Introduction to Virtual Reality (CS559) [NIU]
Course Description
The Introduction to Virtual Reality course will introduce students to the subject of Virtual and Augmented Reality. The course will provide a basic introduction and background to the field, discussions on immersion, presence and a general introduction to the technology. Students will be exposed to issues related to perception and the adverse health effects of virtual reality. Over the course of the semester, students will work on multiple small assignments individually, and individual project as well as a final group project. The assignments and projects will focus on content creation, interaction and iterative design.
Course Material
- J. Jerald, The VR Book - Human-Centered Design for Virtual Reality, Association for Computing Machinery and Morgan & Claypool, 2015
Material Covered
- Iterative Design
- What is VR and the history of VR
- Hardware and Software
- Immersion, Presence, and Reality Trade-Offs
- Content Creation and Environmental Design
- Affecting Behavior
- Human-Centered Interaction in VR
- Perception Models, Processes and Modalities
- Perception of Space and Time
- Health Effects (Motion Sickness, Eye Strain, Seizures, and Aftereffects)
Grading
- Class Participation 10% (undergrads only - expected of graduate students, but not counted)
- Paper Presentations 10% (graduate students only)
- Exams: 30% (10% each, 3 exams - no Final Exam) [same exams for undergrad and grad students]
- Assignments: 30% (5 @ 6% each)
- Projects: 30% (10% project 00, 20% project 01)