XR Through Virtual Worlds

Extending Reality Through Virtual Worlds is a two-week program that introduces high-school students to the fundamentals of designing and developing augmented reality (AR) experiences with a focus on developing basic applications and games.

Learn to build creative, useful, and engaging AR experiences of your own design! Gain basic skills in AR development using cutting edge tools and platforms. Apart from learning how to develop basic AR applications or games, you’ll also learn core concepts and principles in creating interesting and immersive user experiences (UX), and user-friendly interfaces (UI), as well as be exposed to the exciting applications of AR in our everyday lives, in professional practice and industry, and in research.

By the end of this course, students should be well prepared for a transition into taking undergraduate STEM majors in college.Students who are interested in pursuing careers in UX or UI design, game development, human-computer interaction (HCI), or in digital art practice, will find this course ideal as an introduction to these fields.

How to Apply

Eligible applicants will be high school students currently enrolled in grades 9, 10, or 11 who have successfully complete Algebra 2 (or equivalent) and have had some computer programming experience (in any language). Competitive applicants will have a minimum 3.0 GPA or equivalent.

To apply, submit the online application, which includes the following components:

Questions related to your personal and academic information
High school transcript
Four Short Essay Responses
International students are required to submit proof of English language proficiency

Areas of Study

The Tools of AR

Students will start by learning the different ways to do AR, with a focus on marker and markerless (non-location specific) AR, the advantages and disadvantages of different tools and platforms, the applications of AR in software and game development, and work in basic tools for creating some initial AR prototypes like Blippar. They will also learn about where to find, and how to use, free, open-source, pre-designed assets like 3-D models and sound and video content.

Developing AR Applications in Unity

Students will learn how to set up the workspace and developing applications in Unity using ARCore as the SDK, working with pre-designed visual and sound assets, tying their virtual assets to real world objects or locations, giving users options and choices through menus and other forms of interfaces and interactions, embedding online and media content, and finally, deploying your application or game for mobile devices and the web.

User Experience (UX)

Students will be exposed to best practices in user experience (UX) and user interface (UI) design, exploring how to identify potential gaps or needs in the market and use research to inform their designs, discussing how to make their applications user-friendly, intuitive, and accessible through core design principles, and to how to do user-testing so that they can verify the usability of what they make. An understanding of programming or 2D art asset creation is not necessary for this course.

Student Life

Students attend classes Monday-Friday and have scheduled time each day to work independently and collaboratively on daily assignments and weekly projects designed to give them a solid foundation of the principles and tools used to build AR games and applications.

Outside of class, students can take advantage of on-campus activities and events organized for NYU’s summer high school students, where they can connect with students from around the world that share their academic interests and intellectual curiosity. Students can also take advantage of organized field trips to NYC attractions, like Broadway, Yankee Stadium, and museums.

XR Through Virtual Worlds is an in-person program that takes place at the NYU Tandon School of Engineering in downtown Brooklyn, New York.. Students can elect to live on-campus in one of our residence halls along with other high school program students, or commute to classes and program activities.

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FAQs

Is there a minimum GPA requirement?

The GPA requirement is a minimum 3.0 or equivalent.

When are applications due?

Applications are accepted on a rolling basis; preferred May 31st deadline.

Who are the teachers? What are their qualifications?

Our programs are overseen by Tandon faculty, and we recruit current engineering and computer science students to serve alongside these experts as teachers and mentors. Every classroom will have a minimum of one graduate student instructor, and at least one additional instructor will be assigned to each class of (maximum) 24 students.

Program Dates (Choose One):

Session 1:
Orientation June 16; Program June 20 - June 30

Session 2:
Orientation July 7; Program July 10 - July 21

Session 3:
Orientation July 28; Program July 31 - August 11

Cost
$2,500 Tuition
$100 Materials fee
$100 Events fee
$610 Housing (optional)
$360 Meal Plan (optional)

Credits
Non-credit

Contact
k12.stem@nyu.edu

Application Deadline
April 20 - Application closes for Preferred Sessions
(otherwise on a rolling basis til 5/1)

XR Through Virtual Worlds

How to Apply

Areas of Study

Student Life

FAQs

Apply Now

Visit XR Through Virtual Worlds Website