NGRAIN Innovation Studio opens at BCIT
New leading-edge teaching space allows trades and technology training to go “3D”
BURNABY, BC — February 7, 2008 — At today’s official opening of the NGRAIN Innovation Studio at the Burnaby campus of the British Columbia Institute of Technology (BCIT), instructors and students interacted with helicopter rotators, water pumps and landing gear – all in 3D images on computer screens.
NGRAIN, a BC-based company that provides 3D visualization and simulation solutions for training and maintenance on complex equipment, is supporting BCIT’s Technology-Enabled Knowledge (“TEK”) initiative by providing the institute with software and 3D models valued at more than $2 million. BCIT students in automotive, engineering, construction, and aerospace programs, as well as other areas of applied learning, will be able to practice complex procedures through 3D simulations.
“Knowledge objects created using NGRAIN products will further enhance the quality of BCIT’s trades and technology curricula,” says Chris Golding, BCIT’s vice president, learning and technology services. “Our students will experience a new level of realism as they interact with complex systems and equipment anytime, anywhere.”
The NGRAIN Innovation Studio, located in building NE1, will help BCIT’s instructors explore new technologies and implement them in their teaching. The Studio is a specially designed space where instructors and students can learn and experiment with educational technology in a flexible environment. It includes smart display technologies that include two data projectors and screens, a document camera, interactive monitor, sound system, and touch pad control system, a lectern with computer, provision to connect a laptop, and wireless access.
“NGRAIN is pleased to provide BCIT with 3D products and technology that will help advance its trades and technology curriculum,” says Paul Lindahl, CEO of NGRAIN. “3D content supplements traditional learning techniques and enables interactive learning, where students can visualize, manipulate, and modify 3D models. This unlimited ‘learn by doing’ method not only helps eliminate the need for physical equipment – which is often costly and not readily available – it has also been proven to increase retention rates and make the learning process more compelling.”
BCIT’s TEK Initiative is a five-year project to enhance teaching and learning at BCIT through the strategic use of technology. Through TEK, BCIT intends to continue its leadership role in the use of advanced educational and information technologies to provide its students with a world-class technical training curriculum. As a result, BCIT students will be better prepared to enter the workforce with the best skills. NGRAIN is a lead donor to the TEK Initiative.
Commercially available since 2003, NGRAIN’s 3D solutions run on standard PCs, laptops, tablets and PDA devices, and are optimized for distribution over the internet. NGRAIN’s products are widely used in the defense, aerospace, and energy market and have been proven to train up to 60 percent faster.