The paper Pierce XRLab: Designing and developing an innovative two-year XR curriculum for immersive learning in middle school was published in the Practitioner Proceedings of the 12th International Conference of the Immersive Learning Research Network (iLRN 2026). It presents the design of a two-year extended-reality (XR) curriculum for Grades 8–9, developed for real school conditions, short lesson periods and shared devices.
The first year is organised around experiencing and interpreting immersive environments, while the second moves toward critique, identity, ethics and design. The learning pathway combines embodied and experiential learning, creation and critical media literacy, with alternative technological options and consistent safety practices built into the curriculum from the outset. The programme follows a spiral structure in which core ideas return with increasing complexity, linking initial experiential encounters with more critical understanding of immersive media. Assessment is integrated into the learning process through Experience Logs, Critical Briefs and Design Artifacts that document students’ development over time and provide a practical structure for reflection, critique and design-oriented learning.
