One minute, a student assists a “patient” after an accident. The next moment, they’re riding together in an ambulance. A split second later, they’re in an emergency room. In reality, no one has left a room on campus.

The new Doermer Family Foundation Immersive Learning Laboratory at the University of Saint Francis offers a virtual experience like few others for students across campus. The lab, located in the Doermer Family Center for Health Science Education, offers an endless possibility of simulated environments for learning. It is the first of its kind at a university in Indiana.

With flexible computer programming—and four projectors producing the simulations within the 14-by-14-foot room—instructors can bring up almost any environment, from sitting in the operating room to standing outside the Eiffel Tower.



“The immersive lab allows students to know what it feels like to be in various scenarios and situations,” said Dean of the College of Health Sciences Dr. Angie Harrell. “The benefits will reach beyond healthcare. This can be used with elementary education, with the arts and many other ways.”

The Doermer Family Foundation provided a $250,000 grant to Saint Francis for the lab, which was installed in January. Faculty will take part in training during the spring and summer semesters, with students fully benefiting from the lab by fall.

Programming is interactive, with on-screen quizzes and scenarios requiring students to critically analyze the situations and scenarios they encounter. The projects illuminate three walls and, in some scenarios, part of the floor. The environmental possibilities are endless, from under the sea to the top of a mountain.

Saint Francis will also be able to create custom environments, with video taken at various locations, such as local hospitals and businesses.

Saint Francis held an open house featuring the immersive lab on Jan. 29 as part of a celebration of the 25th anniversary of Lutheran College of Health Professions becoming part of the University of Saint Francis.