Academia Electronica was established by initiative of Sidey Myoo in 2007, existing as the University in the virtual world of Second Life. From March 2021 it got expanded to AltsapceVR and after closing it in 2022, found new place in Spatial.
The genesis of establishing of Academia were the conclusions coming from philosophical research on virtual reality, mainly on the onthology grounds which led to judgment that virtual reality is an alternative reality of physical world. The main focus of research in Academia as the scientific and educational institution is the analysis of development and significance of virtual reality in anthropology perspective. Ongoing analysis also focus on technological development and associated with it phenomena like immersion, interactivity, telematics, hapticts, telepresence, building web identity, development and applications of artificial intelligence, intelligent robots and cyborgisation. There are ongoing experiments involving remote education which means “hot testing” of applications of newly developed possibilities of making academic courses via web technologies. The goal of Academia existence is aslo to invite scientists and students to cooperative research of mentioned phenomena in accordance to different science disciplines, but also to make intercollegiate courses affiliated by different academic centers.
By existing in virtual reality Academia itself became the practical example of research subject – the humanistic laboratory. There were some science experiments done here with use of VR technologies that have or could have been pioneer and for some they was first such applications in Poland or in the World.
In 2008 in Academia started first cross-country academic course Electronic environment as human reality. During next academic years, in different courses took part hudreds of students and free listeners. Beside courses, in Academia there were many lectures done by invited guests via the From Student to Professor and Science Beyond Borders – The Global Academia Electronica cycles. There were many remotely done conference speeches including cross-country and international congresses.
There were few conferences organised here, where the first one Philosophy of Technology (3 editions), made with Philosophy Institute of Jagiellonian University, was in June 2013 and the first hybrid science conference, where participants could take part in remotely via Academia spaces in Second Life.
In 2012 there was first in Poland public doctor thesis defence (UMCS) in the web and firts bachelor exam (UJ) and first master degree thesis defence (UJ) happened in 2015.
In 2014 in Academia in Second Life, we started the first in the world bot (White Owl) that was doing test exam, which was running til 2020.
White Owl – first in the world bot doing a test exam
In the same year also started The Section of Philosophy of Technology of the Science Club of Philosophy Students of Jagiellonian University, which came up with organisation of seminars and tutorials.
During the years, in virtual worlds where Academia exists, there was created nearly 20 lecture spaces. That amount of possibilities of choosing the lecture space allowed us to have nearly 30 simultanious courses in Poland from different academic centers in 2020-21 academic year during Covid-19 pandemic.
In 2020 happened here the first in Poland, public speech with use of Oculus Quest during science conference organized by Artes Liberales Department of Warsaw University with a technical support of Intermedai Department of Academy of Fine Arts in Cracow.
In academic year 2021-22 in Academia happened first in Poland, 30 hour course fully done via Oculus Quest in AltspaceVR.
In June 2022, a cross-country conference was organized Virtualium. Interdisciplinary perspectives of virtual reality., which probably as the first in Poland fully happened in virtual world (AltspaceVR). Eighteen academic centers took part in it, there were 22 speeches and 5 special guest lectures. Conference got the “Conferencde of the Year 2022” reward in a cross-country competition StRuNa. In May 2023 the second edtition was organized in Spatial Virtualium. About 100 people took part in the conference, there were 24 speecehs, 4 special guest lectures and an expert debate. Speakers represented total of 20 different univerisities or companies. The third edition, organized in may 2024 Wirtualium. by EduVRLab – Humanistic Department of AGH Science and Technology Universitywith cooperation from Academia Electronica. During Wirtualium there was Summer Academy of VR organized for High School students.
In 2023-24 were organized five hybrid semianries under the title Aesthetic Experience in the Times of the Fourth Industrial Revolution by the Polish Aestetics Assocaition. In these seminaries parcticapated Department of Philosophy and Sociology of Maria Curie-Sklodowska University in Lublin, Department of Philosophy of Warsaw University, Philosophy Instititute of Lodz University, Department of Architechture of West Pomerania Technological University, Institute of European Culture in Gniezno and University of Adam Mickiewicz in Poznan.
In 2023 in Virtual World of Spatial, in academic hall Digital Beam, there was first open MBA exam in VR with use of Oculus Quests titled The Embodied Mind, But In Which Body? An Analysis of Virtual Embodiment for which Jan Waligorski (RL) | Erytropoetyn (VR) got MBA degree (UJ).
On the beginning of 2022, recorded data of Academia Electronica including over 270 video, audio and presentation files from years 2008-21 got archived.
From 2023 to 2026 Academia is participating in international grant “Horizon” The Communities and Artistic Participation in Hybrid Environments (CAPHE) that gathers researchers from Greece, Kenya, Poland, Portugal, Great Britain and Italy, also in cooperation with second “Horizon” grant titled Impulse.
From the foundation Academia obtained acceptance of Jagiellonian University authorities, which stil is being confirmed at many occasions. Firstly it was as part of Philosohy Institute, then it found its place on Department of Philosophy and also cooperated with Technology Transfer Center of UJ also was included in the developmental trend of scientific and didactic transformation of the University, which is participation in the activities ofJagiellonian Center of Digital Didactics.
In Academic galleries in Second Life and Spatial were some art exhibition where few of them are still available to visit. Thanks to Neutrinka Lisle, first in AltspaceVR, then in Spatial Academia was hosting Homeless Gallery. In a cycles from 2012, you can hear here also listing of 8-bit music from historical computer games, during evenings organized by Dex Euromat in Chimney in Second Life with the title of Original Soundtrack of Games.
Current management team of Academia includes: Sidey Myoo, Neutrinka Lisle – Academia admin and main lecture hall creator, Dex Euromat – creator and technical consultant. Without these two people, the guardians of the Academia, the Academia Electronica would never have come into being and could not have developed. Over the years, the Academia has been helped by many different people. This contribution was often not only a kind word or a suggestion for change, but also often manifested itself in concrete action for the Academia. You all remain in our memory, we bow low and express our heartfelt thanks.
What created and still creates Academia are the people and the atmosphere, the timeless, wonderful values that define learning, the meaning of learning and exchanging knowledge, insight into the future and the importance of development.
Academia Electronica is a common good of the academic community, a place on the Web where one can conduct scientific and didactic activities. Academia is also the development of academia in virtual reality, a place where one can come at any time, where one can talk, listen to music or contemplate. It is a place where the person entering the Web is the most important.
Materials provided on Academia Electronica webpage are shared under Creative Commons – authorship recognition license.
