Redefining a campus tour with virtual reality

摘要

Virtual reality (VR) technologies are becoming more common in different fields. These trends correspond to the maturing of the technology, the better understanding of uses and applications, and the overcoming of technical challenges. These challenges include the miniaturization of VR de- vices, untethering from a processing unit and the incorporation of additional sensors to improve the overall experience. VR in the tourism industry brings additional insight into new markets and opportunities and has effectively proven to induce a sense of presence in the visualized tourism space, increasing a desire to physically visit the location presented ("Virtual Reality, Presence, and Attitude Change: Empirical Evidence From Tourism," Iis Tussyadiah, Wang Dan, Timothy Jung and M. Claudia Tom Dieck, 2018). Developing VR for campus tours is not only aimed at providing a sensorial experience and show places but also to market universities for potential students ("Creating a Web-based Virtual Tour at Purdue University," J.L. Mohler, 2000). Optimizing the campus tour system by introducing VR experiences has also been beneficial for learning settings ("Virtual Reality in Engineering Education: The Future of Creative Learning," Abdul-Hadi G. Abul-rub, Alex N. Attridge and Mark A. Williams, 2011).