2022-12-01 –, Stage 2, Einstein-Saal, BBAW
RWTH Aachen University's goal is to make the university visible abroad and to recruit excellent students, for which simple and at the same time emphatic information about the unique opportunities for teaching and research at the university is essential.
In cooperation and close coordination with GATE-Germany, a VR representation was created for this purpose with which you can explore RWTH Aachen University with your own avatar.
One of the goals of RWTH Aachen University's internationalization strategy is to make the university visible abroad and to recruit excellent international students, for which simple yet emphatic information about the unique opportunities for teaching & research at the university is essential.
For this purpose, a virtual reality representation has been created, which allows students to get an overview of the English-language degree programs offered as well as the existing research activities. They are given the opportunity to access information with an avatar in a 3D environment. A WLAN connection and VR glasses (fully immersive VR version) or the download of the software to a standard PC (partially immersive VR version) are required.
The VR scenario is a digital twin of the public space around the main building of the university. In this space, the nine faculties of the university each present themselves through information panels with contributions to teaching & research. The information is videos, web pages or separate documents provided for the target audience.
The VR environment was chosen to give the interested audience an immersive experience of their potential educational institution. All avatars that are in the system at the same time can communicate, interact and exchange with each other.
The students also have the opportunity to exchange information with the rector, the vice rector for internationalization or the vice rector for teaching. For this purpose, slots for discussions are offered at defined times. There they meet the designated persons, who act with their individual avatars.
Software-wise, the application is based on the DAAD-MyScore project and can be made available to other universities as open source software.
GATE-Germany developed the idea for the VR representation together with the RWTH and accompanied and documented the realization of the idea. At the end of the year, the volume "Virtual Reality in international university marketing" will be published in the GATE-Germany series of publications on university marketing.
Heribert Nacken studied civil engineering (specializing in hydraulic engineering & water management, urban water management and water-energy management) at RWTH Aachen University until 1986. He completed his doctorate there at the Department of Water-Energy-Economy in 1990. Nacken became university professor at the Department of Engineering Hydrology of the Faculty of Civil Engineering at RWTH Aachen University in 2001. Since 2002, he has been a member of the Scientific Advisory Board for the UNESCO International Hydrological Program and the WMO Operational Hydrological Program (IHP/HWRP). From 2005 to 2012, he also served as Dean of Studies at the faculty. Since 2010, Prof. Nacken has additionally headed the UNESCO Chair in Hydrological Change and Water Resources Management. In 2012, he was appointed Rectorates Delegate for Blended Learning and Exploratory Teaching Space and since then has been taking care of the further development of digital teaching at RWTH Aachen University.