Published April 3, 2024
MONROE, LA – The University of Louisiana Monroe Educational Technology Leadership program is
pleased to announce its partnership with Unity as part of the Unity Academic Alliance.
The partnership represents a more than $30,000 value to ULM and will give 40 ULM students
access to comprehensive Unity curriculum, carefully designed to bridge academic learning
and industry demands. Unity is a leading platform for the creation of real-time 3D
content and experiences, including game design and augmented reality applications.
“The overarching aim is to significantly enhance our students’ proficiency and skills
in Unity, thus increasing their employability in the job market,” said Dr. Parviz
Safadel, Assistant Professor and Educational Technology Leadership Program Coordinator.
Safadel says the forging of the partnership with Unity was a collaborative effort
with Louisiana Economic Development. ULM is one of only four colleges and universities
in Louisiana chosen to participate in the current cohort of the Unity Academic Alliance
partnership. Safadel calls the result “a testament to our commitment and the quality
of our proposal.”
According to Safadel, the significance of this opportunity for ULM students cannot
be overstressed. “By providing access to Unity certification, we are equipping our
students with highly sought-after skills in game design and development, a field that
is rapidly growing and evolving,” he said.
“Mastery of Unity, a leading platform in the industry, not only enhances their practical
and technical expertise but also signals to potential employers their commitment to
professional development. As a result, our students are better positioned to secure
competitive roles and succeed in an industry that values technological proficiency
and certified expertise. This certification, therefore, represents both an immediate
educational benefit and a long-term career advantage, setting a strong foundation
for their future in the digital and creative economy,” added Safadel.
“This partnership represents an excellent opportunity for our students to learn on
an industry-standard programming platform. This will give them a great advantage
after graduation in getting a high-quality job,” said Dr. John Pratte, Dean of the
ULM College of Arts, Education, and Sciences.
Access to the Unity Academic Alliance will be part of the curriculum of EDIT6025,
a pilot course currently being offered in the Educational Technology Leadership master’s
program. Safadel describes EDIT6025 as a pioneering step in the program, aiming to
equip ULM students with cutting-edge knowledge and skills in emergent technologies
such as game design, virtual reality (VR), augmented reality (AR), and artificial
intelligence (AI). The online course covers a wide range of topics, including instructional
design for educational media, the basics of 2D and 3D animation, AR and VR, and game
design fundamentals using Unity.
Safadel says the feedback and outcomes from the pilot course will help guide future
improvements to the curriculum to better serve the needs of students in the program.
“By integrating Unity certification into our curriculum, we can assess the engagement
and outcomes of this initiative, which will serve as a key indicator of the potential
to expand,” said Safadel. He added, “The results could pave the way for broader adoption and deeper focus on
industry-relevant skills that empower our students and distinguish our institution.”
Recruitment for the third cohort of Unity’s Create the Creator program is currently
in progress, with a planned start date of mid-April. Participation is open to all
Louisiana two- and four-year colleges, high schools, & training organizations. For
more information contact Justin Dedden at justin.dedden@la.gov.
About Unity
Unity is the world’s leading platform for creating and growing interactive, real-time
3D ("RT3D") content and experiences. Our comprehensive set of software and AI solutions
supports content creators of all sizes through the entire development lifecycle as
they build, run, and grow immersive, real-time 2D and 3D content and experiences for
mobile phones, tablets, PCs, consoles, and augmented and virtual reality devices.
For more information, visit Unity.com.
