[Report on Preparations for the Establishment of the Faculty of Human Information Science 04] Learning about the forefront of social VR utilization from Daimaru Matsuzakaya Department Store Co., Ltd.

The Faculty of Human Information Science, which will open in April 2027, will introduce an "Innovation Mentor" system. In this system, experts such as engineers and creators who are active on the front lines of various fields will serve as mentors, supporting the growth of students through interaction.

As one of the pioneering initiatives for the Innovation Mentor Program, the Faculty of Faculty of Modern Social Studies 's course "Virtual Reality Technology" (Lecturer: Eri Maekawa) implemented collaborative learning with a company. In this course, students will first understand the fundamental technologies of virtual reality, then learn about businesses operating on the metaverse, and consider new ways of applying them. The VR and metaverse covered in the course are also subjects studied in the Faculty of Human Information Science. In that faculty, "digital expression and experience" is one of the learning perspectives, and students will learn a wide range of technologies such as VR, AR, sound and video, and interaction to cultivate the expressive power to create experiences that resonate with people and next-generation entertainment.

In the September classes, we Lecturer Mr. Fukuzawa and Mr. Tanabe from the Metaverse Business Division of the DX Promotion Department of Daimaru Matsuzakaya Department Stores Co., Ltd. to give a lecture on the theme of "Learning about the Cutting Edge of Social VR Utilization." The company entered the metaverse business in 2023, and our university collaborated with them to create the "Otemae University Virtual Campus."

The lecture introduced the culture built by social VR users and creators, as well as initiatives to create new experiential value and business opportunities in the metaverse, where participation transcends the constraints of time and place. Following this, the students put on head-mounted displays (HMDs) and visited individual virtual spaces (worlds) created within the social VR platform. They were able to see how the creators' intentions, which they had heard about beforehand, were reflected in the space, and they gained an experiential understanding of the thoughts that the creators had put into the world by paying attention to details that they would not normally notice.

The final task of the course was to plan a new world, connecting it to the students' own interests, passions, and areas of specialization. The students expanded their thinking beyond the constraints of real space, considering the experiences they wanted to realize and the necessary functions, and then materialized their ideas into concrete plans. It was a valuable learning experience, allowing them to gain insights from experts, connect technology and expression, and conceive of experiences that resonate with people's hearts.

The Innovation Mentor Program in the Faculty of Human Information aims to broaden students' perspectives and encourage new challenges through practical learning in collaboration with a variety of companies and experts, including Daimaru Matsuzakaya Department Stores Co., Ltd., who have kindly cooperated with us on this project.

(Source: Faculty of Human Information Sciences Establishment Preparation Office)

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[Report on Preparations for the Establishment of the Faculty of Human Information Science 01]
[Report on Preparations for the Establishment of the Faculty of Human Information Science 02]
[Report on Preparations for the Establishment of the Faculty of Human Information Science, Part 03]