Happy Spring Break, and welcome to the inaugural issue of Immersive Computing & the Liberal Arts! This newsletter will explore how immersive computing technologies—such as virtual reality (VR), augmented reality (AR), and 360-degree video—are transforming teaching and research in higher education.
Each issue of the newsletter will focus on a different application of immersive computing in a liberal arts context, highlighting innovative use cases, best practices, learning affordances, research and teaching opportunities, and funding sources. We hope you find valuable insights that inspire your own teaching and research. If you have ideas or suggestions for future newsletters, please reach out to gciel@grinnell.edu. Curious about our current immersive computing initiatives? Visit the Grinnell College Immersive Experiences Lab website to learn more about our exciting projects.
This Issue’s Theme: VR & 360 Video for Social Justice and Activism
In an era of increasing political polarization, conversations about social justice are often fraught with division and misunderstanding. Traditional methods of education and advocacy can struggle to bridge ideological gaps, making it more important than ever to find innovative ways to connect and foster empathy. Immersive computing technologies, such as VR and 360-degree video, offer a powerful solution by placing individuals directly in the lived experiences of others. By engaging both the body and mind, these tools help break down barriers, encourage critical thinking, and create meaningful dialogue that transcends political divides. Even more exciting, these immersive experiences can be shared as open educational resources to promote awareness of important social issues beyond the college campus.
In this issue, we explore:
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VR & 360 Video for Social Justice and Activism – How immersive experiences foster empathy, featuring works like Becoming Homeless, Queerskins ARK, Traveling While Black, and 1,000 Cut Journey.
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Research Corner: Presence in VR – The role of presence in VR, emphasizing narrative, engagement, and cultural context in fostering social awareness.
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Upcoming Events & Workshops – Hands-on opportunities for faculty, students, and staff, including 360 Images/Video, Spatial Audio, and Immersive Interactive Storytelling.
VR & 360 Video for Social Justice and Activism
Immersive technologies such as VR and 360-degree video have the unique ability to transport users into the lived experiences of others, offering perspectives that traditional media cannot fully convey. Unlike traditional perspective-taking, which relies on imagination or cognitive empathy, the embodied perspective-taking provided by immersive technologies engages both the body and mind, creating a deeper sense of presence in another person’s reality.
In VR, users can experience the world through another person’s eyes, move as they would, and even hear their internal thoughts. This sensory and motor immersion makes the experience feel more real, fostering emotional connections and behavioral change.
Several psychological mechanisms contribute to this phenomenon:
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Visual perspective shift allows users to see the world from another person’s field of view, enhancing identification with their experiences.
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Bodily ownership illusion creates the sensation of inhabiting a different body, temporarily altering self-perception and deepening empathy.
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Sensory and motor engagement within the immersive environment strengthens the feeling of presence in someone else’s life.
For institutions like Grinnell College, which emphasize critical thinking, civic engagement, and social justice, immersive computing offers an innovative way to engage students in pressing social issues. For example:
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Becoming Homeless challenges misconceptions about poverty and economic instability.
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Queerskins: ARK explores grief, identity, and LGBTQ+ experiences.
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Traveling While Black immerses viewers in the history of racial segregation through The Green Book, offering a powerful first-person perspective on the Black American experience.
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1,000 Cut Journey allows participants to embody an avatar who encounters various forms of racism.
Thinking about incorporating VR or 360-degree video into your courses, teaching, or research? Contact gciel@grinnell.edu for collaboration opportunities!
Research Corner: What Exactly is “Presence” in VR?
Presence in virtual reality refers to the feeling of being fully immersed in a digital environment, where users perceive and interact with virtual spaces as if they were real. This sense of presence is achieved through a combination of realistic visuals, spatial audio, and responsive interactions that engage the user’s senses. Strong presence enhances engagement, making VR experiences more compelling for education, training, and entertainment.
The article “Being There but Where? Sense of Presence Theory for Virtual Reality Applications“ explores how the psychological experience of presence extends beyond technological sophistication. It argues that presence is shaped by content and narrative, individual user characteristics, and socio-cultural influences, rather than just high-quality visuals or hardware. In the context of social activism, VR fosters empathy and drives change by immersing users in compelling narratives, making abstract problems feel immediate and personal. This suggests that VR is not just a tool for technology-driven disciplines but also a powerful medium for humanistic and social inquiry.
Grow Your Idea Into A Project
GCIEL is eager to support faculty by providing hardware resources, industry-standard software, and funding for student development team positions to help turn your idea into a class project, a grant proposal, or a summer Mentored Advanced Project (MAP). With the successful completion of the NEH Digital Humanities Advancement Grant for the Virtual Viking Longship, GCIEL is now looking for new, exciting projects to advance. Our experience with this grant has equipped us with the knowledge and skills to take your project from initial brainstorming all the way through to the grant application phase and beyond. Let’s collaborate and bring your ideas to life!
Upcoming Events & Workshops
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360 Images and Video – March 28, 2025
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Spatial Audio – April 4, 2025
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Faculty Immersive Computing Focus Group – April 7 @ noon
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Interactive Immersive Storytelling with Stornaway – April 25, 2025 (see also Prof. Arner’s Envisioning Heorot project, which uses Stornaway)
Please visit the GCIEL/Digital Studio Workshops on Immersive Technology webpage for more information on the workshop series.
Stay Connected!
The liberal arts have unique stories to tell, and immersive computing technologies provide innovative ways to share these narratives. By leveraging VR, AR, and 360-degree video, we can create powerful experiences that foster deeper connections and understanding through the sense of presence. Have a project to share, an idea to explore, a specific wish for an upcoming newsletter, or an event to promote? We’d love to feature your work in a future issue. Contact us at gciel@grinnell.edu to collaborate!
