Speed09-Remote Learning Inside the Virtual Carson Center and Mozilla Hubs

When COVID-19 closed the Carson Center's doors at 13th and Q Streets, the virtual Carson Center's doors opened inside Mozilla Hubs. Seizing the pandemic as an opportunity to try alternative remote learning platforms, Carson Center faculty Ash Smith, Jesse Fleming, Anna Henson, and creative technologist-in-residence Ben Kreimer have been meeting classes in Mozilla Hubs, including inside a virtual Carson Center. A free, open-source and browser-based virtual-world for social experiences, Hubs works on computers, mobile devices, and virtual reality headsets. Users embody avatars and can explore 3D environments, walk up and talk to other people/avatars, and speak to groups, providing a virtual social experience akin to face-to-face in-person interaction. By importing images, videos, text, audio, and 3D models, faculty and students have used Hubs for world-building, user experience design exercises, live action role-playing, and other remote learning experiences. The virtual Carson Center also hosted the Spring 2020 Open Studios event, where students created 3D environments to present their work, and interacted with visitors from around the nation and world. The Carson Center panelists will show how they have used Mozilla Hubs for remote learning, and show participants how they can use the platform for teaching, social interaction, and events.