DELTA VR Tours Complement College of Design’s 75th Anniversary Celebration
NC State’s prestigious College of Design (COD) is celebrating their 75th anniversary in 2023 and is hosting a year of events to mark the occasion. Their programs, professors and academic material have shaped the lives of many students over the years and their special anniversary events can serve as a way to reconnect with alumni, donors and key stakeholders across the globe.
COD’s Director of Communications and Marketing Christine Klocke reached out to DELTA in April of 2022 to request a comprehensive 3D scanning of the entire college to create virtual reality (VR) tours to be used for many purposes — beginning with the 75th anniversary celebration.
Klocke was pleased that the COD virtual tours DELTA produced could be used for many purposes in addition to the 75th anniversary including admissions, international and distance recruitment, development and digital preservation.
“Of immediate interest is utilizing this tour to encourage engagement with alumni as part of the college’s 75th anniversary year,” Klocke said. “In addition, having a virtual tour of the college allows our frontline fundraisers the opportunity to showcase the college to donors who may not be able to make a visit to our facilities, thus helping to secure needed funding for facilities and makerspace.”
History and Virtual Tour Creation
DELTA launched a new Virtual Tours Express Grant in 2021-2022 built on the previously established partnership with Academic and Student Affairs (DASA) and Enrollment Management and Services (EMS) to pilot the use of the Matterport platform at NC State. Eight grants during this grant cycle produced a series of impressive virtual tours for on- and off-campus locations.
This is not the first VR project DELTA and COD staff members have collaborated on. They teamed up to create the following VR tours as part of the above mentioned grant cycle:
- College of Design (COD) Materials Lab
- Industrial Design Space – 111 Lampe Drive
So, when Klocke needed a “college takeover” style partnership, she was confident DELTA was up to the challenge. She requested that DELTA provide 3D scanning of up to 20 COD spaces, to be completed in summer/fall of 2022.
“The College of Design was willing to be an experimental model from which new solutions and processes can be identified and refined for future use,” Klocke said. “Additionally, the college hopes to serve as a model example to other units throughout the university, providing an opportunity to showcase DELTA’s offerings and expand on DELTA’s innovative tools for teaching and learning, while engaging students and alumni via immersive technology.”
The DELTA team who worked on this project was composed of Director of Digital Media Innovation Mike Cuales, Program Coordinator for Digital Learning Jenn Scoggins, Production and Design Assistant Grant Eaton and former College of Design student Aitch Hunt. In addition, Cuales, Eaton and Hunt have a vested interest in helping the COD — they are all graduates of the college.
“Many people don’t realize how small the skeleton crew is behind the scenes of major projects such as this one,” Cuales said. “Advanced technology makes it possible; however, it would not be as impactful without all the efforts and hard work of my extremely competent and talented team.”
Cuales and his team have created many other impressive tours for other campus partners over the past year. Here are a few examples:
Distance education and online learning are more prevalent than ever and the need for virtual versions of brick and mortar spaces is on the rise. In addition, immersive virtual versions of laboratory classes created during the pandemic have proven to be useful even when students are attending in-person classes. They can provide students with a vantage point to examine machinery or specimens that are difficult to replicate in the labs.
“Having these spaces available digitally for the college is a huge benefit,” Klocke added. “The potential to use these scans to showcase our facilities in a new way will benefit the college for years to come.”
So, if you think these types of experiences will benefit your students, reach out to DELTA by applying for a DELTA Grant or a DELTA Express Grant. We are here for you!
Want More Information on DELTA Express Grants?
Visit go.ncsu.edu/delta-express-grants for more information about each grant type and other important dates.
View our DELTA Express Grants FAQ page for information about grant eligibility, the review process and general inquiries. The proposal submission system opens Aug. 21 and closes on Sept. 15.
Email deltaexpressgrants@ncsu.edu with specific questions.
