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Strolling through the ruins of Pompeii is an evocative and multi-sensory experience that has inspired generations of visitors to imagine what life was like in a small Roman town. Unfortunately, most American students cannot afford to visit in person, and attempting to recreate that transformative experience in the classroom is challenging. The recent emergence of Virtual Reality (VR) headsets as serious platforms for scientific visualization, however, is transforming our ability to develop experiential learning environments for our students.

In spring 2017, my colleague David Fredrick and I developed two experimental courses, titled “Virtual Reality Pompeii: Street Life and Urban Culture,” designed to study a street in Pompeii with an eye toward the intersection of commercial and domestic activity and public and private space. Using virtual Read more …