As extended reality (XR) technology has become more accessible, academic communities have begun experimenting with various platforms and applications to integrate XR into their pedagogical practices. Academic libraries specifically have embraced these new technologies by creating spaces for instructors and students to explore and create XR experiences. Libraries have curated these spaces as veritable laboratories for instructors and students to test and prototype without the commitment to acquiring the requisite hardware, software, and expertise. Librarians at Marston Science Library at the University of Florida created Made@UF, a development and exploration space for XR. In Made@UF, library workers consult faculty interested in implementing XR experiences into their courses, host classes for small XR sessions, and facilitate asynchronous sessions for course work.<br/><br/>In chemistry, XR’s allure promises the potential for exploring atomic structures, practicing laboratory techniques, and modeling reactions without the dangers or cost committed to real-time bench work. In addition to traditional teaching laboratory experiments, XR can be used to perform synthetic protocols in a truly environmentally sound way. Technologies such as PyMol enable 3D models to be imported and explored in virtual environments with relative ease. As technology improves, immersive experiences are expanding beyond simple manipulation. As librarians enhance their expertise in the area of XR, chemistry faculty are coming to the libraries to foster partnerships focused on improving teaching and learning in the chemical sciences. Libraries can enhance teaching and learning in the chemical sciences by evolving beyond traditional collections based on text and building multimodal collections including XR experiences.

Librarians and extended reality: Enhancing teaching and learning in the chemical sciences

2019 Fall National Meeting

The official archive and repository for all ACS Meetings & Expositions abstracts and select posters or presentations.