Las Positas College uses Cappasity 3D digitizing technology to enrich their students’ learning experience
It’s been over a year since Las Positas College partnered with Cappasity to enhance their students’ learning experience by introducing immersive 3D content. Teaching materials are now showcased in an interactive 3D View format. The faculties that incorporate 3D technology into the teaching process have improved students’ engagement and knowledge retention. Las Positas College’s professors have shared their experiences of using immersive technology in education.
Christina Wasem, a professor in the Geology department at Las Positas College, commented on the reasons for implementing interactive content into teaching materials: “examining samples is a crucial part of Geology education. When the pandemic hit, my in-person lab class suddenly went online and I had to still have a way of delivering samples to students. I used Cappasity. One of the best things about Cappasity from my perspective is the fact that students can manipulate the samples themselves.” Immersive content helped educators to move their face-to-face classes online without losing student engagement by allowing them to interact with the researched objects remotely.
An example of immersive content:
Ruth Hanna, a professor in the Geology department, explained how teachers and students use 3D technology in classes, “Cappasity 3D virtual models are used by both Geology instructors and students at Las Positas College. Instructors use the virtual models to introduce and illustrate geology’s specimens to students. This includes a wide variety of minerals as well as rock specimens as well as fossil specimens. Students can use the models to explore and inspect the virtual specimens as they learn. They can rotate the models and zoom in on different features that catch their interest.”
On top of that, Christina Wasem pointed out that Cappasity 3D Views are fully interactive and consequently much more engaging for students than flat images or videos. “By using Cappasity, my students can move our rock and mineral samples around themselves in a way that more closely mimics the in-person experience than still images or canned videos.” Students can now interact with all kinds of learning materials: rotate them, examine from all sides, and zoom in.
Thanks to the high-quality resolution of Cappasity 3D Views, students can observe even tiny details on the researched objects. Kelly Martin, a professor in the Geology department at Las Positas College, commented, “the 3D models allow students to explore how parts of a fossil or shell fit together and what the shape means for the function of the animal and the role of the animal in its environment.” Interactive 3D Views allow students to manipulate the samples in any way, which would be impossible in real life since the originals are very fragile. This opens up new opportunities for students and educators.
Interactive materials can be used not only for distance learning but also at in-person lab classes. 3D technology can transform typical lectures into an interactive practical learning experience, bringing the subject to life. “We’ve been using the 3D models for our students. This involves the usage of minerals and rocks in 3D format,’ said Oliver Christen, a professor in the Geology department. “And I will say that they have been extremely beneficial for my students. I download them over to canvas, and the students can access the 3D variations of some of these interesting minerals and rocks. It’s just another technique that I use for students to observe minerals in a zoom format. I will continue to use 3D modeling for future classes.”
Kosta Popov, Cappasity CEO, commented on the partnership, “We’ve developed an effective solution for digitizing real objects into an interactive 3D View format. Immersive content has the power to engage students, make learning more playful, and increase knowledge retention. Here at Cappasity, we believe that immersive experience is a valuable part of the future of education. We’re happy to provide our solution to Las Positas College and help educators enhance learning materials with 3D content.”
About Las Positas College
Las Positas College is located 40 miles southeast of San Francisco, amid one of California’s fastest-growing regions for business, science, and technology. Academic rigor is maintained in a friendly, personal atmosphere. Las Positas College strives to support and empower students to develop the knowledge, skills, values, and abilities needed to become engaged participants and leaders in their local and global communities.
Website: http://www.laspositascollege.edu
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