Dr. Hutson is a highly accomplished academic leader, researcher, and consultant with expertise in the areas of art history, visual culture, and XR technologies. He earned his BA in Art from the University of Tulsa, an MA in Art History from Southern Methodist University, and a PhD in Art History from the University of Maryland, College Park. Currently, he serves as the Department Head of Art History and Visual Culture at Lindenwood University in Saint Charles, MO, where he oversees curriculum development and student advising. In addition, he holds the role of XR Disruptor, focusing on integrating XR technologies into teaching and learning environments. Dr. Hutson is an active researcher and scholar, with a focus on the exchange between art, theory, and the nature of beauty from 1400-1700, as well as the integration of immersive realities and gamification of education. Overall, he is committed to advancing the field of art history and visual culture through innovative and engaging teaching, research, and outreach.Lindenwood University is currently operationalizing a game and educational game design studio to help create original bespoke experiences for different areas of the curriculum.The school is also in the process of scaling out its XR Vision Task Force to train more people in how to create and use XR experiences for educational purposes.The importance of demonstrating VR technology to those who are unfamiliar with it – in order to show them the potential applications and benefits.The potential for VR to be used as an educational tool – to improve engagement, memory retention, and motivation, and to provide experiences that would otherwise be out of reach.The importance of considering the age and background of those using VR when selecting demos or applications.The potential of VR for education is great for a wide range of learning outcomes.Social anxiety disorder ASD and or just social awkwardness in general. Find it much easier to skip past right that awkward initial getting to know you phase in class and immediately move on to content and discussing the meat of something.Industry is It is a partner that's often overlooked and education. That was certainly would recommend others look into in, You know, Do you have these if you're institution, doesn't have, you know, a strong, XR lab, you know, Game Design Department, or a strong computer science department, that maybe it would be housed in then, you know, reaching out, What are the XR companies near you locally, You know? So start start building connections reach out and say, Hey, you know, we're an educational partner.The importance of having low-cost hardware and software available for educational institutions to adopt VR/XR technology on a wide scale.The need for an enterprise system to manage and control the educational apps being used in VR/XR.The importance of involving the IT department in the VR/XR adoption process.The importance of building an educational application database that is searchable.The potential for using NFTs in games to teach English composition and grammar.The importance of educators becoming learning facilitators instead of experts.The importance of AI and XR in the future of educationThe potential for AI to generate movies and 3D environmentsThe need for responsible and ethical thinking when it comes to technology and AIThe Lindenwood Virtual Reality database: https://lindenwood.libguides.com/c.php?g=1117609&p=8266165
Lindenwood's Introduction to Immersive Realities for Educators: https://www.lindenwood.edu/files/resources/ir-for-educators-6-18-21.pdf
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