Hart District’s Board is soon to debate implementing the costly devices
Hart District Union School District will discuss the possibility of leasing 69 virtual reality headsets from Transfr.
The US school district is look to add 69 headsets to support extended day and summer career experience courses by improving access to VR equipment for all students, including the ‘underrepresented’.
This will allow them to explore various career options and learn critical job skills in a safe and engaging setting.
It is no small price tag for the VR loan, however, as the purchase order shared online demonstrates with the final bill coming to a staggering $785,722 for a two-year lease of the headsets with ‘all access’.
William S. Hart Union High School District also published its reasoning behind adding VR headset :
“Integration of additional equipment (69 units) will enable daytime, extended day, and summer Career Technical Education Career Experience courses.
“This will increase the accessibility of equipment used for all students, especially the underrepresented, to explore diverse career options and develop essential job skills in a supportive, safe, and engaging environment.
“Additionally, these headsets will be used by students participating in the summer English Learner Newcomer Program and afterschool Career Technical Education opportunity programs in Patient Care and Public Service.”
Transfr VR
Transfr explains on its website that students can explore a long list of career from key industries, including architecture and construction, health sciences, manufacturing, law, transportation, hospitality, finance, agriculture, arts, Information Technology, and many more.
It provides an 8-week curriculum with lesson plans, handouts, instructional guides, and slides to assist students’ VR exploration into all of its learning programs.
A virtual coach will guide students through the educational simulations, offering background context about the career.
Students can track their interest in each career on their own dashboard to help them remember which parts did and did not appeal to them.
According to the school district, the Transfr headsets will be used by the Career and College Readiness Department at career readiness events to teach students about career options and to bolster marketing for District Career Technical Education pathway programs.
The Career and College Readiness Department will also work with Career Visions and the Special Education Department to give students the ability to learn about career readiness opportunities.
District Work Exploration teachers will receive help to install the equipment in their classrooms.
The VR solutions provider, Transfr, outlined its primary goal of paving the way from ‘classroom-to-careers’ and the role its partners play:
“Transfr’s mission is to connect people with untapped potential to their unique pathways into well-paying jobs in high-growth industries.
“Our partnerships extend across the entire United States, encompassing education, industry, and nonprofit organizations — including over 150 workforce boards!
“Equipped with immersive VR career exploration and skills training simulations, workforce development boards are helping educate, inform, and train people for tomorrow’s opportunities.
“These partner organizations help job seekers from all walks of life discover their own career pathways and get into high-demand jobs with upward mobility.”
Earlier this month, CareerViewXR entered a $9.9 million contract via a partnership with Bismarck State College (BSC) and the U.S. Department of Education’s Disability Innovation Fund (DIF) to deploy XR learning solutions for youth and adults with disabilities in North Dakota.
In February this year, the same educational VR provider CareerView spearheaded a statewide initiative to deliver 300 HTC VIVE VR headsets to schools in North Dakota.
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