The Federico II University of Naples is experimenting with mixed reality teaching.
The Federico II University of Naples is the first Italian university to begin experimenting with Hybrid Learning Spaces., an integrated solution developed by Hevolus Innovation and Microsoft Italia for participatory and laboratory-based teaching in mixed reality.
The acceleration of digitalization in recent months has highlighted the opportunities that a more digital teaching approach can generate, in terms of access to innovative content and unprecedented learning experiences, conducive to the acquisition of new skills. This is known as Hybrid Teaching, an approach to learning where physical and digital integrate and coexist effectively, creating something new and with greater potential.
In this context it was born Hybrid Learning Spaces, real immersive virtual classrooms which allow you to introduce a new educational model accessible both remotely and in personThrough lessons and support for holographic laboratories. The University of Naples is the first in Italy to experiment with the solution in educational settings, both scientific and humanistic.
The solution Hybrid Learning Spaces It is perfectly in line with what was announced by Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella during Ignite 2021 – Microsoft's main conference dedicated to the Enterprise world – or making it available to public and private entities Cloud-based solutions to realize the metaverse, with the aim of enabling shared experiences between the physical and digital worlds.
"Federico II University wants to make innovative teaching technologies available to its students: after managing the emergency period with distance learning, the University is now ready to rethink a new hybrid teaching method, which is why it immediately seized the opportunity to test and evaluate Hybrid Learning Spaces for some courses." Giovanni B. Barone, Head of the Systems Division at the University of Naples Federico II.
"New technologies, smart devices, and a hybrid approach now allow educational institutions to respond to the ongoing paradigm shift with an interactive, multidisciplinary experiential model that puts the student at the center, engaging them directly and stimulating their initiative. We are convinced that this project, developed together with Microsoft, can help the Education and Training sector reach out to young people in a new way, also by providing specific skills in team collaboration techniques, which are essential in the workplace. - explains Antonio Squeo, CIO of Hevolus Innovation, a digital company specializing in phygital customer experience and owned by Fondo Italia Venture II – Fondo Imprese Sud, managed by CDP Venture Capital SGR.
"We are in a crucial phase for our country, a historic moment of great change and opportunity where we are once again focusing on young people, the true engine of our country's future growth, by investing in their education and the development of new skills. In this scenario, digital technology plays a key role in enabling new hybrid learning experiences, and new technologies can help accelerate this transformation already underway; the new solution developed in collaboration with Hevolus is a concrete demonstration of this. The Federico II University of Naples has been pursuing a journey of innovation and digital transformation with Microsoft for some time now, and the piloting of this solution confirms the desire not only to continue but to accelerate this journey, thus enabling today's students to become professionals ready to face the challenges of the near future." commented Elvira Carzaniga, Director of the Education Division of Microsoft Italy.
