Assistant Professor Shadrick Addy recently presented his research at the ZIP-Scene Conference in Prague, Czech Republic, at the DOX: Centre for Contemporary Art. This year’s conference centered around the topic, “Dimensions of Empathy,” and put forward the questions: How Empathy and the Concept of Ethics Changed between the Holodeck and the Metaverse? How our trust and sense of criticism shapes the ways we understand old and novel interactive digital narratives? 

Addy’s presentation titled “Ethical Guidelines for Developing Meaningful VR Content for Social Impact" posits that as virtual reality continues to take root in education environments and design classrooms, it's essential that design educators prepare students to be good stewards of virtual reality technology. He states that a move away from existing practices that prioritize students’ consumption of VR content to hands-on approaches that prepare students to become creators of meaningful VR content becomes a necessary step. His research aims to contribute to the latter discourse by proposing ethical considerations and approaches that can serve as a guideline for course projects that focus on designing immersive virtual experiences, especially those that emphasize social impact.