Faculty across USC are using immersive technologies to strengthen empathy, reflection, and human connection in education. From nursing to business, these initiatives demonstrate how experiential learning deepens understanding and prepares students for leadership and service in their fields.
In the College of Nursing, Kate Bernheisel, Assistant Professor and Garnet Apple Award for Teaching Innovation recipient, led a pilot Virtual Reality (VR) simulation designed to build empathy for patients navigating life after hospital discharge. Supported by Sevilla Bronson, Interim Associate Dean for Access and Community Engagement and Associate Professor, and Ayzia Taylor, Assistant Professor, the simulation placed students in the perspective of “Lester James”, a fictious patient in a wheelchair facing daily challenges such as food insecurity, transportation barriers, and inaccessible housing.
Using Meta Quest 3 headsets, students viewed a 12-minute 360-degree video depicting “Lester’s” post-discharge experiences and reflected on nursing interventions that could support his quality of life. Kristin Harrell, Instructional Designer at the CTE, noted that “the VR experience provided an immersive way to experience the struggles and frustrations of a patient who suffers from food insecurity, housing difficulties, and transportation issues alongside illness and financial strain. The most valuable aspect was seeing students think deeply about how empathy and preventative care extend beyond the hospital or doctor’s office.” Learn more about the work of Kate Bernheisel, Jan Kubas and Sevilla Bronson in Revolutionizing Healthcare Education through Virtual Reality.
In the Darla Moore School of Business, Deborah Hazzard, Associate Dean of Access, Opportunity, and Community Engagement and Clinical Professor of Management, uses virtual reality to help students connect empathy to leadership. In her business leadership course, students select from several VR and 360-degree simulations, including 1000 Cut Journey (racism and microaggressions), We Live Here (homelessness), Notes on Blindness (visual impairments), and Home from War (returning home to a war-torn environment). Afterward, they reflect on how empathy can shape leadership, improve relationships, and foster employee engagement. Hazzard discussed this in her Pop’n Pedagogy podcast episode, Using VR for Empathy and Leadership, where she highlights how immersive learning prepares future leaders to lead with understanding and purpose.
These empathy-based learning experiences align with CAREolina, a university-wide initiative led by the CTE and scheduled for March 23-27, 2026. The week-long event highlights care, connection, and success across teaching, learning, and well-being. Through CAREolina, faculty and staff will have opportunities to share strategies, attend workshops, and explore how empathy can strengthen classroom environments and institutional culture.
Together, these projects reflect the growing emphasis on care and understanding in teaching and learning, demonstrating how innovative technologies can advance USC’s culture of compassion, connection, and student success.