Virtual campus tours, smart glasses, and interactive games were among the technologies showcased as the Faculty of Information and Communication Studies (FICS) welcomed educators from Japan’s Nihon Fukushi University (NFU) to the University of the Philippines Open University (UPOU) on 25 August 2026. 

The NFU delegation was composed of Prof. Shinichi Sato, Dean of the Faculty of Global Studies, and Mr. Maro Kimizuka, a teacher at the Nihon Fukushi University Affiliated High School. They were welcomed by FICS Dean Dr. Roberto B. Figueroa, Jr. and members of the ISCOLab team at the Digital Futures Hub.

(From left) Mr. Antoni Ernest Paul Mercado, Mr. John Alain Orbe, Dr. Roberto B. Figueroa, Mr. Maro Kimizuka, Prof. Shinichi Sato,  Ms. Maria Andrea Bodaño, Asst. Prof. Mary Kristene Clariño and Ms. Hannah Gabrielle Macaldo during the delegation’s visit to ISCOLab.

During the visit, the ISCOLab team introduced its work through an interactive presentation and series of hands-on technology demonstrations. Rather than simply showing new gadgets, the activities demonstrated how immersive technologies such as virtual reality (VR) and augmented reality (AR) can be used to create experiences that allow people to learn, explore, and interact with the world in new ways.

Among the projects presented was the UPOU Virtual Reality (VR) Tour, which allows users to navigate and explore the UPOU environment virtually. The team also demonstrated SeeKD, an educational virtual reality experience focused on kidney health; Stride, a fitness companion that overlays a user’s running metrics in their line of sight during a workout session; and BinitBetter, a gamified VR application set in the UP OUverse that promotes proper waste segregation and environmental sustainability practices.

The demonstrations were led by Dr. Figueroa and ISCOLab core members Asst. Prof. Mary Kristene Clariño, Ms. Maria Andrea Bodaño, and Mr. John Alain Orbe, together with Bachelor of Arts in Multimedia Studies (BAMS) student assistants Hannah Gabrielle Macaldo and Antoni Ernest Paul Mercado. 

For the NFU educators, the exchange offered a closer look at how UPOU uses multimedia and emerging technologies to make learning more interactive and accessible. For FICS, the engagement also opened possibilities for sharing knowledge and developing projects with an international academic partner.

Mr. Maro Kimizuka (left) and Prof. Shinichi Sato (right) participate in a hands-on demonstration of AR and VR applications developed by the ISCOLab team.

Building on their existing collaboration through the International Conference for Media in Education (ICoME) Consortium and the International Journal for Educational Media and Technology (IJEMT), the two institutions discussed potential collaborations involving the use of immersive technologies to enhance educational activities and learning outcomes. Additionally, they explored various collaborative avenues such as joint research, faculty and student exchanges, and other cross-cultural academic initiatives.

The engagement reflects FICS’s commitment to exploring how technology can address real-world needs and make learning and communication more accessible. Through initiatives like ISCOLab, FICS advances its mission of using information and communication technologies to support education, innovation, and development. 

 

Written by: Loren Sta. Ana

Edited by: Asst. Prof. Shaira F. Tanay and Maria Andrea Bodaño