About this course: This course will introduce you to Virtual Reality (VR). The course will teach you everything from the basics of VR- the hardware and the history of VR- to different applications of VR, the psychology of Virtual Reality, and the challenges of the medium. The course is designed for people who are new to VR as a medium. You may have experienced some virtual reality before, and may have some hardware- but this course is suitable to individuals who have never experienced VR and those who do not have much hardware- we will explain Mobile VR as well as devices such as the Oculus Rift and HTC Vive. Introduction to Virtual Reality is the first course in the Virtual Reality Specialisation. A learner with no previous experience in Virtual Reality and/or game programming will be able to evaluate existing VR applications, and design, test, and implement their own VR experiences/games using Unity by the end of the specialisation.
Who is this class for: This course is primarily aimed at anyone with no or little previous experience in Virtual Reality, interested in how to bring their ideas onto this new platform.
Taught by: Dr Sylvia Xueni Pan, Lecturer, Department of Computing
Goldsmiths, University of London
Taught by: Dr Marco Gillies, Senior Lecturer
Computing Department, Goldsmiths, University of London
| Basic Info | Course 1 of 5 in the Virtual Reality Specialization |
| Level | Beginner |
| Commitment | 4 weeks of study, 3-5 hours/week |
| Language | English, Subtitles: Russian |
| Hardware Req | There are no specific hardware requirements for this course. |
| How To Pass | Pass all graded assignments to complete the course. |
| User Ratings |
- Video: Welcome to Introduction to Virtual Reality!
- Video: Introduction to Week 1
- Discussion Prompt: Introduce Yourself!
- Reading: Course blog
- Discussion Prompt: What Do You Think VR Is?
- Video: What is VR and How is it Different from Other Media?
- Video: Displays | CAVE and HMDs
- Video: Head Tracking
- Video: Controllers
- Discussion Prompt: VR Head Mounted Devices (HMDs)
- Video: Choosing your VR Device
- Video: HMD | Oculus Rift
- Video: HMD | HTC Vive
- Video: HMD | Sony PlayStation VR
- Video: HMD | Mobile VR | Google Cardboard and Samsung Gear
- Video: CAVE VR Systems
- Reading: Where to Download VR Apps
- Reading: Summary | How To Choose Your VR HMD
- Discussion Prompt: When Was the First Time You Heard About the Concept of Virtual Reality?
- Video: Part 1 | VR in the Analogue Age
- Video: Part 2 | VR in the Digital Age
- Reading: VR History
- Video: Introduction to the VR Technical Framework
- Video: 360 Video and Model Based VR
- Reading: Further Reading on 360 Video
- Video: Being Someone Else
- Reading: Being Someone Else
- Discussion Prompt: VR Applications
- Video: Sports
- Reading: VR in Sports
- Video: News and Documentary Films
- Reading: VR in News and Documentary Films
- Video: Scientific Data Visualisation
- Video: Medical Training
- Reading: Medical Training
- Video: Physical Rehabilitation and Psychotherapy
- Reading: VR in Physical Rehabilitation and Psychotherapy
- Discussion Prompt: The Future of VR Applications
- Reading: Enhancing Our Lives with Virtual Reality
- Video: A Brief History of VR
- Video: Levels of Immersion in VR Systems
- Discussion Prompt: Levels of Immersion of VR Systems
- Video: Sensorimotor Contingency (SC)
- Video: Sensorimotor Contingency in VR
- Video: Why Do We Need Immersive VR?
- Video: Introduction to the Three Illusions
- Discussion Prompt: VR Hardware and Immersion
- Video: Introduction to Place Illusion (PI)
- Video: Does Immersion Cause PI?
- Video: Introduction to Plausibility Illusion (Psi)
- Video: Necessary Conditions for Psi
- Discussion Prompt: Plausibility Illusion
- Video: Break of Presence
- Video: Presence, Immersion, PI, and Psi
- Reading: The Three Illusions
- Video: The Pinocchio Illusion
- Video: The Rubber Hand Illusion
- Discussion Prompt: Embodiment Illusion in Real Life
- Video: Psychological Effects of Embodiment Illusion
- Video: Visual-Tactile and Visual-Motor Synchrony
- Video: The Technical Setup of VR Embodiment
- Reading: The Technical Setup of VR Embodiment
- Video: Changes in Attitude, Behaviours, and Cognition
- Reading: Changing Bodies Changes Minds: Owning Another Body Affects Social Cognition
- Video: Self-Counselling and Treating Depression
- Reading: Embodiment in Self-Counselling and Treating Depression
- Video: Comparing CGI and 360 Video
- Video: The Future of Embodiment in VR
- Video: Realism | Graphics
- Discussion Prompt: Real-Time 3D Graphics in Games
- Reading: Basic Concepts in 3D Computer Graphics
- Video: Realism | Animation
- Video: Navigation
- Video: Nausea
- Reading: Simulation Sickness
- Video: Meeting Other People
- Video: Haptic Feedback
- Reading: Thank You and Course Blog
Each course is like an interactive textbook, featuring pre-recorded videos, quizzes and projects.
Connect with thousands of other learners and debate ideas, discuss course material, and get help mastering concepts.
Earn official recognition for your work, and share your success with friends, colleagues, and employers.
| Purchase Course | |
|---|---|
| Access to course materials | Available |
| Access to graded materials | Available |
| Receive a final grade | Available |
| Earn a shareable Course Certificate | Available |
Thank you University of London and Coursera team. The course was really helpfull and well prepare.
Very good content!
Only 4 stars because some of the videos seemed a bit repetitive and didn't have enough point forms in the videos. The scripting could definitely be a bit tighter on many of the topics.
For a lot of the basics, I recommend the Google VR and 360 class, or the Michigan Teachout on VR first.
Would give 5 stars if they cleaned these up a bit otherwise. It was really interesting and helpful otherwise! This included a lot of content the other classes mentioned did not cover and vice versa. Looking forward to the next in the specialization!
Interesting introduction to VR hardware, theory and history. The lecturers are clearly experts in their field, however the videos would have been a lot more interesting with richer images, graphics and examples to accompany the script, especially considering the pace is quite slow. I look forward to doing the other modules.
JR
What an amazing course. I learned a ton of material.
The course was very, very well taught and organized; a really seamless learning experience that has given me great confidence going forward.
Thanks so much!