Virtual Graduation at Miami OH

When Covid19 forced Miami University to suspend its 2020 commencement ceremonies they sought an innovative way for graduates to celebrate with family, friends and the whole university community.

Commencement is a cherished event, acknowledging years of work by students and faculty, and Miami University prides itself on inclusion and engagement so a standard video broadcast would not suffice.

A leading immersive innovation studio, Subvrsive, based in Austin TX, was engaged to deliver the ambitious project on a short timeline. They approached Mod for our expertise with virtual production and the online 3D platform, Mozilla Hubs in particular. 

Mod was responsible for custom development and operation of Hubs, collaborating internationally across three time zones, to ensure functionality, stability and security. As over 4,300 degrees were to be awarded we began by scoping the project's feasibility and requirements. Our solution was robust and stable enough to support over 5,000 participants over the two day event, .

Subvrsive designed and delivered the user experience for all ceremonies, across social, video and Hubs.

Our capacity planning and load testing paid off as graduates and their supporters gathered for their faculty's commencement ceremony in the Hubs version of Miami University’s iconic Central Quad, on its main campus in Oxford OH.

This was a great project for Mod to work on, being a fantastic demonstration of how telepresence and the use of avatars can be used at scale.