Welcome! 

SimHub™ is an initiative of the University Center of Greenville. This immersive technology center is a place where faculty and students can interact with immersive technologies of the 21st century to research and develop their teaching and learning functions. SimHub™ includes technologies for virtual worlds, augmented reality, simulation, and serious gaming. Our purpose is to not only keep pace with current technology, but to share the cost of exposure to these technologies.

We want to help faculty become digital learners, so that they can better serve the generation of digital natives that are our future students.  One of the ways that SimHub ™ is making a difference is by providing yearly mini-grants to start tech-based projects and providing tech-support to fulfill projects.

Why?

We have a generation of “digital natives” arriving at school and these levels of technology and access are their standards. Many educators are “digital immigrants” and are having to adjust their concept of what learning means. SimHub™ will serve as a demonstration and development site to bridge that gap through technology.

We are exploring four avenues of immersive technologies for teaching and learning. These avenues are simulations, virtual worlds, augmented reality, and serious gaming.

Simulations:  We are currently hosting two types of simulators. The first is an actual life size computerized “patient” which the Nursing Department  uses to teach and train rising RN’s at the University of South Carolina Upstate .

The second simulator is called the TeachME simulator. It’s used in teacher training for classroom management purposes.This was developed by the University of Central Florida and we link to them for operations and live sessions. –We can schedule a live demonstration upon request.

Virtual Worlds:  We are currently involved with several virtual world platforms to include AET Zone, Teleplace, Secondlife, and OpenSim.

Augmented Reality:   So, what is augmented reality?  Augmented reality basically fuses digital information with real time to enhance perception.  A good example is the down line that you see on in a football game. Its visible only on TV. In reality the down line is not going across the football field there is a set of sensors creating this image.

Serious Gaming:   Why serious? Well serious is used to describe any use of gaming that has a real world application. We want to connect faculty using games as well as help other faculty to develop games. World of Warcraft is being used by a group of faculty at Clemson University in their communication classes.

 -Plug in to a new Reality!