Project Mentors: Professor Zilong Pan, Teaching, Learning & Technology, and Professor Lia Sandilos, School Psychology
Continuing Fellow:
Alexa Sharkey '27
2026 Impact Fellows:
Joanna John '29
Ravenna Tomaz dos Santos '27
Project Description:
Learning can be challenging, especially when we need to study new information or develop new skills. The experience that we have when learning, including our social-emotional state during the process and the visual presentation of knowledge, can shape our learning outcomes. To create an enjoyable learning experience, this project aims to develop learning activities that integrate social-emotional learning pedagogies into a 360° immersive environment. In this environment, students are surrounded by instructional content projected onto three of the four classroom walls, where they can watch, hear, and interact with the display. This approach is particularly effective for translating complex STEM concepts into accessible, hands-on explorations. At the same time, integration of social-emotional learning (SEL) helps to promote skills students need to effectively manage emotions and behavior, navigate social interactions, and make constructive decisions, which can, in turn, support their academic learning. Team members will collaborate with faculty from the College of Education and the immersive learning laboratory at local schools to create 360° immersive images and videos. We will develop a series of core learning modules spanning different areas such as environmental science, biology, and literacy, while integrating SEL concepts. These modules will be designed to accommodate future users’ diverse learning preferences and needs, ensuring relevance to a broad population. All majors are welcome, particularly those interested in virtual environment design, video editing, animation, or relevant fields for multimedia-enriched settings.