Public procurement of immersive technology for educational purposes

Public procurement of immersive technology

Immersive technology has many promising uses. In education, a user can step into a three-dimensional world that provides interactive practice elements. The pedagogical elements can imitate reality in a credible way and make more education available regardless of time and place. It is also possible to practice the elements repeatedly with less use of resources. A prerequisite for achieving this is that there are suppliers who can create the content for this 3D world and deliver the technology to the users in a sufficiently smooth and economically sustainable way.

In this project, we want to explore how immersive technology can be used in academic undergraduate education leading to a veterinary degree, as well as for further education and training of people working with official controls in connection with slaughter and game handling. To achieve this, the technology needs to be procured. In simple terms, procurement is a wheel with three parts. The first part is about preparing the procurement. The second part is about carrying out the procurement and the third part is about evaluating the procurement and then starting again. Our project is a feasibility study where the focus is mainly on the first part of the procurement wheel where technology, organization and policy are at the center. The following research questions have been identified:

 Technology: How advanced is the technology, which suppliers are available, what does the technology cost and how can it be used for training purposes for this purpose (hardware and software)? How can the technology meet the organization's needs based on functional requirements or technical requirements? How to ensure that the technology is effective and safe to use on equal terms for women and men? How can the requirements be set without it becoming obsolete due to rapid technological development? IT security also needs to be investigated as the data is Class 2.

Organisation: What needs do the authorities have that can be met with immersive technology, e.g. based on resilience? Which parts of the agency's organisation need to be activated? How are the requirements for obtaining a degree and syllabi affected when transitioning to immersive technology, i.e. abolishing or changing the requirement for physical presence in a certain place? How to ensure maintained quality in education during the transition to immersive technology? Are there other options to meet the needs of the authorities?

Policy/regulations: What rules apply to immersive technology? Is it possible to switch to digital teaching instead of physical teaching? Which procurement procedure is appropriate? What can the content of the procurement documentation look like based on conditions, criteria and requirements? Immersive technology means that issues of personal integrity/ethics and how data sharing should be done need to be investigated. How to manage risks, e.g. based on cyber security and requirements for a good work environment? How can different elements possibly be recorded and saved in different systems for examination?