Florida University Turns to VR to Teach Personal Finance

  • By Dian Schaffhauser
  • 02/04/21
virtual reality

A Florida university is adding virtual reality experiences to two courses. Nova Southeastern University worked with Adept XR to develop an immersive learning program for students taking a personal finance class and another for accounting students. The company, a subsidiary of The Glimpse Group, creates custom VR and augmented reality experiences for higher ed and corporations.

During the Fall 2020 semester, first-year students donned headsets for a course where they practiced life skills. The program allowed them to go through simulated decisions on weekly budgeting, home purchases, unexpected expenses and other aspects of personal finance. A second VR experience enabled accounting students to walk into a virtual warehouse and do inventory counts to practice conducting audits. According to the company, NSU is now considering creation of an avatar that uses artificial intelligence to enrich student interactions and engagement.

"We have high expectations for our students and we work to thoughtfully captivate and challenge them in memorable ways. That's why I am excited to offer VR experiences provided by Adept XR," said Andy Rosman, dean of the university's H. Wayne Huizenga College of Business and Entrepreneurship, in a press release. "Together with faculty, [the company has] managed to create two unique exercises that engage students in a way no other medium can."

About the Author

Dian Schaffhauser is a former senior contributing editor for 1105 Media's education publications THE Journal, Campus Technology and Spaces4Learning.

Featured

  • abstract pattern of shapes, arrows and circuit lines

    Internet2 Announces a New President and CEO to Step Up in October

    Internet2, the member-driven nonprofit offering advanced network technology services and cyberinfrastructure to the research and education community has completed its search, which began this past May, for a new president and CEO to take the helm.

  • shield with an AI microchip emblem hovering above stacks of gold coins

    AI Security Spend Surges While Traditional Security Budgets Shrink

    A new Thales report reveals that while enterprises are pouring resources into AI-specific protections, only 8% are encrypting the majority of their sensitive cloud data — leaving critical assets exposed even as AI-driven threats escalate and traditional security budgets shrink.

  • stack of gold coins disintegrates into digital particles against a dark circuit-board background with glowing AI imagery

    MIT Report: Most Organizations See No Business Return on Gen AI Investments

    A recent report out of the MIT Media Lab found that despite $30-40 billion in enterprise spending on generative AI, 95% of organizations are seeing no business return.

  • young man in a denim jacket scans his phone at a card reader outside a modern glass building

    Colleges Roll Out Mobile Credential Technology

    Allegion US has announced a partnership with Florida Institute of Technology (FIT) and Denison College, in conjunction with Transact + CBORD, to install mobile credential technologies campuswide. Implementing Mobile Student ID into Apple Wallet and Google Wallet will allow students access to campus facilities, amenities, and residence halls using just their phones.