Integration wasn’t really that impactful, hence why I adopted the kit upon my arrival. I approach the digital curriculum integration through a scaffolded induction of the kit to enable positive adoption with academics, and student involvement. Full details in my blog post 'Virtual Reality wall', and additional information about the VR suites in my presentation 'Enabling positive Virtual Reality and immersive learning adoption: a journey of integrating VR walls'. My newer role is focused on the academic leadership of such technology in the healthcare context, and I will be making headway with immersive pedagogy. Details of this in my blog post 'Exploring a pedagogical rationale for VR and immersive learning' and 'What is Immersive Learning and VR?'. We don’t require headsets for such immersive experience, mostly non-interactive VR, but we have plans to purchase some for exploratory VR experiences. This is centered around a pilot with Oxford Medical Simulations - details in 'Trialling VR scenarios in the curriculum'.
These VR suites are new to me, and many of our academics and technicians who have varying degrees of digital capabilities using learning technologies. As well as keeping informed and updated on healthcare matters via lecturers, technicians and students that I work with on a daily basis, and the NHS and Higher Education England communications circulated by my Head. Therefore, I need to develop and update my expertise in VR and immersive learning. As well as looking to use this group to help scale up our VR and immersive experiences. Moreover, I am not aware anyone in department has an active interest in such specialism, and the care of it, and I see this firmly sitting within my role to further our approaches.
I established a small informal bi-monthly VR and immersive learning working group in July 2022, replacing and repurposing an existing reoccurring catch up with a learning designer from the central Flexible Learning team. Later inviting a couple more learning designers from the central learning design team. To co-collaborate on developing our understanding and practice in this area and to disseminate our outcomes with the wider university. On 9 March 2023 I decided to submit a proposal to scope the possibility of converting this into a NTU Trent Institute for Learning and Teaching (TILT®) practice and scholarship group. To widen membership and better support practice and scholarship and the universities strategic ambitions. This was approved and I became the chair of it. Enabling me to spearhead this specialism and utilising this space for members to develop their knowledge and practice. Utilising my previous co-chair experience of the TILT Flexible and Online Learning Group in 2020. EDIT: In September 2024 I recruited a co-chair to collaborate, support and share the responsibility and workload to improve our collective input and outputs. Another driving force in the creation of this group is that VR and immersive learning technical and scholarly practice is not well-supported at NTU and is a complex field. By way of building community and support, it aims to;
"Virtual Reality (VR) (including Extended Reality (XR) and Immersive Learning is a growing specialist area across HE. Therefore, this practice and scholarship special interest group aims to explore the potential, current practices and review related literature to develop expertise and support." NTU TILT
I guess my 5 year aims of the group are to support this core aim. We have a lot of technological equipment and facilities, but often with little or no support for end users to develop long-term plans.
Below is a poster I created to promote the group.
As I lead and progress this group, I hope to further refine our scholarship philosophy.
The group is particularly useful to those that design and/or support immersive learning. The group contains 34 members, excluding TILT administrators/coordinators and chair. The group first met on 7th September 2023. It includes a diverse range of roles and this is proving to be a successful and valuable group. Frequency and other roles are yet to be determined once group outputs are confirmed at the second meeting on 22nd November 2023. Regarding active and passive members. My stance is that some members may want to just be silent engagers e.g. passively keeping up to date with topics - we all do this and it is fine. Active members should only matter depending on what outputs/projects are agreed, and who does what etc, of which might not be for everyone.
Role, department and school representation, again excluding TILT administrators/coordinators and chair, numbers denote individuals:
I'll update this blog post as the group develops through my leadership.
Meeting agenda and summary:
- Meeting 1 agenda, 7th September 2023
- Welcome and aims of the group
- Member introductions (your role, reasons for joining, VR and immersive learning experience, and/or any requirements/challenges from your department
- Review and discussion of Terms of reference
- Group logistics (format, frequency, contributing, Teams space etc), growing membership
- What would we like the focus of the group to be? Discuss potential outputs
- Topics for future meetings and/or guest speakers and/or ideas for work for the group
- Short presentations introducing the current VR and immersive learning landscape across the sector, and what's happening at NTU
- REALM – A VR project for the School of Social Sciences. Bjorn Le Roux and David Roach, Flexible Learning Team, Nottingham Trent University
- Use of VR walls in the Institute of Health and Allied Professions. Daniel Scott-Purdy, Institute of Health and Allied Professions, Nottingham Trent University
- Lot's of interest, energy, opportunities and potential group focus ideas and outputs were discussed - to be confirmed in the next meeting on 22nd November
- Katalin Butt-Bethlendy - "Thanks again for setting up the group - it is a such an exciting and promising field!"
- AOB as standard throughout all meetings
- Meeting 2 agenda, 22nd November 2023
- Pre-meeting preparation – review the group’s suggested outputs from meeting 1
- Group welcome
- Discuss and agree the suggested group output; development of a Thrive learning pathway
- Short presentations:
- David Jeckells, Learning & Teaching Technology Manager – widening access to creating H5P virtual tours (15 mins)
- Pamela Henderson, Senior Lecturer – sharing digital escape rooms idea (15 mins)
- Confirmed main output for this academic year to be the development of a Thrive learning pathway, and ways we can begin to flesh this out and divide roles
- Meeting 3 agenda, 25 January 2024
- Confirm the Thrive content pathway outline (circulated ahead of the meeting), and confirm role(s), contribution and required presence at sub-groups
- Meeting 4 agenda, 20 March 2024
- Member update on device management and streamlining some of the headset onboarding allowing single sign-on.
- Reviewed draft Thrive content pathway outline
- TILT VRIL presence at NTU TILT Annual Learning and Teaching Conference
- Member question - a session to focus on practically developing and incorporating VR in the classroom and assessment activities too
- Meeting 5 agenda, 20 June 2024
- Review Thrive content pathway outline and decide next steps
- Pre-meeting task – review the Thrive learning pathway content
- Identified gaps: Availability of technology, Technical set up requirements and Practical ideas solutions. Need to decide whether to fill or postpone to a later date.
- Take stock, evaluate and look ahead for next year
- Meeting 6 agenda, 20 November 2024
- New co-chair and re-focus of the group and structure and discussion of outputs for this academic year
- Make a decision on Thrive pathway content; make changes or just promote lightly and move on
- Review an Immersive learning design process/framework
- Possible development of a VRIL policy development/manifesto
- Research on what makes VR walls successful
- Presentation opportunities
- External visits
- Possible annual event
- MS form to collect some information for the next funding applications
- Meeting 7 agenda, 2 April 2025
- Tour of NTU's new Design and Digital Arts building immersive facilities
- Meeting 8, agenda, 31 July 2025
- Second group output – progress and outcomes (5 minutes)
- Development of a report to determine scale of immersive learning and VR across NTU. Links to development of a VRIL policy development/manifesto.
- Group involvement.
- IHAP developments (10 mins)
- School Showcase
- NHS webinar
- Tech Teaser – VR immersive wall suite
- Bodyswaps healthcare grant outcome and Meta Quest exploration
- Night club scene development
- Maudsley (ADBE) VR immersive suite visit
- Social work developments
- Law and Employability visit
- Presentation (15 mins)
- Godson Uma – current immersive learning works and filming projects
- H5P Virtual Tours (Dignity, Blossomwood, paramedicine kits)
- Soundscape (audio) development
- HoloLens exploration
- Open invitation for others to share.
- Possibly:
- Criminology (Elliot Doornbos & Joe Hale - 360 Shrewsbury Prison Tour)
- Policing (Gary Markham)
- School of Social Sciences (David J and Sarah B)
- Art and Design colleagues who presented at NTU’s ATLC
- Autumn hands-on exploration (3 mins)
- The in-person exploration/play drop-in and showcase of available immersive technologies and tools, prototypes etc. Was deferred to Autumn and Bjorn and David Roach have confirmed they can support this.
- AOB
- Recruiting a new co-chair
- Meeting 9, agenda, 26 November 2025
- Group closed on 29 September 2025 - at the bottom is the communication sent to members.
EDIT:
In November 2023:
Me - "Hello Edward, Sharon and Jane, [University Executive Team]
I attended your live VC Q&A on 21 November 2023. Towards the end, you answered an audience question regarding NTU’s unique selling point. You had a brief discussion about immersive technology at your recent away day; what have NTU got that we could make more of etc, and what we could do as a university in this space to showcase etc.
I’d like to take the opportunity to make you aware of the brand-new TILT Virtual Reality and Immersive Learning practice and scholarship group – we first met in September. I established and chair this group by way of building community to address the lack of support available. It aims to explore the potential, current practices and review related literature to develop expertise and support.
As you continue to explore our immersive technology offer, this group can help you find out what is available and what great work is being done across NTU. As the chair of the group, I’d be happy to take and coordinate any questions and collect other information as required."
Jane McNeil, Pro Vice-Chancellor - "Thank you for reaching out and for taking the initiative to set up a TILT group. This is exactly what we hope TILT will achieve - supporting colleagues like you to create opportunities for exploration and innovation. It’s great news that you are leading this. I’d be very interested to hear about the work. Shall we meet up to discuss?"
Me - "Thank you Jane, yes that would be great. The group is very much in its early development stages having met twice now, but has clear outputs. Let me know your availability and we can discuss in further detail."
Michael Greenwell, Senior Lecturer – "Thanks Dan, appreciate your time and work."
Shishir Malde, Principal Lecturer - "...I do think what you are leading is immense, and I wish you continued success."
Group closure, 29 September 2025
Me:
"Hello,In response to my previous email. No one has come forward with interest in taking up a co-chair role. With my own department commitments growing I am unable to continue to develop and nurture the group as a solo chair. The co-chair sharing of the responsibility and workload is essential for maintaining membership engagement and interactivity. Of which has largely been absent in the last academic year. As well as addressing a decline in engagement and attendance of the wider group’s membership. Therefore, I bring this TILT group to a natural close.
Thank you to all members attendance and contributions to the group over the last two years. It is much appreciated and helped spread the value and work of immersive learning and VR across the university. It has enabled and supported this specialist area to have presence and focus for discussion. I think the group has been ahead of time and served it’s initial intentions well, the report (second output of last academic year) that myself and David have concluded supports this. I like also to think I have created a specialist legacy space for this area of work, should it be resurrected in the future, there will be something to build on.
I remain open and collaborative on all thing immersive learning and VR. So please do keep in touch. I hope you have found this group useful over the last two years, even if you have silently engaged without attending.
I will keep the Team space open, but note that I will not manage this, but I will continue to share resources and literature as I have been.
Whilst it has been a challenge to maintain membership engagement and collaboration, as a group we have achieved the following. If I have missed anything, please let me know.
- Created a space to share and develop thinking and practice, recognised and commended by Jane McNeil, Pro Vice-Chancellor, University Executive Team member
- Representative group membership across academic and professional services staff; professors, principal and senior lecturers, learning designers and technicians
- Increased awareness of this specialism and shared low technical solutions and opportunities e.g. H5P Virtual Tour (360) content type
- Thrive content pathway – Introducing immersive learning and VR at NTU [URL redacted]. Acting as an accessible resource to guide NTU staff plan and develop immersive learning in their subject areas
- Influenced immersive learning-related objectives and priorities in the School of Social Sciences Digital Learning framework
- Visited the new Design and Digital Arts building on 2 April 2025 touring their immersive facilities and technologies. Inspiring new and authentic industry experience ideas and practices and reflecting on how to apply them in different curriculum contexts. Reflecting on School of Social Sciences Chaucer building in repurposing teaching spaces to create imaginative, low cost and technical ways to promote student engagement
- Published the Immersive and XR learning at NTU Report [URL redacted] to determine the scale of immersive and Extended Reality learning across NTU
- Received numerous qualitative feedback in the form of member comments on the usefulness of the group. Some provided below:
- Member - "It's great to have a "go to" group of knowledgeable peers."
- Member - "New to the group, but so far, it's been nice to feel a sense of community, and that there are other pockets of people in the University doing interesting immersive things."
- Member – “Have just flicked through / reviewed the Thrive stuff, and as someone new to the group, but with some base line knowledge, think you've done a good job at covering the scope / tech, particularly for a new but interested audience, which seems applicable for Thrive given its purpose and training and development focus.”
- Member – “Thanks Dan, appreciate your time and work.”
- Member – “...I do think what you are leading is immense, and I wish you continued success.”
- Member – “...thanks for all you've done to organise and run that.”"
David Roach, Learning Designer - "...thanks for all you've done to organise and run that."
Pamela Henderson, Senior Lecturer - "I’m very sorry to hear this, though totally understand where you’re coming from. I’ve previously been in the same position with a TILT group that I chaired. I have very much enjoyed your group, and am grateful for the time and help you have given me and colleagues. I’m very glad you’re going to keep the Team open so that we can share ideas. I suspect many of us, definitely including myself, would have loved to be more actively involved, but sadly our ever-increasing workloads make it impossible."
Me - "Thank you Pamela, that is very kind of you to say. Much appreciated. Hopefully it can remain semi-active through the Team space."
Pamela Henderson - "I think it will, Dan. Personally, I’m always interested in what other people are doing and would love to do more myself. I had to miss the big immersive session last year due to exam board commitments, but we’re busy organising our Legal Education conference for summer 2026, so I might be back, looking for colleagues to assemble another demo!"
Laura Stinson, Senior Academic Practice Developer (TILT Lead) - "Hi Daniel
I’m sorry you were not able to get someone to step in as co-chair for the group.
Thank you for your input over the last 2 years. It was good to see this work being supported and do let us know if there is anything we can support you with moving forward."
Kayisha Thomas, TILT Co-ordinator - "I’m sorry to hear that. When we spoke a few weeks ago, I was hoping someone would step up.
You accomplished some incredible things in 2 years, and I really appreciate your enthusiasm, consistency, contribution to TILT and your efforts to keep the group going in the past couple of months.
Thank you for leaving the Teams space open. At least the conversation can continue."
Philip Wane, Senior Lecturer, Criminology - "I just wanted to take the time to thank you for your efforts with the group...I'm sorry that you were put in the position of appealing for Co-Chairs to help you convene and operationalise the group. You clearly gave it a good go - and I mean that in the most sincere of ways...Thanks for all of your work."
