First Year Directions (FYD)-Student

Student Instructions

Step 1: Complete the Consent Form and Pre-Survey

• Consent Form
Write down the code you are given at the end as you will need it throughout this experience.

• Pre-Survey
Before diving into the VR experience, it is crucial that you fill out the pre-survey. This helps us understand your starting point. 

Step 2: Reserve a VR Headset

If you're not performing the VR component in your FYD class, you can do one of the following:

     1.  Reserve a spot in the XR Community Lab

     2. Reserve a Quest 3 Headset

You can pick up the headset from the XR Community Lab, located on the 3rd Floor of the Richter Library.

Step 3: Get Started with the VR Experience

To begin, watch this video above that will help you navigate the VR FYD experience. You can also just read through the instructions below to get you started. If you run into trouble, don't hesitate to email Thomas Merrick: txm2025@miami.edu.

Step 4: Complete the Post-Survey

Once you’ve finished the VR experience, please go back to the website and fill out the post-survey to let us know you’ve completed the assignment. You can access the post-survey here.

By following these steps, you’ll fully immerse yourself in the FYD experience and complete your VR assignments successfully. Enjoy exploring the UMverse!

Additional Instructions to Explore the UM Verse (if necessary)

• Turn on your Quest 3 headset by pressing the button on the left side.
• Give it a minute to load, and once the application menu appears, you’ll find yourself inside the
   UMverse room.
• You’ll see a list of applications that you can explore.

Explore the FYD Application

• We encourage you to explore all the applications, but please start with the FYD application.
• Point and shoot with your controllers to open it.

Navigate Through the Virtual Campus

• You’ll be transported to a virtual model of the center of campus, a familiar place for many of you.
• Move through the space in one of two ways:
     - Use the joystick on your left controller to move slowly.
     - Teleport by holding down the right joystick, then releasing it to jump to your desired spot.

Explore the UMverse Room

Within this virtual space, there are several activities to try:

Exiting the Experience

If you wish to leave the VR experience:

• Point and shoot the exit option, or
• Double-click and hold the Meta icon on your right controller.
• Alternatively, you can simply take off the headset.

About FYD

In the First Year Directions (FYD) Project, we embark on a groundbreaking initiative designed to expose every incoming student at the University of Miami to immersive technologies. This community experience is tightly integrated into our first-year directions curriculum, which teaches students how to transition into our academic community successfully. As part of this endeavor, we are constructing a virtual experience of the University of Miami's campus that will allow first-year students to preview their future as students at the University of Miami through the lens of virtual reality. 

Students will be able to virtually tour research laboratories, gain insights into athletic programs, attend virtual concerts and plays, and more. Moreover, they will have the unique opportunity to interact with award-winning applications developed at the University, such as Mangrove City and Rescue a Reef. We expect 1,700 students to participate in the first year with the objective of familiarizing every freshman at UM with cutting-edge technologies and inspiring a cultural shift towards early adoption and normalization of these technologies in their university journey. The goal is to have all 2,300 admitted students have an immersive experience, familiarizing them with emerging technologies by year two.