Office of Academic Engagement (OAE) | Division of Academic Engagement and Student Achievement

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Academic Mentoring in VR

September 3, 2021 Daniel Rieck

At this year’s summer bridge program, Cougs Rise mentors tried out for the first time the VR environment in which they will be meeting with high schoolers.

WSU is using the immersive digital environment of virtual reality to connect high schoolers with mentors to help prepare them for college. “Using cutting-edge technology, we’re using immersive VR experiences to engage in simulated environments that give the sense that the students—or actually their avatars—are meeting in person with their WSU student mentors,” said Ray Acuña-Luna, director of College Access Programs in the Office of Academic Engagement.

PULLMAN, Wash.—Wearing white virtual reality (VR) headsets, high schoolers from across the state will connect this fall to Washington State University students—not to play 3D games but to develop academic skills and build the confidence necessary to succeed in college.

“Using cutting-edge technology, we’re using immersive VR experiences to engage in simulated environments that give the sense that the students—or actually their avatars—are meeting in person with their WSU student mentors,” said Ray Acuña-Luna, director of College Access Programs in the Office of Academic Engagement (OAE). It is part of the Division for Academic Engagement and Student Achievement (DAESA).

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WSU OAE, HBM Programs Host Cooking Class about College

May 10, 2021 Daniel Rieck

Jamie Callison, Hospitality and Business Management executive chef and director of the Marriott Foundation Hospitality and Culinary Innovation Center, prepares a pizza in Todd Hall’s commercial kitchen.

What do you get when you make pizza, pumpkin-chocolate chip muffins, and ice cream all on a Saturday? Plates and bowls of deliciousness plus an introduction to college-level science, if you are a lucky high-schooler who attended a virtual cooking class hosted by Washington State University’s Office of Academic Engagement and the School of Hospitality Business Management. For three hours, dozens of OAE student participants across the state followed along in their own home kitchens while three HBM instructors in chef’s whites worked in front of cameras set up throughout Todd Hall’s commercial kitchen in the Carson College of Business.

PULLMAN, Wash.—What do you get when you make pizza, pumpkin-chocolate chip muffins, and ice cream all on a Saturday? Plates and bowls of deliciousness plus an introduction to college-level science, if you are a lucky high-schooler who attended a virtual cooking class hosted by Washington State University’s Office of Academic Engagement (OAE) and the School of Hospitality Business Management (HBM).

For three hours, dozens of OAE student participants across the state followed along in their own home kitchens while three HBM instructors in chef’s whites worked in front of cameras set up throughout Todd Hall’s commercial kitchen in the Carson College of Business. OAE is part of the Division of Academic Engagement and Student Achievement (DAESA) in the Office of the Provost and Executive Vice President.

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