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Advancing ethical communication in VR and AR
The
Virtual and Augmented Reality Communication Lab (VARC) houses state-of-the-art equipment for virtual and augmented reality. At the VARC Lab, we want to help people learn how to effectively and ethically communicate in VR and AR.
The lab is a space for students and faculty to experience VR/AR technology firsthand and explore how these tools impact society, culture, media and interpersonal relationships.
At the VARC Lab, we:
- Engage with research that leverages VR and AR technology
- Support courses at DePaul that make use of VR and AR in the classroom
- Offer classes and workshops for DePaul students and communication professionals
The intersection of VR/AR and communication
At the College of Communication, we’re interested in exploring how communication and technology intersect, including how we use tools to communicate. The VARC Lab helps communication researchers explore topics like:
- How virtual reality communication affects
real-life friendships and romantic partnerships
- How augmented reality
adjusts our interaction with other people within real-world locations as a function of technology
- How
news stories reported in virtual reality are changing the way people receive their news
- How VR or AR affects someone’s
perception of advertising messages
- How our
cultural understanding of mass communication changes as new technologies develop
VARC Lab Location & Hours
Location
Center for Communication Engagement
14 E. Jackson Blvd., Room 111-112 (First floor, opposite the Jackson elevators)
Available for booking by contacting Professor Paul Booth at pbooth@depaul.edu. For current schedule, DePaul users click here.
Request VARC Lab Equipment
The VARC Lab has multiple brands of VR/AR headsets (Meta Pro, Meta Quest 2, Meta Quest 1, HTV Vive Focus Plus, Microsoft Hololens 2) and 360 cameras available to check out for teaching or research purposes. For more information, contact Professor Paul Booth at pbooth@depaul.edu.
Meet the VARC Lab team
Professor Paul Booth leads the VARC Lab. Get in touch with him to see how you can get involved.
Paul Booth is a professor of
Media and Cinema Studies in the College of Communication at DePaul. He teaches and researches how audiences embrace new technologies to generate emotional connections to media texts, as well as the role that new technologies play in ongoing media franchises.