Time to read: 5 minutes

By Christina Flores-Chan and Matthew Davison

Long before the metaverse became a common term, Michael Bergmann, assistant professor at the Toronto Metropolitan University (TMU) School of Interpretation and director of research at the Technology Research Laboratory in Interpretation, had been incorporating it not not only in his own narration, but also in his teaching.

Throughout the university’s time online during the pandemic, Bergmann said he’s taken the opportunity to explore other means of acting besides the show’s usual in-person stage shows. She began using virtual reality (VR), a computer-generated experience that immerses users in a simulated environment with headsets, as a virtual setting for her students.

“Taking aspects of…