4.6

stars

176 ratings

Michael Nebeling

4,903 already enrolled

Offered By

Extended Reality for Everybody SpecializationUniversity of Michigan

What you will learn

Learn the underlying concepts, enabling technologies, and key applications for all things XR

Understand key issues and developments in XR and learn how to address them in design and development of XR applications

Design and develop your own XR applications

Explain the conceptual and technological differences between VR, AR, MR, and XR.

About this Specialization

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Welcome to XR for Everybody! When we say “for everybody,” we really do mean it. This specialization is designed to be a broad learning experience around all things augmented, virtual, and mixed reality. The 3 courses cover the fundamental concepts of XR, how to design and develop XR applications, how to discuss the emerging key issues in the landscape of XR, and how to bring XR into instructional settings.

Applied Learning Project

Learners will develop a design thinking mindset and a fundamental toolbox for creating XR applications using rapid prototyping.

Learners will establish a technical mental model for XR technologies and gain tools to approach XR development with confidence.

Shareable Certificate

Earn a Certificate upon completion

100% online courses

Start instantly and learn at your own schedule.

Flexible Schedule

Set and maintain flexible deadlines.

Beginner Level

No prior experience required.

Approximately 3 months to complete

Suggested pace of 7 hours/week

English

Subtitles: English, Arabic, Spanish

Shareable Certificate

Earn a Certificate upon completion

100% online courses

Start instantly and learn at your own schedule.

Flexible Schedule

Set and maintain flexible deadlines.

Beginner Level

No prior experience required.

Approximately 3 months to complete

Suggested pace of 7 hours/week

English

Subtitles: English, Arabic, Spanish

How the Specialization Works

Take Courses

A Coursera Specialization is a series of courses that helps you master a skill. To begin, enroll in the Specialization directly, or review its courses and choose the one you'd like to start with. When you subscribe to a course that is part of a Specialization, you’re automatically subscribed to the full Specialization. It’s okay to complete just one course — you can pause your learning or end your subscription at any time. Visit your learner dashboard to track your course enrollments and your progress.

Hands-on Project

Every Specialization includes a hands-on project. You'll need to successfully finish the project(s) to complete the Specialization and earn your certificate. If the Specialization includes a separate course for the hands-on project, you'll need to finish each of the other courses before you can start it.

Earn a Certificate

When you finish every course and complete the hands-on project, you'll earn a Certificate that you can share with prospective employers and your professional network.

There are 3 Courses in this Specialization

Course1

Course 1

Intro to AR/VR/MR/XR: Technologies, Applications & Issues

4.7

stars

166 ratings

•

39 reviews

This first course in the XR for Everybody specialization creates a foundational understanding of the differences between AR, VR, MR, and XR. The course provides learners with a broad overview of the rapidly evolving XR space and the tools to characterize future XR developments and assess their potential and limitations. It establishes key concepts and dives into the XR device landscape, helping learners to differentiate current and future platforms and devices as well as critique the use of VR or AR in applications. The course pivots in the second half to look more at how to shape the future of XR, by analyzing trends and raising issues such as COVID-19, social and ethical concerns, accessibility and equity, as well as privacy and security.

Course2

Course 2

User Experience & Interaction Design for AR/VR/MR/XR

4.7

stars

62 ratings

•

13 reviews

This second course in the XR for Everybody specialization looks at how to design new user experiences for XR technologies. The course provides learners with a design thinking mindset and equips them with a fundamental toolbox for creating XR applications using rapid prototyping. It starts with a broad overview of the complete XR design process, discussing different paths to becoming an XR creator, what is generally involved in making XR experiences, and how to best get started. The course then emphasizes design thinking, critiques, and ethics while introducing guidelines and user-centered techniques like design jams. The second half of the course introduces a variety of methods and tools for prototyping both physically and digitally including on the XR devices themselves through immersive authoring.

Course3

Course 3

Developing AR/VR/MR/XR Apps with WebXR, Unity & Unreal

4.2

stars

30 ratings

•

8 reviews

This third course in the XR for Everybody specialization is geared toward the technical development of XR experiences. The course provides learners with a more technical mental model of XR technologies and the tools to approach XR development with confidence. It walks through the stages of development for both VR and AR projects, introducing the main XR development platforms as well as the key methods and tools. This third course also helps learners infer advanced XR requirements from physical/digital prototypes and teaches them how to differentiate major technical concerns, estimate development costs, and plan research necessary to advance XR.

Instructor

Michael Nebeling

Assistant Professor of Information, School of Information and Assistant Professor of Electrical Engineering and Computer Science, College of Engineering

13,933 Learners

4 Courses

Offered by

University of Michigan

The mission of the University of Michigan is to serve the people of Michigan and the world through preeminence in creating, communicating, preserving and applying knowledge, art, and academic values, and in developing leaders and citizens who will challenge the present and enrich the future.

Frequently Asked Questions

What is the refund policy?
If you subscribed, you get a 7-day free trial during which you can cancel at no penalty. After that, we don’t give refunds, but you can cancel your subscription at any time. See our full refund policy.
Can I just enroll in a single course?
Yes! To get started, click the course card that interests you and enroll. You can enroll and complete the course to earn a shareable certificate, or you can audit it to view the course materials for free. When you subscribe to a course that is part of a Specialization, you’re automatically subscribed to the full Specialization. Visit your learner dashboard to track your progress.
Is financial aid available?
Yes. In select learning programs, you can apply for financial aid or a scholarship if you can’t afford the enrollment fee. If fin aid or scholarship is available for your learning program selection, you’ll find a link to apply on the description page.
Can I take the course for free?
When you enroll in the course, you get access to all of the courses in the Specialization, and you earn a certificate when you complete the work. If you only want to read and view the course content, you can audit the course for free. If you cannot afford the fee, you can apply for financial aid.
Is this course really 100% online? Do I need to attend any classes in person?
This course is completely online, so there’s no need to show up to a classroom in person. You can access your lectures, readings and assignments anytime and anywhere via the web or your mobile device.
Will I earn university credit for completing the Specialization?
This Specialization doesn't carry university credit, but some universities may choose to accept Specialization Certificates for credit. Check with your institution to learn more.
Do I need to take the courses in a specific order?
No, but there is a lot of value in completing the specialization in order and we have carefully designed it to support those seeking breadth rather than depth in the topic. However, all courses also offer honors tracks to allow you to go deeper on specific issues, apply the principles in design and development, and practice recommended methods and tools.
Do I need to know how to program?
No. To complete the main track of the specialization, it is ideal if you already have experience with developing web or mobile applications but it is not required. To complete the honors track, you should be willing to work with AR/VR software tools. Many aspects of these tools are often experimental and not very well documented. This makes it hard for beginners. However, we provide many examples and code as a starting point. Even simple adaptations of our examples will help you build more confidence and feel productive. If you have previously created an XR app, this course should still help you develop a broader understanding of possible development approaches and strategies.
Will I learn how to build XR applications
Yes! We want everybody to be able to do XR. You will be able to create your own XR applications. We realize that some more so than others may care about the technologies themselves and may want to start developing right away. There’s a lot of material in the third course for that, but the first two courses are important stepping stones. Others may care a lot about design and XR’s potential to disrupt the user experience, in both good and bad ways. We made this a particular focus of the second course, but the first course raises a lot of issues that ought to be considered in design.
Do I need access to AR/VR devices?
No. To complete the main track of the specialization, it is recommended but not required. However, to complete the honors track, you will need access to AR/VR devices. For marker-based AR, you need to have access to a computer with a webcam and/or a smartphone. For marker-less AR, you will need access to an ARCore or ARKit capable phone. For VR, we recommend a 6DOF headset like Quest, Rift, or VIVE. For a basic VR solution of the assignments, it would be sufficient to use a Google Cardboard compatible display wrapper that turns your smartphone into VR goggles.
What is 'XR"?
XR stands for Extended Reality which refers to the spectrum of virtual reality, augmented reality, mixed reality, and extended reality, You will learn more about what each of those terms mean and how they related to each other in the first video of the first course.
Do I need experience with XR to take this specialization?
No! We want everybody to know about XR. You will be able to participate in discussions about XR. Whether or not you consider yourself an XR creator, we want you to understand the potential and limitations of XR as a user. The first course with its focus on underlying concepts, enabling technologies, and key applications provides a fundamental basis for all things XR. There is a lot of value in completing the specialization and we have carefully designed it to support those seeking breadth rather than depth in the topic. However, all courses also offer honors tracks to allow you to go deeper on specific issues, apply the principles in design and development, and practice recommended methods and tools.

More questions? Visit the Learner Help Center.