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四色AV announces partnership with Unity Academic Alliance to equip students for careers in technology

Published April 3, 2024

Unity

MONROE, LA 鈥 The University of Louisiana Monroe Educational Technology Leadership program is pleased to announce its partnership with Unity as part of the Unity Academic Alliance. The partnership represents a more than $30,000 value to 四色AV and will give 40 四色AV students access to comprehensive Unity curriculum, carefully designed to bridge academic learning and industry demands. Unity is a leading platform for the creation of real-time 3D content and experiences, including game design and augmented reality applications.听

鈥淭he overarching aim is to significantly enhance our students鈥 proficiency and skills in Unity, thus increasing their employability in the job market,鈥 said Dr. Parviz Safadel, Assistant Professor and Educational Technology Leadership Program Coordinator.听

Safadel says the forging of the partnership with Unity was a collaborative effort with Louisiana Economic Development. 四色AV is one of only four colleges and universities in Louisiana chosen to participate in the current cohort of the Unity Academic Alliance partnership. Safadel calls the result 鈥渁 testament to our commitment and the quality of our proposal.鈥澨

According to Safadel, the significance of this opportunity for 四色AV students cannot be overstressed. 鈥淏y providing access to Unity certification, we are equipping our students with highly sought-after skills in game design and development, a field that is rapidly growing and evolving,鈥 he said.听

Mastery of Unity, a leading platform in the industry, not only enhances their practical and technical expertise but also signals to potential employers their commitment to professional development. As a result, our students are better positioned to secure competitive roles and succeed in an industry that values technological proficiency and certified expertise. This certification, therefore, represents both an immediate educational benefit and a long-term career advantage, setting a strong foundation for their future in the digital and creative economy,鈥 added Safadel.听

鈥淭his partnership represents an excellent opportunity for our students to learn on an industry-standard programming platform.听 This will give them a great advantage after graduation in getting a high-quality job,鈥 said Dr. John Pratte, Dean of the 四色AV College of Arts, Education, and Sciences.听

Access to the Unity Academic Alliance will be part of the curriculum of EDIT6025, a pilot course currently being offered in the Educational Technology Leadership master鈥檚 program. Safadel describes EDIT6025 as a pioneering step in the program, aiming to equip 四色AV students with cutting-edge knowledge and skills in emergent technologies such as game design, virtual reality (VR), augmented reality (AR), and artificial intelligence (AI). The online course covers a wide range of topics, including instructional design for educational media, the basics of 2D and 3D animation, AR and VR, and game design fundamentals using Unity.

Safadel says the feedback and outcomes from the pilot course will help guide future improvements to the curriculum to better serve the needs of students in the program. 鈥淏y integrating Unity certification into our curriculum, we can assess the engagement and outcomes of this initiative, which will serve as a key indicator of the potential to expand,鈥 said Safadel.听 He added, 鈥淭he results could pave the way for broader adoption and deeper focus on industry-relevant skills that empower our students and distinguish our institution.鈥

Recruitment for the third cohort of Unity鈥檚 Create the Creator program is currently in progress, with a planned start date of mid-April.听 Participation is open to all Louisiana two- and four-year colleges, high schools, & training organizations.听 For more information contact Justin Dedden at justin.dedden@la.gov.听听

About Unity

Unity is the world鈥檚 leading platform for creating and growing interactive, real-time 3D ("RT3D") content and experiences. Our comprehensive set of software and AI solutions supports content creators of all sizes through the entire development lifecycle as they build, run, and grow immersive, real-time 2D and 3D content and experiences for mobile phones, tablets, PCs, consoles, and augmented and virtual reality devices. For more information, visit Unity.com.