An Indian Uni Graduation Went Digital and Turned Students Into "The Sims"

The virtual convocation was held to maintain social distancing.

It's no secret that the coronavirus pandemic has forced workplaces and businesses to change the way they go about their day-to-day operations. On top of that, schools and universities have also needed to adapt, with many moving to remote learning.

In fact, you've probably attended (or pretended to attend) a number of Zoom lectures and online classes yourself this year.

Of course, classes aren't the only aspect of uni life that have been impacted by COVID-19. With the need to maintain physical distancing, universities have also had to hold graduation ceremonies virtually.

However, sitting at home on your couch isn't exactly the most, uh, exciting way to graduate.

So, some universities are coming up with creative ways to make their graduations more personal for students. 

Over the weekend, the Indian Institute of Technology Bombay (IIT Bombay) held its 58th annual convocation ceremony using animated virtual reality for over 2,000 students. 

The uni created avatars for every student, faculty member and speaker. 

While students participated in the ceremony from the comfort of their homes, their avatars walked up to the stage to receive their medals and degrees. Later on, they even got to interact with classmates and colleagues virtually. 

IIT Bombay holds its 58th convocation ceremony;

Awards Degrees to Students' Virtual avatars.@iitbombay pic.twitter.com/QGnercGhD2

— All India Radio News (@airnewsalerts) August 23, 2020

The innovative move should come as no surprise, especially considering ITT Bombay is one of the top technical universities in India. 

In a statement, the uni said it didn't want students to miss out on the "pride" of graduating because of the coronavirus pandemic. 

"Providing a virtual reality experience to all our graduates needed not only highly innovative steps but also a tremendous effort by our professors and staff," Professor Subhasis Chaudhuri, the director IIT Bombay said.

"They did it for the students. Hopefully this will enthuse our graduates as well as other engineers in the country to think big and think innovatively." 

Today is a special day for many @iitbombay students & their families, also for the entire #IITBombay community

A one-of-its-kind #VirtualReality digital convocation is being held today, in the unprecedented situation due to #COVID19

LIVE from 1.30 PM: https://t.co/eu6wp5O1Ur pic.twitter.com/EJO6vCpJMW

— PIB in Maharashtra 🇮🇳 (@PIBMumbai) August 23, 2020

Videos from the virtual convocation have gone viral on social media, with graduates sharing glimpses of their own avatars. 

Honored to receive a Ph.D. degree at 58th Convocation @iitbombay. The Committee presented everyone with cool personalized avatars. I thank @iitbombay, lovely people from my beloved department CUSE, and @DrArnabJana for constant support and everlasting fun. pic.twitter.com/qyCCjaEFcz

— deepank verma (@verma_deepank) August 23, 2020

Proud moment for our family!
My nephew @BohemianMohit was awarded @iitbombay Silver Medal for academic excellence in MTech (specialization in Energy Systems Engg). It was presented in the 58th ‘virtual’ Convocation today by Dr Duncan Haldane @NobelPrize Laureate in Physics(2016). pic.twitter.com/b7Z9GRMQo2

— Arabinda K Padhee (@arvindpadhee) August 23, 2020

It could only happen in 2020. 

Header Image: Twitter (@airnewsalerts)