Project Mentors: Professor Zilong Pan, Teaching, Learning & Technology, and Professor Lia Sandilos, School Psychology

2025 Impact Fellows:
Shoaa Khan ‘28
Alexa Sharkey '27

Project Description:
Learning can be challenging, especially when we need to study new information or develop unfamiliar skills. The experience that we have when learning, including our social-emotional status during the process and the visual presentation of knowledge, can shape the success or failure of learning outcomes. To foster a more enjoyable learning experience, this project intends to incorporate effective practices across academic and social-emotional learning pedagogies into a 360° immersive environment where learners will be surrounded by the visual presentation of knowledge and information. Team members will collaborate with faculty mentors and Immersive Learning Centers in local Lehigh Valley schools to create engaging, innovative 360° videos. We will develop a series of core learning modules that cover different areas such as environmental science, biology, and literacy, and adapt these modules to accommodate our future users’ diverse learning preferences and needs to serve a broad population. All majors are welcome, particularly those interested in the integration of academics and social-emotional learning, film-making, video editing, animation design, or relevant fields for multimedia-enriched educational environments.