Presentation Panel
Immersive Learning in Action: Values, Safety, and Exploration
Date Thursday, Dec 4 Time – Room: Charlottenburg III
What happens when virtual reality becomes a truly meaningful tool for learning? This panel presents practical applications of VR and other immersive tools across teacher education, workplace training, ecological field trips, and interactive classrooms. Together, these examples show how immersive tools can bridge theory and practice, foster inclusion, and build critical skills, highlighting design principles and strategies for values-driven, human-centred immersive education.
Judith Josupeit
Research Associate, TU Dresden
I am a psychologist by training (Dr. rer. nat.), with a special interest in informatics and human-centered technology. My research focuses on virtual reality and the experiences and perceptions achievable with this technology. Since 2023, I have also been involved in teachers' training. My interests include topics such as media literacy acquisition and digitalization, which therefore interlink very well with my research.
Re-an Muller
Deputy-Director: School of Management Sciences, North-West University
Re-an Müller is an Associate Professor in Marketing Management and Deputy Director of the School of Management Sciences at North-West University (NWU), South Africa. With over 15 years in higher education, including seven in academic leadership, he has received both institutional and faculty-level Teaching Excellence Awards. Passionate about innovative learning, he leads Project ELEVATE, a Virtual Reality-based initiative enhancing safety training through immersive, scenario-driven experiences. His research focuses on strategic brand management, which he also applies in supporting entrepreneurs through customised training and consulting. He serves on the Executive Committee of the International Advertising Association South Africa.
Uri Ben Ari
President and Founder, Athena Fund
Uri Ben Ari – President and Founder of Athena Fund
Uri Ben Ari is an Israeli entrepreneur with over 30 years of experience in global tech and telecommunications, having held senior positions and led business development in multiple countries. In 2006, he founded the Athena Fund, a nonprofit empowering teachers with digital tools. The fund has provided tens of thousands of laptops and iPads to teachers in Israel. Today, his focus is the ImagineBox project, implementing immersive interactive classrooms in K-12 schools, with 120 already established. Ben Ari holds a Bachelor’s in Economics and an MBA from Tel Aviv University.
Moderator
Chahira Nouira
Instructional Designer, University of Göttingen, Germany
Economist by training, Chahira has started her career as an educational technologist, 18 years ago. She worked for International Organizations such as the United Nations University and is currently working at the University of Göttingen, Germany as an Instructional Designer. The focus of her work is the development and implementation of methods and tools that help teachers and students strengthen their digital competences and enhance collaborative teaching and learning on the national and international level. At the University of Göttingen she first worked in the field of the “Internationalisation of the Curricula”. After that, she was in charge of Digital Teaching and Learning in the DAAD funded IMKD project ´liveSciences³ – Transnational and Digital Linked Life Sciences. Her current tasks are related to the project LInK aiming at enhancing interactivity and collaborative learning in large classes.
Customizable Field Trips for Geography Education: How to Bring the Amazon Rainforest into the Classroom!?, Judith Josupeit
Virtual Reality (VR) was applied and evaluated by pupils in a 9th-grade geography class for an immersive, interactive field trip to the Amazon rainforest. Along YouTube 360°Videos, custom-developed apps were programmed using Unity to achieve a good fit with the overall learning objectives.
Introducing ELEVATE: A Project That Enhances Safety Training Through Real 360° Video and Virtual Reality, Re-an Muller
ELEVATE is an immersive learning initiative that uses Virtual Reality combined with 360° video to enhance safety management training through realistic, scenario-based experiences. This presentation shares lessons learned from production, showcases Phase 1, and highlights student feedback on student perceptions and engagement.
ImagineBox: Immersive Classrooms that Spark Curiosity, Critical Thinking and Human Connection, Uri Ben Ari
This session presents ImagineBox, an immersive classroom environment that transforms learning spaces into interactive, experiential worlds, sparking curiosity, critical thinking, and deep understanding. Participants will explore how students feel fully “inside” the material, enhancing engagement and collaborative learning while supporting real-world educational outcomes.