Given the scale of the first cohort of 230 students, the current student-to-faculty ratios at VinUniversity is 6:1 which is an ideal ratio being maintained by many of the world’s leading universities. This advantage has enabled VinUniversity students to easily access more opportunities for orientation, support and advising from various Professors and faculty members towards tailoring their own path for personal growth. Simultaneously, students are also encouraged to actively participate in scientific researches and articles for journal publication with their Professors and faculty members at VinUniversity, who are highly experienced in conducting researches and working at many global leading universities. There are nearly 20 research projects currently under execution at VinUniversity by its own professors and faculty members with the participation of a large number of first-year students. Our #Research@VinUni article series will in turn unfold numerous exciting research topics by our Professor, Faculty members and especially our first-year students at VinUniversity.

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Virtual Reality (VR) Technology is a newly emerging field with remarkable potentials for further development and integration into multiple industries such as medicine, engineering, education,… Acknowledging the VR’s significance, Professor Pham Ngoc Nam (PhD.) – Vice Dean of College of Engineering and Computer Science at VinUniversity has launched his scientific research on “Building virtual classroom and virtual interaction models via VR” along with the College’s freshmen: Lai Dac Tien, Nguyen Dai Nghia, Pham Quoc Trung, Ngo An Ha Trang and Nguyen Tiet Nguyen Khoi. The project aims to create a platform for online meeting just as Zoom or Teams, and at the same times resolving these platform’s shortcomings of limited interaction. Thanks to VR technology, users can now experience elevated interactions with virtual objects while overcoming the limitation of physical distance for effectively enhanced online education.

During the research, VinUniversity students in their research assistant roles are responsible for programming compatible 360 degree video display for computer and mobile devices, conducting research on sensational feedback for virtual interaction, etc. Subsequently, the students discuss the tasks’ progressing during their weekly group meeting. Nguyen Dai Nghia, first year student of Computer Science major and a member of the research team said: “Taking part in scientific researches since the freshman year is quite challenging as my experience and expertise have not been adequately substantial. To keep up with the progress and the required quality of work, I had to self-study and constantly improve my knowledge. This process eventually facilitates each team member’s invaluable experience of real study – real practice and contributes towards our stronger understanding and faster problem solving.”

Participating in the development of a highly potential project and getting hands-on experience on VR experimenting, Nghia and his research team members expressed utmost fascination about the beyond-expectation learning where they gained a strong understanding of not only conventional research procedures but also about the expertise on VR technology. We look forward to seeing Professor Pham Ngoc Nam along with this dedicated assistants successfully applying VR technology to the virtual classroom model to optimize the experience of online education in the near future.