AUX: Immersive Learning Experiences Grant

Alecia Douglas

Horst Schulze School of Hospitality Management

Contributing team members: Ali Sattari (Creative Lead), Amy Conway (Instructional Design), Mazin Salim Mohammed Palakuniyil (Instructional Design)

EVENTMASTER VR is an immersive virtual reality simulation designed for Auburn’s event management students in the HOSP-3460 course. The project creates digital twin venues and interactive scenarios covering event marketing, logistics, and risk management. Students can explore self-guided and multiplayer modes, with an AI guide to enhance learning. The simulation bridges theory and practice, allowing students to design event layouts, manage stakeholder needs, and respond to real-world challenges in a safe, engaging environment. This innovative tool aims to set a new standard for experiential learning in event management education and has potential for broader adoption in industry training and academic research.

Amrut Sadachar

Consumer & Design Sciences

Contributing team members: Ali Sattari (Creative Lead), Stanley Ross (Instructional Design)

Immersive Web VR teaching modules are being developed to help students understand textile manufacturing processes, focusing on cotton yarn and fabric production. By capturing 360-degree images and videos at a Georgia cotton facility, the modules offer virtual tours and interactive content for core courses like CADS 1600 and CADS 2600. The initiative aims to reach over 140 students per semester, with the potential to impact all 281 students in Auburn's Apparel program. Integrating VR into the curriculum will boost engagement, deepen knowledge, and better prepare students for careers in the textile and apparel industries.

Anna-Margaret Goldman

Auburn University Outreach

Contributing team members: Jillian Ford (Agriscience Education), Ali Sattari (Creative Lead), Nikkiye Dzambazi (Instructional Design)

Expanding Auburn’s Rural Teacher Fellows program, this project integrates 360-degree video technology for remote supervision of student teachers in rural Alabama. Through the “Teaching in Rural Places” course, fellows engage in interdisciplinary, community-based learning with partners like Rural Studio and the Rural Health Initiative. The AUX grant supports technology that reduces travel barriers, enhances observation quality, and fosters immersive learning. This initiative deepens understanding of rural education and civic engagement, while providing scalable, cross-disciplinary collaboration opportunities for Auburn students and faculty.

Binita Mahato

Political Science

Contributing team members: Ali Sattari (Creative Lead), Megan Slatton (Instructional Design)

Virtual reality is being used to create digital twins of Auburn University campus facilities, enabling students to evaluate sustainability scores using the Office of Sustainability's Sustainability Compass. By merging real-time quantitative and qualitative data, students engage in immersive, place-based learning that bridges academic knowledge with practical skills. The digital twins will be integrated into sustainability course modules, enhancing data literacy and critical thinking. The initiative aims to foster a holistic understanding of sustainability—encompassing nature, society, economy, and wellbeing—while providing a scalable model for future campus-wide applications.

Daniel Siao

School of Aviation 

Contributing team members: Captain Martin (Huey) Harris (Aviation), Rebecca Baughman (Aviation), Willie Billingslea

Advanced virtual reality (VR) training is being brought to Auburn's School of Aviation, allowing students to interact with cockpit controls and observe aircraft responses in immersive environments. By supplementing traditional simulator training with VR modules, students gain hands-on experience with aircraft systems, procedures, and pre-flight inspections. The initiative aims to enhance learning, reduce training time, and support Auburn's goals of innovation and excellence in aviation education. The project also supports ongoing research into the effectiveness of VR in flight training.

Eilís Finnegan

College of Architecture, Design and Construction

Contributing team members: Frank Hu (Landscape Architecture) and Jennifer Pindyck (Architecture and Interior Architecture)

Building on the success of the Immersive Architecture Lab, Phase 2 expands the lab’s “phygital” capacity by integrating virtual and augmented reality with digital-physical fabrication tools. Students across Architecture, Environmental Design, Interior Architecture, and Landscape Architecture will create interactive models that enhance and align with immersive virtual experiences. The lab fosters hands-on experimentation, allowing students to move fluidly between digital modeling, immersive visualization, and physical prototyping. This approach prepares students for the evolving demands of design practice and encourages interdisciplinary collaboration and community engagement.

Felicia Tuggle

Sociology, Anthropology & Social Work

Contributing team members: Jeanna Sewell (Harrison College of Pharmacy), Rachel Helms Cody (College of Nursing), Ali Sattari (Creative Lead), Sydney Bassett (Instructional Design)

Extended reality (XR) technology is being leveraged to create immersive interprofessional education and collaborative practice (IPECP) experiences for students in social work, nursing, and pharmacy. Through interactive simulations, students develop core IPE competencies—values, ethics, roles, and teamwork—by working together in realistic clinical and community settings. The initiative addresses gaps in experiential learning for online students and aims to prepare a collaborative, practice-ready workforce. Assessment will include performance evaluations, reflective writing, and peer feedback, ensuring students are equipped for real-world interprofessional collaboration.

Jake Elbrecht

McWhorter School of Building Science

Contributing Team Members: Ali Sattari (Creative Lead), Jasmine Jones (Instructional Design)

A VR-based training experience is being developed for mass timber construction, addressing the lack of formal installation training for construction managers. Leveraging a digital twin of a physical mass timber mockup, the VR modules allow students to practice installation techniques, understand scheduling and cost estimation, and safely engage with complex construction scenarios. The experience will be integrated into Building Science courses, enhancing workforce readiness and making advanced construction training accessible to more students. The initiative also aims to inform industry outreach and workforce development in the Southeast.

Jia Wu

Consumer & Design Sciences

Contributing Team Members: Young-A Li (Co-PI), Ali Sattari (Creative Lead), Betsy Gilbertson (Instructional Design), Mazin Salim Mohammed Palakuniyil (Instructional Design) 

Aiming to transform apparel design education, this project integrates VR technologies into two key courses—CADS 2770 and CADS 4960. Students will design and present 3D virtual fashion collections, culminating in a virtual runway show featured at the annual CADS Fashion Event. The project promotes deeper learning, 2D/3D knowledge exchange, and workforce readiness, while offering immersive experiences to over 1,100 event attendees. Student outcomes will be evaluated through surveys, rubrics, and public presentations, showcasing the potential of VR in fashion education.

Maria Delgado Deleon

Consumer & Design Sciences

Co-I: Veena Chattaraman (Consumer & Design Sciences)

Contributing Team Members: Ali Sattari (Creative Lead), Christina Ganus (Instructional Design)

Immersive VR experiences are being developed to enhance spatial awareness, decision-making, and engagement for interior design students. Three XR modules will be created: AR for converting 2D construction documents into 3D visualizations, VR for simulating field trips to learn building codes, and MR for virtual design rooms focused on material selection. The initiative addresses gaps in technology integration within interior design education and aligns with accreditation standards, preparing students for advanced coursework and professional practice.

Suhasini Gururaja

Aerospace Engineering

Contributing team members: Ali Sattari (Creative Lead), Erica Britton (Instructional Design)

Aerospace education is being reimagined through the development of two immersive modules for AERO 3610 Aircraft Structures I: a WebXR-based 3D visualization and AR platform for exploring aircraft components, and a virtual materials testing lab for interactive experimentation. These modules enhance conceptual understanding, support hands-on virtual exploration, and ensure equitable access for large student cohorts. Designed for adaptability, the initiative lays the groundwork for a unified, interactive learning brand across aerospace courses, fostering scalable, high-quality instruction and engagement.

Chandana Mitra

Geosciences

Co-I: Marilyn Vogel (Geosciences); Miriam Wyman (Academic Activities Sustainability); Rebecca Dodge (Midwestern State University)

Contributing team members: Brent Yantis (University of Louisiana at Lafayette); Chris Molinski (Jule Collins Smith Museum)

The "Earth as Art" initiative, initiated over two decades ago, sought to captivate audiences with the aesthetic appeal of Earth's landscapes through artistic renderings of Landsat imagery. The project expanded into the "Earth as Art Interactive Globe Museum," integrating these images to inspire cross-disciplinary student engagement. Leveraging AmericaView, a nationwide Earth observation education network, the project combines art and science to enhance learning experiences. Employing Web-VR for accessibility, the initiative allows interactive exploration of Earth's beauty and environmental changes, fostering critical thinking and interdisciplinary understanding. Partnerships with educational institutions and museums enhance public engagement and learning outcomes.

Jennifer Pindyck

School of Architecture

Co-I: Gorham Bird (School of Architecture); Frank Hu (School of Architecture)

Contributing team members: Steve Wall (School of Architecture)

This project harnesses lessons from remote teaching during the Covid-19 pandemic, leveraging digital tools for architecture education. Digital platforms proved invaluable for design exploration when traditional methods were limited. As in-person classes resume, the integration of virtual realms augments design possibilities and collaboration, vital for modern designers. The proposed Immersive Architecture Lab at the School of Architecture, Planning, and Landscape Architecture focuses on accessibility and introduction of virtual and augmented reality tools. It includes training workshops, mobile immersive stations, and showcases, promoting an interdisciplinary approach and encouraging engagement with evolving technologies in design education.

Kimberly Garza

Health Outcomes Research and Policy

Contributing team members: Gary Hawkins (Library); Cheryl Seals (Computer Science and Software Engineering); Chad Rose (Mechanical Engineering)

Empathy is crucial in patient-centered healthcare and aids in professional identity formation among health professions students, particularly student pharmacists. Although empathy development activities are integral to curricula, high-fidelity simulations are underutilized. A virtual reality (VR) application, "EmpathyVR," was initiated to simulate chronic disease limitations, promoting empathy and professional identity. The pilot successfully engaged first-year student pharmacists, eliciting improved empathy levels and positive feedback. An extended project aims to refine and expand the VR application with disease-state scenarios, integrate HaptX Glove for tactile feedback, and finalize an in-house haptic glove. These enhancements aim to enhance empathy and immersive learning experiences in pharmacy education.

News Articles

Weaver, A. (2025, July 23). How a pharmacy professor is teaching empathy to students and understanding to patients. https://wire.auburn.edu/content/ocm/2025/07/230859-garza-vr-gloves.php Auburn Wire.

Publications

Garza KB, Davis BR, Kelley J, Richardson A, Seals C, Hawkins G, McGuckin L, Rose CG, Grabowsky A. Assessing the effectiveness of virtual reality to promote empathy for patients through a mixed-methods study. Am J Pharm Educ. 2024;88(6):100702. doi:10.1016/j.ajpe.2024.100702.

Awards

American Association of Colleges of Pharmacy Social and Administrative Sciences Section 2025 Best Scholarship of Teaching and Learning Publication Award

American Association of Colleges of Pharmacy Technology in Pharmacy Education and Practice Special Interest Group 2025 Innovation Award

Presentations

Garza KB, Davis BR, Richardson A, Seals C, Rose CG, Hawkins G, Grabowsky A. Walking in Their Shoes: Using Virtual Reality to Promote Empathy for Patients Among Student Pharmacists. Poster presentation at the American Association of Colleges of Pharmacy Annual Meeting, July 2023, Aurora, CO.

Garza KB, Hawkins G, Seals C, Davis BR. Empathy VR: A learning activity to promote empathy for patients among student pharmacists. 30-minute presentation and interactive workshop at the Southern Regional Faculty and Instructional Development Consortium, March 9, 2023, Auburn, AL.

Garza KB, Kelley J, Seals C, Hawkins G, McGuckin L, Rose CG, Grabowsky A. Through Their Eyes: A Virtual Reality Activity to Promote Empathy for Patients Among Student Pharmacists. Podium presentation at the Auburn University Inclusive Excellence Conference, April 10, 2024, Auburn, AL.

Garza KB, Davis BR, Richardson A, Seals C, Hawkins G, Rose CG, Grabowsky A. Using Virtual Reality to Promote Empathy for Patients Among Student Pharmacists. Poster presentation at the Auburn University Elevated Education Exchange, April 6, 2023, Auburn, AL.

Garza KB, Ezeja L, Yang H, Moseley LE, Grabowsky A, Hawkins G, McGuckin L, Seals C, Rose CG. EmpathyVR: Transforming Pharmacy Student Perspectives on the Patient Experience. Poster presentation at the Virtual Medicine (vMed25) Conference, March 27, 2025, Beverly Hills, CA.

Garza KB, Moseley LE, Grabowsky A, Hawkins G, McGuckin L, Seals C, Rose CG. Through Their Eyes: A Virtual Reality Activity to Promote Empathy for Patients Among Student Pharmacists. Invited roundtable session at the American Association of Colleges of Pharmacy Technology in Pharmacy Education and Practice SIG Networking Meeting, July 21, 2025, Chicago, IL.

Kristen Tordella-William

Art and Art History

This proposal suggests an immersive 360 video-based safety training for the Art and Art History Department's woodshop, aiming to enhance student confidence and safety in tool operation. Given the common lack of prior tool experience among students, the online resource offers accessible, engaging training, supporting in-person sessions and promoting independent, safe work. By providing consistent safety training accessible anytime, it addresses potential gaps in training attendance and instructor reliance. The immersive approach empowers students to navigate woodshop tools confidently, emphasizing real-time safety within a secure and revisitable learning environment.

Mark Traynor

School of Hospitality Management

Contributing team members: Yee Ming Lee (Hospitality Management); Alecia C. Douglas (Hospitality Management); Amy Conway (Auburn Online); Ali Sattari (Auburn Online)

This collaborative project extends a prior AUX grant to advance food safety and sanitation education through immersive technology at Auburn University. Building on a successful virtual simulated environment (VSE) adopted in Hospitality Management classes, the project aims to transition to fully immersive virtual reality (VR). The VR environment enhances practical application and engagement, supplementing theoretical learning in food safety and sanitation. Collaborating with Auburn Online, the project strives to better prepare learners for industry certifications while exploring the effectiveness of immersive VR in teaching these crucial concepts. Challenges and lessons from prior phases inform this ambitious immersive educational initiative.

Mary Mendonça

Biological Sciences

Co-I: Gary Hawkins (Library)

Contributing team members: Ashley Peart (Biological Sciences); Linda Pastorello (Biological Sciences); Cissy Ballen(Biological Sciences); Lily McGuckin (Library)

This project aims to transform upper-division physiology labs utilizing live animal surgeries into cutting-edge, immersive enhanced reality labs. Auburn University's capstone physiology courses employ live animal surgery preps to illustrate physiological principles. The envisioned immersive, augmented reality experiences will replicate whole animal surgical scenarios, offering a wider range of manipulations to demonstrate physiological responses to drugs and underlying conditions. This transformation addresses ethical concerns, provides repeatable opportunities for every student, and extends to related courses, ensuring a deeper understanding of physiological concepts. The augmented reality labs also hold potential for broader educational applications and comparative effectiveness studies.

Pankush Kalgotra

Business Analytics and Information Systems

This proposal introduces a novel approach to teaching network analysis using virtual reality (VR). Traditionally, networks were understood through matrices and 2-D visualizations. Leveraging VR's immersive environment, students can now interact with networks, particularly illustrating a disease comorbidity network. The shift to VR enhances conceptual understanding by enabling a deeper engagement with network structures and dynamics, offering promising prospects for enhanced education in network analysis.

J. Rachel Prado

Chemistry & Biochemistry

Co-I: Vanessa dos Reis Falcao (Chemistry & Biochemistry)

Building upon the success of our prior VR grant on stereoisomer understanding, this proposal extends immersive experiences to enhance organic chemistry comprehension. Chemistry's three representational domains—macroscopic, symbolic, and particulate—often pose challenges for students. Specifically, the particulate domain demands abstract visualization due to the minuteness of atoms and molecules. Our VR approach aims to address these challenges by enabling interactive visualization and manipulation of particulate models, aiding in understanding molecular structures and reactions. Leveraging successful pilot feedback, we plan to extend this approach to cover substitution and elimination reactions, revolutionizing the teaching of fundamental organic chemistry mechanisms through virtual experiences.

Presentations

Biennial Conference on Chemical Education – July 2024 – Lexington, Kentucky – Presentation: Rachel Prado*, Vanessa Falcao, Allie Brandriet and Ali Sattari, “Building an Immersive Organic Chemistry Learning Experience” 

Inclusive Excellence Conference – April 2024 – Auburn, Alabama –Presentation: Rachel Prado*, Vanessa Falcao, Allie Brandriet and Ali Sattari, “An Immersive and Inclusive Organic Chemistry Learning Experience” 

SRFIDC Conference 2023 – March 2023 – Auburn, Alabama –Presentation: Rachel Prado*, Vanessa Falcao, Allie Brandriet and Ali Sattari, “Using Web-based VR to Build an Immersive Chemistry Learning Experience” 

Awards

Rachel Prado, 2024 McGraw Hill Pathfinder Award Winner, Chemistry and Biochemistry Senior Lecturer, Auburn University, Auburn, Alabama

Rebecca Retzlaff

Political Science

Co-I: Megan Heim LaFrombois (Political Science)

Contributing Team Members: Keith Hebert (History); Robert Sproull (School of Architecture), Matthew Roberts (History), Megan Slatton (Biggio Center - Auburn Online), Nikkiye Dzambazi (Biggio Center - Auburn Online), Ali Sattari (Biggio Center - Auburn Online), Max Newsom (Biggio Center - Auburn Online)

This project aims to educate students on the historical impact of racial city planning and housing discrimination on communities of color, emphasizing the persistent wealth disparities and environmental injustices. Through an online virtual platform, the project uses Montgomery, Alabama, as a case study, illustrating urban planning targeting African American neighborhoods to maintain white supremacy. It delves into five key eras, employing both wide-scale and small-scale visualizations. By providing insights into the past, this project equips students to empathize with affected communities and understand the long-term consequences of racial planning while envisioning a future of equitable planning and reparative justice.

Presentations

Rebecca Retzlaff and Megan Heim LaFrombois, “Teaching City Planning History with Virtual Reality” Presented at the College of Liberal Arts Inclusive Excellence Conference, Auburn, Alabama, April 17, 2024. 

Rebecca Retzlaff, Megan Slatton, Ali Sattari, and Shawndra Bowers,  “Teaching City Planning History with Virtual Reality in Montgomery, Alabama” Capital Matters Symposium, Montgomery, Alabama, April 26, 2024.

Megan Slatton, Becki Retzlaff, Nikkiye Dzambazi, Ali Sattari, “Connecting the Dots: Immersive Experiences and Interdisciplinary Approaches to City Planning” Auburn University Outreach Scholarship Symposium, September 4, 2024.

Additional Funding Opportunities

Rebecca Retzlaff, Auburn University Gulf Scholars Program, grant from the National Academies of Science, Engineering, and Medicine ($600,000).

Thorsten Knappenberger

Crop, Soil & Environmental Sciences

Co-I: Yaniv Olshansky (Crop, Soil and Environmental Sciences); James Lindner (Curriculum and Teaching)

The CSES-2040 Basic Soil Science course aims to enhance the learning experience by integrating virtual reality (VR). Traditionally, students visit nearby soil profile sites for field labs. Utilizing VR, students can explore various soils across the state in different landscapes and topographic positions. Students are exposed to a standard or a VR experience. Later, both cohorts visit the field site. This research intends to assess information retention and test performance, examining the effectiveness of VR-enhanced learning in soil science education.