This session explores the formation of a group of instructional designers and video production professionals that created an immersive technology space and services for faculty who want to integrate immersive technology. We will share our experience of this process.

Introduction The integration of immersive technologies in higher education is rapidly gaining traction as a transformative tool to bridge the gap between curriculum and the practical skills students need in their future careers. These technologies can be grouped into what are called extended reality (XR), which includes virtual reality (VR), augmented reality (AR), and mixed reality (MR). These environments essentially merge the physical world with the virtual by using devices that project virtual spaces and objects into a real space. By incorporating immersive technologies such as these, educators can create a more engaging and effective learning environment for students, enabling them to better apply their academic knowledge and skills to real-world situations. XR in Higher Education Research on the use of immersive technologies in higher education has been steadily growing, with studies highlighting how various fields of study have integrated them into their curricula while others are exploring ways to integrate them. XR technology is being used in numerous ways, including spatial-specific observations and manipulations of objects that are not feasible to do in “real-life”. For example, students can explore the interior of a cell, or walk on the surface of Mars. Learners can also examine or analyze a 3D object spatially or with additional layers of data (Leinen et al., 2015). XR environments can provide students opportunities for training and application of skills and knowledge or recreate rare scenarios that can be difficult due to cost, scale, distance, or the rarity of the scenario (e.g., diagnosing a rare disease, observing celestial events) (Slater & Sanchez-Vives, 2016). Students can also embody another person, essentially walking in another’s shoes to learn more about compassion, empathy, and design for accessibility (Bailenson, 2018). XR environments can also be used to promote collaboration by having multiple students and even the instructor inside the virtual environment simultaneously. Students can explore and communicate with their peers and troubleshoot in a shared space. Moreover, XR can allow for time/place flexibility, promote interactivity and collaboration, and allow for students to not only gain practical skills, but allow them to immerse themselves in environments that would otherwise be impossible or impractical. The outcomes of integrating XR technologies in higher education have been mixed, however still look promising in their ability to create immersive and interactive learning environments. Studies have shown that XR technology can promote engagement and improve students' understanding of complex subjects (Dalgarno & Lee, 2010; Makransky et al., 2019), and can increase student motivation (Parong & Mayer, 2018; Webster, 2016; Zhao et al., 2020), resulting in better knowledge retention and skill transfer (Dalgarno & Lee, 2010; Klingenberg et al., 2020; Makransky et al., 2020). The underpinning idea is that XR technologies create highly multisensory experiences that can help students learn more naturally and intuitively. Given these promising outcomes, it is essential to explore how higher education institutions can effectively integrate XR technologies and support faculty in the process. Therefore, the primary goal of the immersive technology studio is to provide faculty with assistance with identifying and designing potential immersive experiences in their courses and promote interest and engagement with immersive technology and remove barriers. By offering hands-on workshops, design and development support, and collaborative projects in immersive technology, the studio fosters collaborative experiences, faculty confidence and competence, creating engaging, interactive educational experiences that inspire and elevate the learning environment. The Immersive Technology Studio Our department is a collaborative unit consisting of instructional designers, media production specialists, accessibility experts, and learning technologies specialists who work collectively to support faculty across the university. The motivation for creating an immersive technology studio for faculty came from not only recognizing the emerging trends in the field but noticing the lack of faculty-facing immersive spaces on-campus. There are existing spaces for students, but there was a real need to help faculty adopt immersive technology by providing the space, technology, as well as support with designing and developing immersive experiences. Therefore, a proposal for a space and services was drafted to help support faculty with exploring, designing, and implementing these tools into their curriculum. Our team deployed a needs assessment survey to faculty to understand their potential interest in immersive technology use in their classrooms. The survey found that there are many faculty who are interested, however barriers of time, lack of spaces and support, as well as lack of knowledge of the technologies proved to be significant barriers for them to integrate immersive technology. Based on the findings from this survey, we led an effort to procure immersive technologies such as VR headsets, VR development software, as well as some immersive video production equipment to outfit a space where faculty could record immersive lecture videos, learn more about immersive technology, and get into VR headsets. Because of the survey, outreach efforts, and our unit already working with programs across campus, locating potential projects has not been a challenge. A current VR project is helping to create a foundation for design and development processes, however, there remains the challenge of bringing in a person with the skills to develop VR content. We are also looking at other opportunities to get faculty aware of immersive technology. For example, we are organizing a series of hands-on workshops and open consultations for faculty. These sessions aim to familiarize faculty with the capabilities and applications of XR technologies, providing them with practical experience in using VR and AR tools as well as capabilities of the immersive production studio. The immersive production studio serves multiple purposes: educational, experimental, experiential, and production (EEEP). Educational. Beyond creating educational content, the studio presents an opportunity for faculty in communications and creative technologies to provide their students with hands-on, immersive learning experiences by bringing them into the space for direct engagement and first-hand exploration. Experimental. The studio serves as a testbed for innovation and is where faculty can experiment with and pilot their ideas with immersive technology. Experiential. The immersive studio can provide opportunities to develop simulated real-world scenarios, such as producing virtual field trips, emergency scenarios, where students can gain practical experiences. Lastly, Production. The space is flexible in that it is able to create XR experiences, virtual video production, and traditional video production. Essentially, it's a multimodal space as far as the type of production we can do and it's a multimodal space as to what can be accomplished. By offering continuous professional development, a supportive community, and the technology, the immersive studio is becoming a hub for innovation in teaching and learning. Faculty members can now be better equipped to create engaging, interactive educational experiences that inspire and elevate the learning environment for their students. The studio not only addresses the immediate needs of faculty but also contributes to the long-term goal of integrating cutting-edge technology into the broader educational framework, ultimately enhancing the overall quality of higher education while promoting our department mission or promoting innovation and promoting digital fluency. Takeaways This session explores the motivations that led to the creation of the immersive studio. Participants will gain insights into the processes and challenges encountered along the way, leading to the immersive studio’s current state. Whether your institution has widely adopted immersive technology or just beginning its adoption, we welcome an active exchange of experiences and ideas to help tackle the multifaceted challenges of adopting immersive technology. References Bailenson, J. (2018). Experience on demand: What virtual reality is, how it works, and what it can do. WW Norton & Company. Dalgarno, B., & Lee, M. J. W. (2010). What are the learning affordances of 3-D virtual environments? British Journal of Educational Technology, 41(1), 10-32. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1467-8535.2009.01038.x Klingenberg, S., Jørgensen, M. L., Dandanell, G., Skriver, K., Mottelson, A., & Makransky, G. (2020). Investigating the effect of teaching as a generative learning strategy when learning through desktop and immersive VR: A media and methods experiment. British Journal of Educational Technology, 51(6), 2115-2138. Leinen, P., Green, M. F., Esat, T., Wagner, C., Tautz, F. S., and Temirov, R. (2015). Virtual reality visual feedback for hand-controlled scanning probe microscopy manipulation of single molecules. Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 6, 2148–2153. doi:10.3762/bjnano.6.220 Makransky G., Borre-Gude S., Mayer R. E. (2019). Motivational and cognitive benefits of training in immersive virtual reality based on multiple assessments. Journal of Computer Assisted Learning, 35(6), 691–707. Makransky, G., Petersen, G. B., & Klingenberg, S. (2020). Can an immersive virtual reality simulation increase students’ interest and career aspirations in science?. British Journal of Educational Technology, 51(6), 2079-2097. Parong J., Mayer R. E. (2018). Learning science in immersive virtual reality. Journal of Educational Psychology, 110(6), 785. Slater, M., & Sanchez-Vives, M. V. (2016). Enhancing our lives with immersive virtual reality. Frontiers in Robotics and AI, 3, 74. https://doi.org/10.3389/frobt.2016.00074 Webster, R. (2016). Declarative knowledge acquisition in immersive virtual learning environments. Interactive Learning Environments, 24(6), 1319–1333. https://doi.org/10.1080/10494820.2014.994533 Zhao, J., Xu, X., Jiang, H., & Ding, Y. (2020). The effectiveness of virtual reality-based technology on anatomy teaching: a meta-analysis of randomized controlled studies. BMC medical education, 20(1), 127. https://doi.org/10.1186/s12909-020-1994-z