CWRU Launches New XR and Active Learning Spaces
Case Western Reserve University has launched new learning spaces and immersive technologies in Nord Hall, expanding the university’s use of active learning and extended reality (XR) in teaching.
The new spaces allow students to explore subjects through real-time 3D experiences. Applications can include stepping inside a living cell, moving through the human body, inspecting a bridge from different angles and exploring ancient spiritual spaces.
The initiative forms part of CWRU’s wider investment in new learning environments and technologies. The university said the approach is intended to prepare students for changing educational and professional environments while maintaining the human connection between faculty and students.
CWRU’s teaching model continues to centre on active participation, including joint problem-solving, conversations, experimentation and mentorship. The new technologies are intended to provide faculty with additional teaching tools rather than replace in-class interactions.
More than a dozen pilot studies have supported the university’s use of XR. CWRU said students learning anatomy in XR have been shown to learn twice as fast and score 44% better on retention tests than students in traditional settings. The university said immersive, interactive 3D experiences are a likely reason for the difference because they make complicated concepts easier to visualise, explore and understand.
CWRU’s CWRUXR platform has reached more than 1,600 students across disciplines including classics, materials science, pharmacology and civil engineering. The new Nord Hall spaces are intended to give professors additional ways to develop teaching activities for their students.
One of the new facilities is Nord 356, a dedicated XR immersive classroom equipped with Meta Quest 3 headsets. Faculty can use no-code tools to create custom 3D spatial content, with the university stating that some content can be developed in as little as 20 minutes.
Nord 204 is an active learning classroom designed around collaboration and flexible room layouts. Traditional rows of desks have been replaced with reconfigurable arrangements. The room also has multiple displays, wireless casting and mobile whiteboards to support group work, problem-solving and team-based activities.
The Nord 200 lobby provides another space for collaboration. It includes study booths, group pods and mobile whiteboards, allowing student teams to continue collaborating, brainstorming and building after classroom sessions.
CWRU said faculty do not need specialised technical expertise to use the new spaces. The university is providing training, guidance and other support to help instructors incorporate the technology into their courses according to their own needs and choices.
The university also provides resources for faculty who are rethinking course activities, exploring new instructional approaches or simply investigating what the spaces and technologies can support. This includes assistance with turning ideas into practical classroom activities.
The Interactive Commons offers specialised training, consultation and hands-on guidance for faculty at different stages of using the technology. Its support ranges from exploring possible applications to developing XR-enabled classroom experiences with conversational artificial intelligence and no-code tools.
U-Tech’s Teaching & Learning Technologies unit provides further support and training covering areas including student engagement, collaboration, instructional design, active learning strategies and teaching and learning technologies.
CWRU is also making the new spaces available for the upcoming semester on a rolling basis. Faculty can contact the Interactive Commons to demonstrate the Meta Quest 3 headsets and test the CWRUXR Deck before deciding how to use the technology.
Those planning to reserve Nord 356 must first complete the required XR orientation. Reservations for Nord 356 and Nord 204 can then be made through the Spartan Reservation System (EMS), providing faculty with a way to incorporate the new environments into their teaching.
