Virtual Reality

New STEM Solutions Offer VR Experiences

• By Sri Ravipati
• 10/10/16

Pitsco Education, a provider of K–12 STEM solutions, and zSpace, a technology firm that creates virtual reality (VR) systems, have teamed up to introduce a VR software and curricula that teach STEM topics to students in grades 7–9.

STEM Expeditions encourages students to investigate real-world problems through the engineering design process: ask, imagine, plan, create and improve. The curricula fosters collaboration and critical thinking skills for students by having them work together to solve challenges that involve story-based scenarios, student portfolios, logbooks and hands-on activities. Additionally, teachers are provided with assessments and digital grading rubrics to measure student progress.

Through the partnership, Pitsco’s cloud-based STEM Expeditions now feature a zSpace add-on, creating a VR environment for 26 of its 28 units. Titles include “Beyond Earth,” “Building Bridges,” “Cultivating Our Future” and “Fueling the Future.”

Tuffree Middle School in Placentia, CA, was one of the first schools to test the combo product in a lab. "The heart in zSpace was amazing to be able to twist and turn it," Robert McLeish, a teacher, told Pitsco. "I could literally dive into it and fly through it and feel it pulse."

To learn about pricing and other information, visit the Pitsco Education site.