NEW MEXICO – New Mexico State University (NMSU) announced that it has partnered with Cisco to test how well the hologram system the company is developing works in a classroom.
According to the university, in the future, students taking online courses will have a new perspective that will help them interact with their classmates and professors, thanks to this new technology.
NMSU, is one of the higher education institutions that has the opportunity to test that technology to see how well it will work in a classroom, with students and faculty members sending feedback to Cisco.
“The idea is to give us a chance to play with it and see if there’s a market for it, and give them a chance to make some updates to the application,” said Andrew Sedillo, director of microcredential instructional design for NMSU Global Campus.
Sedillo is part of the NMSU team overseeing beta testing on campus. Other team members include Robbie Grant, director of academic technology; Beth Apodaca, director of instructional design; and David Chavez, digital learning multimedia specialist.
The NMSU Global team contacted Cisco upon learning of the Webex Hologram beta testing. Apodaca, Grant and Sedillo then traveled to Cisco’s research and development center in Oslo, Norway, to meet with representatives and learn about the technology, which uses headsets and other equipment.
NMSU’s hologram testing center is located inside Milton Hall, where students and faculty have the opportunity to put on goggles and manipulate 3D models.
Sedillo said that while the technology is still out of reach for many educational institutions due to its high price tag, he is excited to see how quickly it is evolving and how quickly it will catch on.
Grant said it also gives NMSU another opportunity to continue to be at the forefront of cutting-edge technology.
Just last year, NMSU Global partnered with Meta to provide insight into how immersive technology can better shape the learning experience for students. These partnerships also allow the university to address concerns about the possibility of a tuition cliff in the next two years.
