OLC Webinar: Immersive Heritage - Rebuilding Ancient Egypt in a Virtual Classroom

This webinar explores how immersive, student-built virtual environments can transform learning in online courses. Drawing on a case study from a large-enrollment asynchronous archaeology course, participants will see how students used accessible 3D modeling tools to reconstruct ancient Egyptian tombs and then explored those spaces together in a shared virtual environment. Rather than passively consuming content, students became active creators—designing, interpreting, and inhabiting the past—while developing technical skills, deepening engagement, and building a surprising sense of community in a fully online setting.

Beyond the technology itself, the session highlights how immersive design can support meaningful ethical reflection. Throughout the project, students grappled with questions of cultural ownership, colonialism, and the display of human remains, using their own digital reconstructions as a platform for critical inquiry. Participants will leave with a clear, adaptable model for integrating immersive, creative assignments into their own courses, along with practical strategies, sample structures, and evidence-based insights into what works, what challenges to anticipate, and how to scale these approaches across disciplines.

Presenters:

Robert Stephan
Associate Dean, W.A. Franke Honors College and Associate Professor of Practice, Classics – University of Arizona

Montine Rummel
Master’s Student, Department of Law and Digital Society – Unitelma Sapienza University of Rome