Teaching an Immersive Learning Course

A professor and students stand together over a drafting table.

Designing an immersive learning course can feel daunting because there is so much to consider. For example, how does one find a community partner and negotiate a project proposal? What are some ways to keep a project manageable? How can I leverage this experience to advance my professional goals? What student learning outcomes are suitable for an immersive project, and what are some best practices for grading student work? Whether you are new to immersive learning or have been using this approach for some time, the Office of Immersive Learning provides online, in-person, and customized development options and tools to help you meet your immersive teaching goals. Here are some of the resources available to faculty:

Immersive Learning Mini Course

IMMERSIVE LEARNING ONLINE MINI-COURSE: APPLY NOW

SUMMER 2026 IMMERSIVE LEARNING MINI-COURSE DEADLINE: Friday, June 26, 2026: Apply Now
FALL 2026 IMMERSIVE LEARNING MINI-COURSE DEADLINE: Check back for more information
SPRING 2027 IMMERSIVE LEARNING MINI-COURSE DEADLINE: Check back for more information

This online training walks instructors through the tools and support needed to create successful immersive learning experiences for their students. These training modules are delivered through Canvas over three weeks. They include templates, articles, and helpful tips for getting a project started, writing a proposal, working with external partners, and using assessment strategies and rubrics that make grading easier. We have also included information on the latest university policies and added tips for remotely teaching immersive learning.

Upon completion of this mini-course, successful participants will be able to:

define immersive learning and articulate its role as a high impact practice at Ball State
identify external community partners
create a comprehensive Immersive Learning Project Proposal
develop assessment strategies to measure student learning in an immersive course
recognize university policies that may impact the success of an immersive learning class
receive permission to designate a course as "immersive" in the Banner course-building system

Faculty must register on InfoReady and receive approval from their department chair to participate. Tenure-line and non-tenure line faculty are encouraged to apply. Faculty who complete the mini-course receive $250 in RIA funds.

Immersive Learning Faculty Handbook

Once you’re scheduled to teach an Immersive Learning class, you'll want to consult our Immersive Learning Faculty Handbook. It has policies, processes, and resources that will be of use to you as you teach your course.

Meet with Your Project Manager

The Immersive Learning team includes two project managers who are there to meet with faculty to discuss their immersive learning ideas, classes, assignments, possible partnerships, grants, and anything else faculty have questions about. Meetings can be in person in your office, in our office, by phone, or Zoom.

If you are in the College of Fine Arts, Sciences and Humanities, Health, or Teachers College, your project manager is Dr. Kara DuQuette.

If you are the College of Communication, Information, and Media; Miller College of Business; College of Architecture and Planning; or Honors College, your project manager is Stacey Alexander.

We look forward to meeting with you!

Community Engagement Toolkit

The 2019-2020 Community Engagement Faculty Learning Community collaborated across colleges and beyond campus to develop a toolkit for faculty interested in community engagement. This resource was updated in 2022.

Contents include:

Definitions of outreach, engagement, immersive learning, and community-engaged research
Priorities in Muncie and East Central Indiana
Tools to prepare students and faculty
Insights from community partners
Campus resources, policies, and procedures
Ways to document community-engaged activities
Ideas for online community engagement
Templates and other materials for community-engaged projects

Download a PDF version of the toolkit.

Learn from Others

Faculty who teach in Immersive Learning will find teaching resources and like-minded faculty in the following organizations:

LEAP: Ball State is proud to be a part of the LEAP Indiana Faculty Collaborative. This organization is aligned with the Association of American Colleges and Universities (AAC&U) states initiative, which advocates for campus action and research related to twenty-first-century liberal education. This Indiana-based faculty network is passionate about teaching and innovative pedagogies that prepare undergraduate students. As an institutional member, Ball State faculty can to participate in LEAP Indiana teaching and learning conferences, networking opportunities, monthly coffee hours, and other programs at minimal or no cost. To get information on upcoming events, visit their website.

Community-Engaged Alliance: Ball State is a partner campus in CEA, an Indiana-based organization with events, awards, and grants for faculty. Many from Ball State have presented at the annual Research Symposium, won awards, and received grants. Visit their website to learn more.

ESC: Ball State is also a member of the Engaged Scholarship Consortium, a national organization with the mission to work collaboratively to build strong university-community partnerships anchored in the rigor of scholarship and designed to help build community capacity. Several faculty, students, and staff from Ball State attend the annual conference every year. The Office of Immersive Learning won the ESC Excellence in Staff Engagement Award in 2022. Visit their website to learn more.

Have Questions?

Contact the Immersive Learning office so we can help at immersive@bsu.edu.

Office of Immersive Learning

Oakwood Building (OW)
Muncie, IN 47304

8 a.m.-5 p.m. EST, Monday - Friday

765-285-2790