What Is Programming? And How To Get Started
January 28, 2025
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This course is part of Virtual Reality Specialization
Instructors: Prof Sylvia Xueni Pan
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This course will introduce you to Virtual Reality (VR). The course will teach you everything from the basics of VR- the hardware and the history of VR- to different applications of VR, the psychology of Virtual Reality, and the challenges of the medium.
The course is designed for people who are new to VR as a medium. You may have experienced some virtual reality before, and may have some hardware- but this course is suitable to individuals who have never experienced VR and those who do not have much hardware- we will explain Mobile VR as well as devices such as the Oculus Rift and HTC Vive. Introduction to Virtual Reality is the first course in the Virtual Reality Specialisation. A learner with no previous experience in Virtual Reality and/or game programming will be able to evaluate existing VR applications, and design, test, and implement their own VR experiences/games using Unity by the end of the specialisation.
In this week, we’ll cover the basics of VR. We’ll start by sharing a definition of Virtual Reality, and exploring VR hardware, and then you’ll see demonstrations of a range of VR Head Mounted Devices. In the latter part of the week, you will hear more about the history of Virtual Reality and finish the week by drafting your ideas for a VR application.
15 videos7 readings1 assignment4 discussion prompts
This week, you’ll learn more about the different applications of VR- from news and documentaries, to sports, therapy, and games. You will also learn more about the VR Technical Framework, and will have the opportunity to share your thoughts on VR applications with your peers.
9 videos7 readings1 assignment1 peer review2 discussion prompts
In this week, Professor Mel Slater will take us through the Three Illusions. We’ll discuss Place Illusion, Plausibility Illusion, and Embodiment Illusion, with some interesting tricks along the way!
22 videos4 readings1 assignment4 discussion prompts
7 videos3 readings1 assignment1 peer review1 discussion prompt
We asked all learners to give feedback on our instructors based on the quality of their teaching style.
Instructor ratings
We asked all learners to give feedback on our instructors based on the quality of their teaching style.
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Specialization
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Reviewed on May 3, 2021
According to me, it was a wonderful introduction to the medium of VR and the topics discussed surely help establish a strong base to ground my applications on, in the future.
Reviewed on Aug 13, 2020
This course is very beneficial for anyone who want to gain knowledge in VR (virtual Reality).And I feel that now I have more knowledge,more Idea about in this VR field :)
Reviewed on Jun 28, 2020
Excellent Course. This course will make you understand the Virtual Reality Concept and developments in the field so far. The use cases explained helped a lot to understand the concepts.
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