Dubai: New Media Academy launches campus on space station around Mars

Dubai - Virtual campus gives users chance to explore Martian surface.

This campus is out of this world. Literally.

Dubai’s New Media Academy has announced a virtual campus that’s on a space station in orbit around Mars.

The campus is a custom New Media Academy-branded space station and users will be given the experience to transport down to the surface of Mars to explore.

Rashid Al Awadhi, CEO of the New Media Academy, said: “Virtual Reality (VR) and immersive technologies are shaping the learning experience of tomorrow. It is not a moment; it is a permanent movement. With the extensive set of tools that comes with immersive learning, accessibility becomes a possibility and is the next best thing to real life.

“Students become active participants in an elevated educational process with exceptional multi-sensory 3D experiences where they can interact with objects and each other. VR is not simply a supplement for other learning solutions — it is the future. Our students have access to the highest quality education, supported by the world’s best educators.”

The New Media Academy was launched by His Highness Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice-President and Prime Minister of the UAE and Ruler of Dubai, in June 2020 to “foster a new generation of Arab content creation professionals with limitless ambition”.

The launch event included a conversation between the participants, and Charlie Fink, immersive and virtual reality technology specialist and Forbes columnist.

Fink said: “Virtual and immersive reality applications have proven highly efficient in keeping pace with the rapid changes that our world has witnessed during the past year in terms of learning, work and communication systems. Today, immersive and integrated virtual reality experiences can enhance the flexibility of business, education, training and healthcare sectors, and ensure that we communicate under any circumstances, benefiting from digital tools and solutions.”

The academy has developed its new virtual campus built upon ENGAGE, the multi-awarding winning platform from industry-leading development studio Immersive VR Education (IVRE).

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Through digital masterclasses, the New Media Academy provides a broad range of career-oriented educational programmes to nurture social media content creators.

The academy aims to improve the youth's career prospects and enable them to lead as digital citizens in the new economy.

• Dubai