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Immersion Studio
The Immersion Studio (EL3345) takes experiential and immersive learning to a new level. Projection of information on all four walls and dynamic audio creates a unique 360º experience for teaching, learning and research.
About
Overview
The room is equipped with a series of short-throw projectors which use specialized software to stitch images together into a continuous display for an immersive effect. A specialized sound system augments this experience. The space can be used with or without the low moveable seating provided.
Room Layout & Capacity
Room capacity: 30 people (depending on seating arrangement).
The Image layer supports the following image formats:
- JPEG
- PNG
- TIFF
- BMP
The ICE video Layer supports the following formats:
- Hap
- H.264
- MPEG4
- H.265
- HEVC
- DNxHD
- VP7, VP8, VP9
- YouTube 360 URLs
Supported file containers are AVI, MOV, MP4, webm, MKV
Booking
- This space can be reserved by MRU students, faculty or staff. This environment supports simulation and context-based learning, providing opportunities to interpret information in relation to where and when it occurs.
- Each project is created in a collaborative and iterative process between the user and library staff - please contact a minimum of 3 weeks in advance.
- Users are required to consult with a member of the Library team prior to using this space. Please submit a booking request to arrange a consultation meeting.
Projects
Emergency Room Simulation Training
Nursing in-class instruction for NURS 3102
Associate Professor Stephanie Zettle (School of Nursing and Midwifery) took the step to help create an immersive emergency room simulation for her students as a way to prepare them for critical care settings. A full description of the scenario is projected on one of four walls in the Immersion Studio and is based on a true story that highlights a mother's perspective on her daughter's recovery from a motor vehicle collision that took place in Australia. The mother's story is also juxtaposed with the nurse's narrative in the 360-degree space that becomes a replication of a real ICU complete with sights, sounds, and a mannequin that is made to look like a trauma patient. This is an interactive scenario where students are encouraged to ask questions and reflect on what this experience would be like for both the mother and the patient.
Students who have participated in the activity have recounted how beneficial it is to know what impact they have on the recovery of their patients.
“It gave us perspective on a real-life experience of the patient’s family, and the trauma experienced. We were also provided with a realistic perspective on the environments and thought processes of an ICU nurse.”
Mental Health Interventions
Child and Youth Studies student course project (CHST 4103)
Joshua Dhanaraj utilized the Immersion Studio to create, produce, and star in his very own drag show while completing his 4th year of Child Studies (Child and Youth Care Counsellor major). The performance, which focused on mental health and themes of stigmatization, community and love, was in response to an assignment he received in his CHST 4103 Mental Health and Interventions course. The “A random act of kindness” assignment asked students to project kindness to strangers. Joshua chose the art form of drag to advocate for the disenfranchised, particularly the LGBTQ community and men who struggle with mental health.
“The Immersion studio was a beautifully apt space to help me carry out my vision as it is equipped with multifaceted media tools such as audio, video and ambient lighting, which all innovatively work in tandem to create a unique and immersive experience. The room is also equipped with fantastic speakers which I utilized to play audio tracks whilst I lip-synced and performed to them. I can candidly admit that my vision and performance wouldn’t have been as impactful and creative had I not used the Immersion Studio nor sought the help and garnered the support of the Library’s fantastic staff and team. I highly encourage everyone to make use of this wonderful space!”
Stratigraphic Mapping
Earth’s Changing Surface class (GEOG 2111)
The Earth's Changing Surface class gives students a chance to learn about the processes that have created the landforms and landscapes around the world. In this exercise set up in the Immersion Studio, students study the glacial history of the Calgary region and look at exposures of sediments from Glacial Lake Calgary—a water body that covered this area around 16,000 years ago. Students get a chance to see the sediments and their distribution during field trips, which is followed up by a lab in the Immersion Studio to learn how to measure and map the various features and structures in the sediment exposure to determine past environmental conditions.
“The Immersion Studio has provided a whole new opportunity to meet learning outcomes of the course and connect students to their local environment, during class time, and no matter the weather! As the instructor, I was able to focus on helping students develop skills and complete the exercise, instead of supervising the movement of many students on a precarious slope. I still love taking students in the field and getting hands-on experience, and the Immersion Studio lets me extend that experience even further into the course in manageable chunks of time.”
To Kill a Mockingbird: A Journey Through Time
International Education, Academic English 3 course project (AE3)
Lead instructor, Rebecca Young has used the Immersion Studio to deepen students’ understanding of the classic novel To Kill A Mockingbird by Lee Harper. The custom development of in-room programming helped students visualize a connection between the book and what actually took place during the Great Depression and the decades following throughout the United States. This was facilitated through a sequence of mixed media that includes images, video, and real-life civil rights case content. Students refer to the visual and audio content that’s wrapped around the space to serve as the nucleus for class discussions and group assignments that incorporate themes from the novel, which is required reading for the course.
“The goal is to create a learning experience that is dynamic and engaging so that inhibitions around language are lessened allowing learners to participate in a variety of ways thereby activating their speaking, listening, reading and writing skills alongside the language systems of grammar, vocabulary and pronunciation.”