In Fall 2017, Instructional Technology Services (ITS) at San Diego State University (SDSU) launched the Virtual Immersive Teaching and Learning (VITaL) initiative, providing a variety of virtual reality (VR), augmented reality (AR), mixed reality (MR), and 360º-video immersive tools for use across the SDSU pedagogical spectrum. Today, VITaL serves as an incubator to enable experiences that would be out of reach—if not impossible—in a traditional learning environment, including low-frequency, high-risk scenarios simulating life-threatening medical conditions, celestial events in outer space, and scientific phenomena occurring at the micro scale. The new VITaL Learning Research Studio (LRS) promotes experimentation with curriculum design and the scholarship of teaching and learning in a flexible, collaborative, and technology-rich environment. In its inaugural year, the VITaL initiative facilitated immersive teaching, learning, and research in 30 courses across all seven colleges at SDSU. Beyond the use of VITaL for teaching and learning, ITS is collaborating with universities and industry partners to study the impact, expand the knowledge base, and foster a community of practice around this emerging field.

Through VITaL, ITS provides access to an array of immersive technologies, including VR and AR head-mounted displays (HMDs), VR-capable computers, mobile VR backpack technology, 360º cameras, and Google Cardboards for smartphone VR capability, shown below:

Explore our VITaL Space:

VITaL Courses

Courses utilizing VITaL range from 100-level undergraduate to 700-level doctoral classes, and represent all colleges at SDSU, including College of Arts and Letters, College of Education, College of Extended Studies, College of Engineering, College of Health and Human Services, College of Professional Studies and Fine Arts, College of Sciences, Fowler College of Business, and Weber Honors College:

• Anthropology 582 – Brazil: Culture & Politics
  • Erika Robb Larkins, College of Arts and Letters
• Art 296 – Photography & Visual Communication
  • Mark Siprut, College of Arts and Letters
• Art 445 – Professional Practice in Art and Design
  • Mark Siprut, College of Arts and Letters
• Art 544 – Emerging Technology Media
  • Mark Siprut, College of Professional Studies and Fine Arts
• Art 700 – Studio Art Jewelry/Metals
  • Kerianne Quick, College of Professional Studies and Fine Arts
• Astronomy 101 – Principles of Astronomy
  • Gur Windmiller, College of Sciences
  • William Welsh, College of Sciences
• Astronomy 109 – Astronomy Laboratory
  • Gur Windmiller, College of Sciences
• Biology 100 – General Biology
  • Sandra Garver, College of Sciences
• Biology 203 – Principles of Cellular molecular Biology
  • Rick Bizzoco, College of Sciences
• Biology 212 – Human Anatomy
  • Sandra Garver, College of Sciences
• Biology 335 – The Human Body
  • Sandra Garver, College of Sciences
• Biology 530 – Plant Systematics
  • Lluvia Flores Renteria, College of Sciences
• Business Administration 411 – Lavin Entrepreneurs
  • Tanya Hertz, Fowler College of Business
• Chemistry 130 – Elementary Organic Chemistry
  • Jeffrey Gustafson, College of Sciences
• Chemistry 232 – Organic Chemistry
  • Jeffrey Gustafson, College of Sciences
• Child and Family Development 370 – Research, Assessment, and Evaluation of Children and Families
  • Idara Essien, College of Education
• Communications 492 – Persuasion
  • Lourdes Martinez, College of Professional Studies and Fine Arts
• Computer Science 596 – Advanced 3D Game Design
  • Steve Price, College of Sciences
• Computer Science 490 – Senior Seminar
  • Steve Price, College of Sciences
• Doctor of Physical Therapy 760 – Neurosciences
  • Sim Baweja, College of Health and Human Services
• English 560 – Literature in the Digital Age
  • Jessica Pressmen, College of Arts and Letters
• Education 895: Doctoral Research Seminar
  • Sean Hauze, College of Education
• Educational Leadership 615: Leading Equity in Schools
  • Nicole Law, College of Education
• Educational Leadership 616: Leading Teams to Use Evidence-based Practices
  • Toni Faddis, College of Education
• Educational Leadership 617: Mentoring, Coaching, and Collaboration
  • Vicki Park, College of Education
• Educational Leadership 618: Organizational Engagement
  • Michelle Shin, College of Education
• General Studies 480 – Engaged Citizenship and Social Responsibility
  • Matthew Savage, College of Professional Studies and Fine Arts
• Geography 170 – Sustainable Places and Practices
  • Barbara Quimby, College of Arts and Letters
• Geography 583 – Internet Mapping & GIS
  • Ming-Hsiang Tsou, College of Arts and Letters
• Honors 113 – Connection and Commitment through Augmented Reality Game Design
  • Jim Marshall, College of Education
  • Sean Hauze, College of Education
• Honors 313 – Theatre, Experience, and You
  • D.J. Hopkins, College of Professional Studies and Fine Arts
• Honors 413 – Hacking the Future
  • Rebecca Coates Nee, Weber Honors College
• Hospitality & Tourism Management 475 – Commercial Recreation & Attractions Management
  • Gene Lamke, College of Professional Studies and Fine Arts
• Humanities 409 – The Future
  • Linnea Zeiner, College of Arts and Letters
• Journalism and Media Studies 430 – Digital Journalism
  • Amy Schmitz Weiss, College of Professional Studies and Fine Arts
  • Arthur Santana, College of Professional Studies and Fine Arts
• Journalism and Media Studies 472 – Media Technology & Society
  • Noah Arceneaux, College of Professional Studies and Fine Arts
• Journalism and Media Studies 481 – Public Relations Media and Messaging
  • Kaye Sweetser, College of Professional Studies and Fine Arts
• Journalism and Media Studies 527 – Spatial Journalism
  • Amy Schmitz Weiss, College of Professional Studies and Fine Arts
• Journalism and Media Studies 567 – Augmented Reality Advertising
  • Yang Feng, College of Professional Studies and Fine Arts
• Journalism and Media Studies 585 – Professional Practices in Public Relations
  • Kaye Sweetser, College of Professional Studies and Fine Arts
• Learning Design and Technology 515 – Games, Play, and Learning
  • Bernie Dodge, College of Professional Studies and Fine Arts
• Learning Design and Technology 525 – Virtual Reality
  • Bernie Dodge, College of Professional Studies and Fine Arts
• Management Information Systems 306 – Information Systems Analysis
  • Kaveh Abhari, Fowler College of Business
• Management Information Systems 482 – Information Technology Projects
  • Robert Judge, Fowler College of Business
• Management Information Systems 496 – Business Intelligence and Data Analytics
  • Kaveh Abhari, Fowler College of Business
• Management Information Systems 620 – Electronic Business and Big Data Infrastructures
  • Aaron Elkins – Fowler College of Business
• Marketing 472 – Advanced Integrated Marketing Communications
  • Paula Peter, Fowler College of Business
• Mathematics 534 – Advanced Calculus
  • Jerome Gilles, College of Sciences
• Mathematics 630 – Functions of a Real Variable
  • Jerome Gilles, College of Sciences
• Mechanical Engineering 240 – Introduction to Engineering Materials
  • Wenwu Xu, College of Engineering
• Music 170 – Experimental Music Ensemble
  • Chris Warren, College of Professional Studies and Fine Arts
• Music 560 – Music and Visual Media
  • Chris Warren, College of Professional Studies and Fine Arts
• Nursing 206 – Fundamentals of Nursing Practice
  • Mike Gates, College of Health and Human Services
• Nursing 300 – Nursing Care of the Acutely Ill Adult
  • Mike Gates, College of Health and Human Services
• Nursing 320 – RN-BS Health Assessment
  • Helina Hoyt, College of Health and Human Services
• Nursing 415 – Community/Public Health Nursing
  • Savitri Singh-Carlson, College of Health and Human Services
• Physics 196 – Principles of Physics
  • Matt Anderson, College of Sciences
• Physics 400B – Introduction to Electrodynamics
  • Lyuba Kuznetsova, College of Sciences
• Physics 552 – Modern Optics and Lasers
  • Lyuba Kuznetsova, College of Sciences
• Recreation & Tourism Management 487 – Environmental and Cultural Interpretation
  • Crystal De Soto, College of Professional Studies and Fine Arts
• Religious Studies 352 – Jainism
  • Drew Thomases, College of Arts and Letters
• Teacher Education 790 – Seminar in Science Education
  • Donna Ross, College of Education
• Teacher Education 910A – Teaching Math in Elementary Schools
  • Lisa Lamb, The Center for Research in Mathematics and Science Education (CRMSE) – College of Education
• Theater 446 – Performance Practicum
  • Katie Turner, College of Professional Studies and Fine Arts
• Theater 447 – Lighting Design
  • Anne McMills, College of Professional Studies and Fine Arts
• Theater 499 – Special Study
  • Katie Turner, College of Professional Studies and Fine Arts
• Theater 557 – 3D Fabrication for Entertainment Design
  • Anne McMills, College of Professional Studies and Fine Arts
• Television, Film and New Media Production 552 – 3D Digital Storytelling
  • Sam Shpigelman, College of Professional Studies and Fine Arts

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VITaL Research Initiatives and Presentations

Fall 2017 VITaL research initiatives and presentations include:

• School of Nursing: Nursing HoloPatient Virtual Standardized Patient Study
• Using Virtual Reality to Explore Transborder Student Experiences
• Department of Astronomy: Phases of the Moon VR Lab Exploratory Study
• UBTech 2017, Orlando, Florida: “What’s Next? How Emerging Technologies Shape Learning Space Design“
• DET/CHE: Virtual Immersive Teaching and Learning (VITaL): “We’re Only Limited by Our Imagination”
• CSU Tech Innovation, Education, and Exchange 2017: “Opportunities & Challenges in Designing & Implementing Campus VR/MR Projects”

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VITaL Student Organizations

In addition to the courses above, the following new student organizations were launched in partnership with the VITaL initiative:

• Aztec Game Lab
  • President: Nathan Danque (co-founder)
  • Vice President: Barry Evans (co-founder)
  • Faculty Advisor: Steve Price, Computer Science
• Virtual Reality (VR) Club SDSU
  • President: Neha Nene (co-founder)
  • Vice President: Sierra Morehardt (co-founder)
  • Faculty Advisor: Patty Kraft, Computer Science
• Artificial Intelligence (AI) Club 
  • President: Darpan Beri
  • Vice President: Patrick Perrine
  • Faculty Advisor: Xiaobai Liu, Computer Science

 

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VITaL Events

In 2017, ITS hosted/co-hosted several immersive learning events, including:

• California State University (CSU) Immersive Learning Summit 2017
• 2017 SDSU University Senate Instructional and Information Technology (IIT) Committee Showcase
• SDSU Center for Teaching and Learning (CTL) Lunch & Learn: “Virtual Immersive Teaching and Learning” 
• 2017 Explore SDSU Open House
• SDSU Instructional Technology Services VR Knowledge Share
• SDSU XR Showcase

VITaL Press

Wall Street Journal:

• How Holograms Are Helping Medical Training, July 5, 2018: https://www.wsj.com/articles/how-holograms-are-helping-medical-training-1530795601

KPBS:

• San Diego State University Nursing Students Diagnose Holograms, July 23, 2018: http://www.kpbs.org/news/2018/jul/23/san-diego-state-university-nursing-students-diagno/

American Association of Colleges of Nursing (AACN) News Watch Weekly Edition:

• Weekly Digest, July 25, 2018: http://www.aacnnursing.org/News-Information/News/View/ArticleId/21682/News-Watch-7-25-18

SDSU NewsCenter:

• • SDSU Recognized for Innovation in Teaching and Research, August 17, 2018: http://newscenter.sdsu.edu/sdsu_newscenter/news_story.aspx?sid=77331

• • Making VR Learning a Reality, April 24, 2018: http://newscenter.sdsu.edu/sdsu_newscenter/news_story.aspx?sid=77193

• • How SDSU is Creating Optimal Learning Environments, January 29, 2018: http://newscenter.sdsu.edu/sdsu_newscenter/news_story.aspx?sid=77082

• • SDSU Hosts CSU Immersive Learning Summit, October 30, 2017: http://newscenter.sdsu.edu/sdsu_newscenter/news_story.aspx?sid=76993

• Showcase Demonstrates VR Technology at SDSU, June 20, 2017: http://newscenter.sdsu.edu/sdsu_newscenter/news_story.aspx?sid=76801

FLEXspace:

• VITaL: The Future of Immersive Learning at SDSU, February 22, 2018: http://flexspace.org/2018/02/vital-the-future-of-immersive-learning-at-sdsu/

Cal State University:

• A Reality Beyond, September 29, 2020: https://www2.calstate.edu/csu-system/news/Pages/a-reality-beyond.aspx

VITaL Awards

• Reimagine Education Silver Award in Virtual/Augmented Reality
• California State University Gold Award in Technology Supporting Innovation in Teaching and Research

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How can I use the VITaL functionality in my teaching/research?

To schedule a time to discuss the possibilities for your area of teaching/research, contact ITS Director, Dr. Sean Hauze: shauze@nullsdsu.edu