Introduction
The Kentucky Department of Education is leading the way with the largest district-led VR deployment in the country! Dr. Shannon Putman, Ph.D., a seasoned special education teacher and VR expert with over a decade of classroom experience, has been instrumental in driving this transformative initiative. What began with 50 Oculus Gos has now expanded to 2,450 Meta Quest 2s, setting a new standard for VR education across the Commonwealth of Kentucky.

About the Project
Fueled by COVID funds from the Career and Tech Education and Special Education departments, this initiative provides VR-based learning to Kentucky high schools, career technical education centers, and special education programs. With 30 technical centers spread across the state, this project reaches vocational schools offering a diverse range of career-focused tracks such as welding, HVAC, CAD, digital marketing, business, and healthcare.

Devices and Software
Preparing almost 2,500 devices for use in the classroom is no easy feat. Dr. Putman chose ManageXR to provision and manage this vast deployment quickly and efficiently. These devices were set up and distributed across the state in just 4-6 weeks.
ManageXR allows educators to track and manage their VR devices seamlessly, ensuring a smooth deployment process. The platform also enables remote content distribution, customization of home screens, and kiosk mode for multiple apps. ManageXR enabled Dr. Putman to create a custom and focused home screen, so students can easily access their learning materials.

Content
The project boasts an extensive array of content designed to cater to diverse learning needs. Utilizing platforms like ENGAGE for a virtual campus, the students of Kentucky can virtually meet and collaborate in real time. CareerView XR, an immersive career exploration platform, provides students with job site field trips and job shadow experience. In addition, Dr. Putman has had tremendous success partnering with XReps. Together they created gamified football-based cognitive drills to make learning math more engaging, enjoyable, and accommodating to different learning styles. With a broad range of content, Dr. Putman ensures that every student benefits.


Conclusion
This project is ushering in a new era of learning with the largest VR deployment in the state. This groundbreaking initiative highlights the transformative potential of VR in classrooms while reinforcing the importance of evolving teaching methods to meet the diverse needs of every student. The program’s future includes ongoing and expanded training sessions for educators, developing new VR content to engage diverse student demographics and exploring opportunities for broader adoption and expansion. We’re excited to see how this project will shape the educational landscape of Kentucky and beyond.