Tight budgets don’t need to keep you from accessing needed resources for your classroom, especially if you teach Unity. Unity is the leading content-creation platform for AR/VR, real-time 3D, and mobile 2D. Unity is used by students and professionals around the world to create everything from games to movies, 3D models to VR simulations.
Unity applications are available for free (that’s right!), plus the Unity education team has compiled an entire library of resources to help you effectively teach Unity in the classroom. If you’re looking for ways to bring Unity into the classroom, we have good news.
Access the Software for Free
Before you can dive into learning or teaching Unity, you need to access the software. Luckily, Unity makes the software available for free for you and your classroom. Whether you teach in higher education or in a K12 classroom, you can get details on downloading Unity here.
Interested in giving your students access to Unity as well? Time to apply for the Unity Education Grant License. Students will have access to the Unity real-time development platform, allowing them to create games and interactive experiences. You’ll be able to manage multiple seats in your school lab, regardless of the class size.
Professional Development
You’ve finished setting up your lab, and you’re ready to polish your Unity skills. Wherever you are in your Unity learning journey, the Unity Education team has created resources to help you grow your skills and prepare to teach your learners.
If you’re a Unity newbie, your best starting point is Unity for Educators: A Beginner’s Guide. The course includes 14 hours of training, with units covering how to get started, authentic learning, critical skills and assessment, and continuous learning. Educators who complete the course will complete the following learning objectives:
- Know what Unity is and why it’s important
- Navigate and utilize the Unity Learn ecosystem
- Develop a teaching plan for integrating Unity into your classroom
- Become confident with Unity software.
If you’re past beginner level, Unity has created the Unity Educators Live series to help expand your skillset. These free professional development sessions are open to all education professionals at secondary and post-secondary levels, whether you’re in the classroom, in administration, or designing curriculum. Covering everything from creating with VR, diving into the metaverse, and coding skills, there’s something for everyone.
Bringing Unity to the Classroom
Polishing your own skills is just the start of your Unity journey. It’s time to bring Unity to life in your classroom. No surprise here, but Unity has the resources you need to teach Unity to your learners. Because Unity is use in so many different industries, there are multiple courses to align with your curriculum.
Computer Science
Unity’s Create with Code course is built as a full-course curriculum option for teaching in computer science classrooms. Through over 36 hours of course content, students will learn to code their own projects in C# coding language, plus gain valuable Unity and project management skills. When students complete the course, they’ll be ready for the Unity Certified User: Programmer certification exam.
Game Design and Development
Are your students gamers? Get them excited about building games with Unity. The Teaching Game Design and Development course has over 36 hours of training to help your students learn beginner application scription, beginner level programming theory, and code optimization. With tutorials and projects included, your learners will have everything they need to make learning game design fun and engaging.
If you’re looking for additional game design resources for your students, then you’ll want to download the Unity Curricular Framework, a comprehensive guide to bringing interactive applications and game design into the classroom.
Virtual Reality
Unity’s Create with VR course is built as an introductory course for students looking to design and develop virtual reality applications. The resources include a syllabus and lesson plans for you, tutorials and projects for them. After immersing themselves in over 30 hours of learning, your students will be prepared for the Unity Certified User: VR Developer certification exam.
Film, Animation, and Storytelling
Your students are artists and creatives. You can bring their art to life with Unity technology. In Unity’s Real-time Animated Storytelling course, students will learn how to create scenes, design sets, animate characters, move cameras, set up lighting, create special effects, add audio, add titles, and render their work —without having to write code. Like other Unity courses, students will be able to learn from both tutorials and projects. Expect the content to take roughly 25 hours, and is a great introduction for students interested in taking the Unity Certified User: Artist certification exam.
Collaborate with Fellow Educators
If you’re flying solo at your institution, it can be tough to find opportunities to connect and collaborate with other educators. The Unity Teach community offers a space for educators to come together and discuss teaching resources, best practices, and Unity questions. You can connect with educators in the Unity Teach group on Facebook and Discord.
Maybe you’re new to the Unity Certified User program and want to discuss questions related to the certification exam. Join the CERTIFIED Educator Community to connect with your fellow UCU educators across the globe.
Looking for more resources to teach Unity skills in your classroom? Get additional ideas from our Unity Academy webinar here. Learn more about the Unity Certified User pathway. Get all the details here.