Vanier College Launches a Teachers Innovation Exploration Kit (TIEK)

Vanier College is pleased to announce that it launched its Teachers Innovation Exploration Kit (TIEK) on January 29, 2020.

An initiative rooted in the Ministry of Education’s Digital Action Plan, the TIEK allows teachers and staff to explore the potential in education of virtual, augmented, and mixed reality (sometimes called XR or extended reality), 3D printing, 360 filming, and other innovative technologies.

At the launch, teachers and staff were introduced to the benefits of XR in education and were given a chance to try some of these technologies with the support of trained staff and volunteers. They were also given the opportunity to test-drive two educational VR experiences created by the National Film Board: Ocean School and The Orchid and the Bee. Special thanks to the NFB and Education Producers Emily Sheepy and Heather DeLagran for sharing this preview during the event.

Virtual reality is a computer-generated three-dimensional environment in which the user can move and act. It can be created using VR headsets, gloves fitted with sensors and other motion controllers.

Augmented reality is an enhanced version of reality created by using technology to overlay digital information on reality using devices such as smartphones, tablets, or eyewear such as Google glasses.

Mixed reality is a blend of physical and virtual worlds that includes both real and computer-generated objects, and allows a user to navigate within a virtual environment while being able to interact with both real and virtual objects.

“This pedagogical equipment will give teachers new tools to adapt to different types of learning and different students. It can help us adapt to gaps, like stage placements in nursing, by offering new ways to integrate the competencies. As a physics teacher told me, it could be used to visualize the 3D aspects of certain concepts like electricity and magnetism, which are more complex for some students to comprehend. Students in Architectural Technology would love to be able to virtually walk in the environments they are building or studying. We have a kit of ready to use applications, but we also dream of building new ones in some of our programs like Computer Science Technology or in Micropublishing and Hypermedia. All programs can benefit from this!” says Vanier College’s Academic Dean Annie-Claude Banville.

The TIEK will be housed in Vanier’s STEM Center, where technical support will be available to teachers and staff. The kit was developed by the Vanier Pedagogical Support and Innovation office, which will provide teachers with pedagogical support as they explore its potential use in teaching activities and the classroom.

See the VTV video of the TIEK launch.