Birkbeck opens Immersive Learning Centre to support innovative teaching, learning, and research
The centre will provide students and staff with exciting opportunities to use digital media, virtual reality and augmented reality.
Birkbeck has officially opened its new Immersive Learning Centre (ILC), bringing together cutting-edge digital technologies, including virtual reality (VR), augmented reality (AR) and 3D technologies, offering students inspiring and thought-provoking ways to learn.
The centre was formally opened on Thursday 26 February by Birkbeck President Rt Hon Baroness Chakrabarti CBE PC, who unveiled a commemorative plaque following speeches attended by governors, staff, students, alumni, and supporters.
The ILC provides dedicated spaces in Birkbeck’s Library, designed to foster creative, collaborative and digitally enhanced academic work. Its facilities include an immersive classroom equipped with VR stations and large screens; a studio for producing content such as 3D images, video and audio; a PC lab with high-performance computers for VR, video and digital projects; and a range of equipment available for all students to loan, such as VR headsets and 360-degree cameras.
In her opening remarks, Professor Sally Wheeler OBE, Birkbeck’s Vice-Chancellor, welcomed guests and highlighted the significance of the new facilities for the university’s teaching and learning environment. She said:
“These cutting-edge facilities allow us to embed virtual and augmented reality into all aspects of our curriculum… the Immersive Learning Centre has potential to help dramatically enhance the ways in which students learn with us. Alongside the recent installation of HyFlex technology into almost all our classrooms and the development of a new Centre for Creative AI, which is scheduled to open later this year, the Immersive Learning Centre helps to put Birkbeck at the forefront of UK higher education institutions when it comes to harnessing new technology for the benefit of learning. It offers truly inspiring and thought-provoking ways to learn, and I have no doubt it will rapidly become indispensable to all the disciplines we teach.”
President Baroness Chakrabarti spoke about the centre’s role in widening access to education, saying she was “a passionate believer in the power of education to enhance people’s lives” and particularly interested in the ILC’s potential to improve access to learning opportunities and experiences that may otherwise be out of reach.
Following the unveiling of the plaque, guests attended classroom presentations showcasing how immersive technologies are already being used in disciplines including geology, psychology and digital media, before taking part in demonstrations and tours of the new spaces.
Brett Lucas, Head of Digital Education at Birkbeck, remarked: “Already, colleagues across Schools are designing immersive workshops, rethinking assessment, reimagining storytelling, and using this space to challenge students to see problems—and themselves—differently. What once felt aspirational is now real. What once felt futuristic is now becoming part of everyday teaching practice.”
The opening of the Immersive Learning Centre marks an important step in Birkbeck’s ongoing work to enhance the student experience and support new forms of teaching and research. The curriculum is being enriched with virtual field visits, gallery and museum tours, immersive documentaries, laboratory simulations, and talks involving 3D models and cultural artefacts. By providing access to advanced digital tools and environments, the centre is expected to play a key role in enabling staff and students to experiment, collaborate, and develop new ways of learning in the years ahead.