Dunwoody Brings VR Trade Courses to Six Districts
Dunwoody Immersive will pilot two VR-powered dual-credit skilled trades courses at six Minnesota schools this fall.
By Academic Writing Club Newsroom
Dunwoody College of Technology will pilot two college-level skilled trades courses at six Minnesota school districts and charter schools this fall through Dunwoody Immersive. The dual-credit program combines online coursework with mixed and virtual reality labs, allowing high school students to earn both high school and college credit without leaving campus. Its first 14- to 16-week courses, DC Circuit Fundamentals and Early Global Architecture, introduce pathways in advanced manufacturing, construction, robotics, and architecture. Dunwoody is using the program to widen access to technical education where physical labs and equipment can be too expensive for high schools.
Six Schools Join Pilot
The pilot will run at Edina Virtual Pathways, Eden Prairie Schools, Wayzata Public Schools, White Bear Lake School District, Avalon School, and Hermantown Community Schools. Students will use gamification, 2D and 3D visuals, and mixed and virtual reality labs and simulations as part of the coursework.
Scott Stallman, Ph.D., president of Dunwoody College of Technology, said:
“Dunwoody Immersive is an innovative solution to a problem that we've all been talking about for too long. By leveraging technology and partnering with industry, we can increase access and opportunity at a time when students are starting to explore their options.”
Addressing the Trades Gap
For every five workers who retire from manufacturing, construction and other skilled trades, only two replacements enter the workforce. By 2030, an estimated 2.1 million skilled trades jobs could go unfilled, according to the U.S. Department of Education. The program combines dual credit and PSEO with online learning while retaining applied instruction through virtual labs.
Cindy Olson, vice president of enrollment management at Dunwoody College of Technology, said:
“We built Dunwoody Immersive because a student's ZIP code shouldn't decide whether they get a shot at a high-paying career in the skilled trades. This closes that gap.”
College Learning on Campus
The courses are intended to let students try activities that would otherwise require a physical technical lab. Eden Prairie Schools is among the first partners offering the pilot.
Brad Hosack, chief operating officer of Dunwoody Immersive, said:
“Hands-on learning is central to the Dunwoody approach, and we wanted Immersive students to have that same experience. This isn't VR for the sake of VR. It's VR because it lets students safely try things they'd never get to do in a real lab.”
New Technical Education Pathways
Dunwoody Immersive launches this fall, supported by partners including Graco. For students considering a skilled trades degree, the pilot creates an early route into college-level technical study while they remain enrolled in high school.
