Case Study:
ABOUT US
Merced Community College
CREATING WORLD-CLASS LEARNING OPPORTUNITIES AT MERCED COLLEGE
Merced College believes community college students deserve access to the same innovative learning experiences as students anywhere else. By bringing Dreamscape Learn to campus, the college is helping students engage with challenging STEM coursework today while giving faculty the tools to build immersive learning experiences that prepare students for careers across California’s Central Valley tomorrow.
Key FACTS
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Located in Merced, California.
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Public community college serving California’s Central Valley.
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Dreamscape Learn launched in August 2024 inside the Interdisciplinary Academic Center.
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Faculty are expanding immersive learning across agriculture, automotive technology, psychology and other disciplines.
The students we serve deserve the absolute best learning experience because that’s what gives them the best possible chance for success. Dreamscape Learn allows us to bring that experience to our students.
Michael M Crow, President,
Arizona State University
Chris Vitelli, President, Merced Community College
THE CHALLENGE: GIVING STUDENTS THE BEST POSSIBLE CHANCE TO SUCCEED
Merced College serves one of California’s most diverse and underserved regions. More than 90% of students are first-generation college students, and more than 70% receive financial aid. For President Chris Vitelli, that creates a responsibility to ensure students have access to the same innovative learning experiences available at leading universities.
Dreamscape Learn gave Merced a way to invest in the kind of world-class learning experiences its students deserve while creating experiences they couldn’t access anywhere else. In a time when learning can happen almost anywhere, those experiences give students meaningful reasons to come to campus.
When we can engage our students in very meaningful ways, they’re going to be at every single class. They’re going to put a little bit of extra effort into everything they do, and they create a buy-in to what their education means for their future.
Michael M Crow, President,
Arizona State University
Chris Vitelli, President, Merced Community College
THE SOLUTION: ENGAGING STUDENTS TODAY WHILE BUILDING FOR TOMORROW
Merced introduced Dreamscape Learn’s immersive biology experiences inside the college’s Interdisciplinary Academic Center, where students step into cinematic worlds to investigate ecosystems, solve scientific problems and collaborate through
story-driven learning.
Early results have been encouraging. The college is already seeing biology success and retention rates improve by 4 to 6 percentage points, closely mirroring the gains reported at Arizona State University.
At the same time, Dreamscape Learn is helping faculty imagine what’s possible beyond biology.
Across agriculture, psychology, automotive technology and other programs, instructors are already identifying immersive experiences they want to create with the Dreamscape Developer Kit, expanding immersive learning into disciplines across
the college.
OUTCOME: BUILDING THE FUTURE OF IMMERSIVE LEARNING
For Director of Ag Innovation Cody Jacobsen, the opportunity extends far beyond today’s curriculum.
Faculty are planning immersive experiences that allow students to explore robotic dairy parlors, food processing facilities, crop production across the country and other real-world work environments that help prepare them for careers throughout California’s Central Valley.
For Vitelli, continuing to invest in immersive learning is an easy decision.
The opportunities are remarkable. We can provide more and more opportunities for our students while preparing them for careers and making them more employable.”
Michael M Crow, President,
Arizona State University
Cody Jacobsen, Director of Ag Innovation, Merced Community College
The challenge I hear from other leaders is, ‘How do you find the money to do this?’ My response is, ‘How do you not find the money to do this?’ If we really want to move the needle on success rates, retention and persistence, we have to start doing something different.
Michael M Crow, President,
Arizona State University
Chris Vitelli, President, Merced Community College
Related Coverage
We believe the best educational designs integrate various pedagogical modalities. Students study; they apply knowledge and concepts; they learn by doing and they do in order to learn; they learn from text, from lecture, from visual and audio media, from hands-on experience and from each other. We design programs and products that tie all these modes of engagement together.
ADVANCED PEDAGOGY
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LEADERSHIP TEAM
Josh Reibel
CEO
Lisa Flesher is the Chief of Realm 4, Project Acceleration at Arizona State University where she helps guide unique, technology-enhanced projects to advance initiatives in Realm 4 - Education Through Exploration. An example of this work includes Dreamscape Learn which empowers learners through fully immersive and interactive VR learning experiences. Her background includes developing technical tools and solutions focused on student support and success, including Starbucks, Global Freshman Academy, me3, and our partnership with the...
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Aaron Grosky
President and COO
Lisa Flesher is the Chief of Realm 4, Project Acceleration at Arizona State University where she helps guide unique, technology-enhanced projects to advance initiatives in Realm 4 - Education Through Exploration. An example of this work includes Dreamscape Learn which empowers learners through fully immersive and interactive VR learning experiences. Her background includes developing technical tools and solutions focused on student support and success, including Starbucks, Global Freshman Academy, me3, and our partnership with the...
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Agatha Ladd
Chief Financial Officer
Lisa Flesher is the Chief of Realm 4, Project Acceleration at Arizona State University where she helps guide unique, technology-enhanced projects to advance initiatives in Realm 4 - Education Through Exploration. An example of this work includes Dreamscape Learn which empowers learners through fully immersive and interactive VR learning experiences. Her background includes developing technical tools and solutions focused on student support and success, including Starbucks, Global Freshman Academy, me3, and our partnership with the...
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Amit Kumar
General Counsel
Lisa Flesher is the Chief of Realm 4, Project Acceleration at Arizona State University where she helps guide unique, technology-enhanced projects to advance initiatives in Realm 4 - Education Through Exploration. An example of this work includes Dreamscape Learn which empowers learners through fully immersive and interactive VR learning experiences. Her background includes developing technical tools and solutions focused on student support and success, including Starbucks, Global Freshman Academy, me3, and our partnership with the...
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Fiona Quinn
Chief People Officer
Lisa Flesher is the Chief of Realm 4, Project Acceleration at Arizona State University where she helps guide unique, technology-enhanced projects to advance initiatives in Realm 4 - Education Through Exploration. An example of this work includes Dreamscape Learn which empowers learners through fully immersive and interactive VR learning experiences. Her background includes developing technical tools and solutions focused on student support and success, including Starbucks, Global Freshman Academy, me3, and our partnership with the...
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Chris Huff
SVP, Academic Partnerships, Dreamscape Learn
Lisa Flesher is the Chief of Realm 4, Project Acceleration at Arizona State University where she helps guide unique, technology-enhanced projects to advance initiatives in Realm 4 - Education Through Exploration. An example of this work includes Dreamscape Learn which empowers learners through fully immersive and interactive VR learning experiences. Her background includes developing technical tools and solutions focused on student support and success, including Starbucks, Global Freshman Academy, me3, and our partnership with the...
Read More
Michael Crow
President, Arizona State University
Lisa Flesher is the Chief of Realm 4, Project Acceleration at Arizona State University where she helps guide unique, technology-enhanced projects to advance initiatives in Realm 4 - Education Through Exploration. An example of this work includes Dreamscape Learn which empowers learners through fully immersive and interactive VR learning experiences. Her background includes developing technical tools and solutions focused on student support and success, including Starbucks, Global Freshman Academy, me3, and our partnership with the...
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Walter Parkes
CEO & Co-Founder, Dreamscape Immersive
Lisa Flesher is the Chief of Realm 4, Project Acceleration at Arizona State University where she helps guide unique, technology-enhanced projects to advance initiatives in Realm 4 - Education Through Exploration. An example of this work includes Dreamscape Learn which empowers learners through fully immersive and interactive VR learning experiences. Her background includes developing technical tools and solutions focused on student support and success, including Starbucks, Global Freshman Academy, me3, and our partnership with the...