Virtual and Augmented Reality at UMD
Simulated and immersive experiences with technology are more and more accessible and attainable to the common person and can more readily become part of the classroom experience.
UMD ITSS, in partnership with many individuals and departments, is developing more capacity and infrastructure to support exploration and assessment in Virtual Reality (VR). Check out the options:
Check out a MetaQuest Headset
New for Fall 2024: We are happy to announce a new service: Student Checkout of VR Headsets! Reserve one at ITSS Connect2 Checkout.
Participate in the VR Community of Practice
Faculty and staff interested in immersive technologies and augmented realities are invited to join and contribute to a Virtual Reality Community of Practice, a Google group.
Create a Classroom Experience with VR
ITSS's Academic Technology and Course Design team can help you develop an assignment or experience that takes advantage of virtual reality or 360-degree cameras. Schedule a consultation with an academic technologist.
Single App Immersion Sessions
These sessions are on Mondays, 2:00 to 3:00 p.m. in Kirby Plaza 175. Open to student, staff and faculty!
- September 9: Human Anatomy VR - Immersive exploration of human body systems.
- September 16: Nanome - Build 3D molecules and proteins.
- September 23: Tilt Brush - create a 3D art installation.
- September 30: Notes on Blindness - an interactive non-fictional narrative which is a cognitive and emotional experience of blindness.
- October 7: No Session
- October 14: Gravity Labs A Physics/Rube Goldberg puzzle game
- October 21:Guided Tai Chi - 200+ Tai Chi inspired workouts
- October 28: Vader Immortal - Step inside a galaxy far, far away with Vader Immortal
- November 4: Mission: ISS: Quest - Dock a space capsule, take a spacewalk, and let real NASA astronauts guide you on the ISS
- November 11: Job Simulator In a world where robots have replaced all human jobs, step into the "Job Simulator" to learn what it was like 'to job'.
Open VR Labs
Explore any VR application in our curated collection on Thursdays during the Fall 2025 semester. Visit us on Thursdays from 2:00 to 4:00 p.m. in Kirby Plaza 175. No experience or reservation required. Open to student, staff, and faculty.
Open Houses begin on September 4 and run till November 21. The October 31 meeting has been cancelled due to illness.
Note: If you wear glasses and have contact lenses, it is recommended that you bring them. Often, individuals who can read close-ups without their glasses can use virtual reality.