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XCITE Center for Teaching and Learning

IDEA lab backdrop

XCITE IDEA Lab

 

XCITE IDEA Lab

Design, Information Art and Visualization

XCITE IDEA Lab (Immersive Design for Educational Advancement) explores how immersive technologies, visualization, accessibility-focused prototyping, and emerging educational workflows can support active learning and problem-based learning across disciplines. Operating at the intersection of teaching, research, and experiential pedagogy, the lab develops learning environments and visualization approaches that help make complex ideas more understandable, interactive, and accessible.

IDEA Lab collaborates with instructors who are interested in transforming course content into “aha moments” for students. This can translate into better exam scores, completion of course objectives, and greater appreciation for your subject.

Our purpose is simple—to partner with you to strengthen communication with forward-thinking creative solutions. IDEA lab supports grant related graphics and strategy,  visual concepts for publication, and interactive teaching and learning materials.  Visualization and information design consultations are available upon request.

 

IDEA Lab Projects

  • CipherAR is augmented reality educational experience exploring encryption systems, symbolic communication, and problem-based learning through immersive storytelling and interaction with retro objects such as a reappropriated video game console, and an 'enigma' machine that can be virtually placed into living spaces, like a living room, classroom, dorm room, or café.

  • ChemEQ is an augmented reality chemistry visualization project that helps students explore dynamic equilibrium and Le Chatelier’s Principle through an immersive, interactive learning environment. Centered around a virtual pressure chamber, the experience allows learners to manipulate variables such as temperature, pressure, and molecular concentration while observing real-time changes in the equilibrium between nitrogen dioxide (NO₂) and dinitrogen tetroxide (N₂O₄). By making invisible molecular processes visible and interactive, ChemEQ supports deeper understanding of complex chemical systems.

  • Support for immersive storytelling, VR exploration, and experiential learning workflows connected to student-centered media production and emerging educational technologies.

  • A series of accessibility-oriented 3D printed biological models developed to support tactile, hands-on learning in BIO 5B laboratory environments. The initiative combines digital modeling, 3D printing, and exploratory learning workflows to help students better understand biological structures, physiology, and morphological variation through interactive physical objects.

  • Exploratory STEM outreach initiatives incorporating immersive technologies, VR360 curriculum concepts, and experiential learning activities designed to introduce students to emerging educational and visualization technologies.

  • IDEA Lab supports visualization-driven approaches to both teaching and research communication, including scientific illustration, explanatory visual systems, grant and proposal support, immersive visualization, and translational educational graphics that help make complex scientific and conceptual material more understandable, engaging, and accessible across disciplines.

  • IDEA Lab is exploring how to ethically and responsibly employ agentic AI workflows, campus-compliant AI tools, and emerging generative systems to support scalable educational content creation, visualization pipelines, research communication, and exploratory teaching and learning initiatives while remaining aligned with institutional, pedagogical, accessibility, and sustainability considerations.

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