Butte College
News Announcement

Butte College Receives Grant to Start Virtual Innovation Center

Butte College has been awarded a five year grant of technology and software products and services from EON Reality. The grant will launch a virtual Innovation Center across multiple disciplines at Butte College, enhancing programs and learning modalities with virtual and augmented reality software. EON Reality provides augmented and virtual reality (AR/VR) for academic and industry training solutions. The College plans to launch its first phase of the Innovation Center and EON Reality platform during the Fall 2021 semester, while also forming a coalition of multiple California Community Colleges that will collaborate on this project.  The EON Reality platform, known as EON-XR, is accessible through a free app available on all mobile devices, laptops and PCs, and will offer students the opportunity to experience real-world, immersive learning environments through extended and augmented reality (XR) technology, according to Daniel Donnelly, Butte College Chair of Art/Digital Art and Design.

“With XR technology, student courses can include virtual visits to locations around the world, as well as the ability to manipulate 3D objects and create virtual learning spaces. Students will be able to virtually take apart, examine and rebuild almost anything, from a computer motherboard to a car engine to a human heart. XR lessons also will offer opportunities to project on-screen items into real world environments, and use x-ray-like vision to see inside objects and engage with a live labeling and testing functions to help students better learn and understand complex concepts,” said Donnelly. “In a benefit to the community, all of the XR curriculum developed over the next five years by Butte College and the coalition of colleges, in partnership with EON Reality, will be available and accessible to anyone with the free EON-XR app.”

Phase one of Butte’s EON-XR roll-out will initially impact 5,000 course seats, and 750 industry internship licenses that will be shared among the coalition of colleges. XR immersive learning will be made available to students across Butte College’s programs such as Health Sciences, Information Technology, Art and Design, Automotive, Makerspace, and advanced Manufacturing, as well as several general education courses.  Eventually, extended and augmented reality experiences will be used in Butte College degree programs across multiple disciplines, and growth plans include expanding into the use of virtual reality, with students using VR goggles to enhance learning.

“Butte College embraces new technologies that contribute to an ever-evolving educational system, and to the constantly changing needs and expectations of our students,” said Virginia Guleff, Butte College Vice President, Office of Instruction.  “We are looking forward to incorporating augmented reality into our curriculum and programs, and making this resource accessible to every student with a cell phone or laptop.”

EON Reality selected Butte College for the company’s five-year grant of goods, services and equipment after an extensive assessment of the College’s curriculum design, faculty readiness and online learning expertise.  The project provides Butte College, and other colleges within the coalition, with free access to all of EON Reality’s technology and services related to a five-year roll-out of the EON-XR platform.

“While many of our efforts have been focused on expanding EON-XR around the world, it’s always nice to be able to provide the same top-notch solutions to a new partner. By working with Butte College and the coalition of colleges, we know that we’ll be able to positively influence students. This is truly EON Reality’s opportunity to help teach and train the future of California’s workforce,” said Dan Lejerskar, EON Reality founder. 

About Butte College

Butte College serves approximately 15,000 students a year and is an accredited community college located just 75 miles north of Sacramento. Butte College offers a quality education and over 200 certificate, transfer, and degree programs. Students can earn associate’s degrees, train for career options, or take general education classes to transfer to a CSU, UC, or private university. The College also offers degrees with guaranteed transfer to California State Universities—with 32 Associate in Arts for Transfer and Associate in Science for Transfer degrees.

For more information, contact Daniel Donnelly, Butte College EON Reality grant project manager: 530-521-9159 • donnellyda@yilunjianshe.com

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