Virtual reality holds a lot of potential and promise for the nation’s youth and the only way to realize this is to empower them with the right skills and mindset with VR development courses, so that they are on track to deliver on the professional challenges that are ahead of them. They should get a strong foundation on the basics of virtual reality and the hands-on experience needed to jump start their careers in the industry.
We encourage you to explore the IAAP program on our website and get to learn about how virtual reality is changing the various industries in our economy. The potential for virtual reality is huge and promises to grow the industry at a tremendous rate. It’s a great opportunity and the timing is appropriate for students to join this ultimate VR course and make their dreams come true.
