By Matthew Cimitile, University Communications and Marketing
For the last year, the Emerging Technology Lab at USF St. Petersburg trained schoolteachers on how to incorporate cutting-edge tools into the classroom and enhanced learning for summer campers through immersive technology.
This coming academic year, the College of Education plans to fully integrate the lab and its suite of tools – including artificial intelligence (AI), augmented reality (AR) and virtual reality (VR) – throughout the campus. The lab is designed to provide students from all majors with real-world experiences in visual and simulated content.
"You have to adapt to the world around you. A lot of teachers haven’t experienced virtual or augmented reality because they may not understand it. It's not their world, but it's their students’ world,” said David Rosengrant, campus dean of the College of Education at USF St. Petersburg. “And if we, as educators, don't go into our students' world where they are comfortable, then we are missing out on a lot of learning opportunities."
On Friday, July 25, the lab hosted a visit from U.S. Representative Kathy Castor – who was instrumental in the lab’s development. She secured a $1 million appropriation that was invested at all three USF campuses, including equipping the Emerging Technology Lab, to strategically advance STEM education and teacher preparation across districts in and around Tampa Bay.
During the visit, Rep. Castor engaged with a variety of interactive stations that showcased the lab’s ability to prepare educators with cutting-edge tools and teaching strategies. Highlights included AI-powered tools, instructional VR/AR learning environments and opportunities for robotics. Local district educators were present to share how their teaching has been enhanced through the use of the lab and its tools during professional development workshops.
“The Emerging Technology Lab at USF St. Petersburg is opening doors to the future for students and teachers alike through the integration of breakthrough educational tools,” said Rep. Castor. “I was proud to secure the federal investment that helped bring this lab to life, ensuring our students have access to the latest technologies to support their education. With tools in artificial intelligence, augmented reality and virtual reality, we’re empowering educators to meet students where they are and preparing the next generation with hands-on experiences that will shape their future and tomorrow’s classrooms.”
With AR, students can use their phones and other devices to create simulations in real time, whether that’s exploring the finer details of a work of art, or learning about magnetic fields, thermodynamics, optics and circuits.
VR creates a digital environment where students can use headsets with programs that immerse them in their surroundings. With VR, students can take a tour of the International Space Station or see the Mona Lisa at the Louvre in Paris without leaving the classroom.
"As an educator, I can't prepare you for what the classroom is like now; I have to prepare you for what the classroom will look like in five years," Rosengrant said. " It could be as simple as going on a field trip. I can't take my students to the International Space Station, but I can in virtual reality."
Teachers and students can also engage with coding, 3D printing and even piloting a drone inside the lab.
The Emerging Technology Lab is located next to the STEM Inquiry Lab in Heller Hall, which provides students further opportunities to learn about robotics, engineering and fabrication tools.
The corridor is aptly named Innovation Lane.
“From teacher preparation and professional learning to K-12 STEM outreach and student-driven exploration, the labs serve as a vibrant ecosystem where theory meets practice,” said Richard Rho, program director of educational technology labs at USF. “The federal investment secured by Congresswoman Kathy Castor didn’t just upgrade our equipment—it elevated our mission to prepare educators who are confident, creative and capable of leading innovation in their classrooms and districts.”