Course Catalog
Communication in XR
94-718
Units: 6
Description
This course brings together immersive extended reality (XR) environments and artificial intelligence to create powerful new ways to practice communication, collaboration, and professional presentations. XR allows students to step into realistic virtual spaces where they can present ideas, engage in discussions, and collaborate with others in ways that feel dynamic, interactive, and authentic. In this course, XR is not treated as a novelty, but as a hands-on learning tool designed to help students build confidence, clarity, and professional presence when communicating with others.
What makes XR especially valuable for communication training is the freedom to practice repeatedly in realistic settings. In traditional classrooms, presentation time is often limited by class size and scheduling, which means students typically have one opportunity to present and minimal, if any, opportunities to practice. In XR, those constraints disappear. Students can rehearse presentations, test different approaches, and refine their delivery across multiple practice sessions. These immersive environments mirror professional scenarios by supporting audience awareness, interaction, and spatial engagement, allowing students to improve through repetition rather than a one-time performance.
The course is enhanced through the integration of AI-powered avatars that act as responsive audience members. These avatars provide nonverbal cues, ask questions, engage in dialogue, and deliver immediate, data-driven feedback during and after practice sessions.
By combining XR, artificial intelligence, and human interactions, the course creates a learning environment that enables faster skill improvement, deeper insight into communication habits, and stronger preparation for real-world academic, professional, and leadership experiences.
Learning Outcomes
Course Objectives (according to Bloom’s revised taxonomy)
Students will be able to…
Remember
• Identify core XR concepts, including differences among virtual reality, augmented reality, and mixed reality, and describe how these technologies support immersive communication.
• Identify key verbal, nonverbal, and visual communication techniques.
• Identify foundational practices for building professional presence and meaningful interactions.
• Identify essential teamwork and collaboration features within shared virtual platforms.
Understand
• Explain how identity, representation, and avatar design influence communication.
• Explain effective presentation techniques using criteria related to structure, clarity, delivery, and audience engagement.
Apply
• Apply strong verbal, nonverbal, and visual delivery techniques when presenting in XR and in person.
• Apply XR tools and spatial features to support audience needs, project goals, and accessibility considerations.
• Adapt messages to meet the perspectives and expectations of different stakeholders.
Analyze
• Analyze XR platforms to determine which environments best support collaboration, data visualization, data sharing, and presentation delivery for specific audiences.
• Analyze data, charts, and visual evidence to support clear and credible research-based presentations.
• Analyze personal and peer presentations to identify strengths, patterns, and opportunities for improvement.
• Examine how spatial design and virtual tools influence communication and audience engagement in comparison with in-person sessions.
Evaluate
• Evaluate the effectiveness of various environments for clear, engaging, and accessible communication of data-driven insights.
• Provide constructive, actionable feedback to peers.
• Complete self-evaluations to reflect on personal communication and presentation performance.
• Evaluate the current state of XR communication technologies by examining both recent advancements and ongoing limitations, especially in nonverbal communication.
Create
• Develop best-practice strategies for professional communication.
• Produce effective presentations that integrate strong delivery, purposeful design, accurate data analysis, and thoughtful use of technology to meet the needs of professional audiences.
Prerequisites Description
Prior XR experience is not required. The course begins with an introduction to extended reality technologies and includes hands-on practice to ensure students feel comfortable using XR tools before engaging in immersive activities. Because most students are new to XR, the course is intentionally designed with beginners in mind.