Research | Immersive Learning Technology and its Benefits for Students Learning in Nature

By Eryn Pierce NOLS Instructor and Design Educator

In 2018, after working as a NOLS graphic designer for over five years, I became interested in how graphic design, combined with technology, might help transition an inexperienced student from a front-country learning experience to a backcountry one. Through student interviews, the NOLS design team discovered a common theme across our student population. For students who identified as less ‘outdoorsy,’ there was clear apprehension around the idea of living and learning in the wilderness. Feelings ranged from excitement to worry. To alleviate our students’ stress around their course, we designed online training materials and content to help ease our student’s minds.

However, it wasn’t until I entered graduate school in 2019 that I thought to ask the more specific and researchable question of how design, technology, and experiences in nature could assist people in their immediate environment. The question I posed was, how can augmented reality*, social media, and nature therapy support adolescents struggling with their mental health? In 2020, at the height of the pandemic, I found this research area to be increasingly relevant. Urban residents, especially adolescents, who were already at risk for depression and anxiety, were now managing an environment with a disproportionate amount of isolation and screen time.

With the knowledge that nature-based heath interventions—like forest-bathing and nature therapy—can be mentally restorative, I explored the diverse ways visual technologies can increase one’s interaction with the outdoor environment and deepen one’s connection with nature. Through interviews, literature reviews, and visual experimentation, I learned that designing adaptable experiences that respond to a person’s interests and comfort levels could contribute to healthier lifestyles outdoors.

For example, when an individual can use their smartphone to overlay imagery captured from an experience outdoors (as seen in the image above) into their personal space and share that content with their social network in real-time, new mental connections between plants, animals, and people can begin to form. These connections, in turn, build confidence and sense of belonging in these restorative environments.

Lessons learned from research on immersive learning technology raise questions for the future of outdoor education’s leverage of technology. Since wilderness has long been associated as a place separate from technology, I suggest outdoor programs reconsider this definition. Instead of only focusing on how technology might hinder our children from engaging in the physical world, we can explore how it might actually assist or promote connection.

I believe most outdoor programs have only scratched the surface of technology’s potential in outdoor education. Right now, NOLS instructors are using e-readers to share specific content about a location to build relatedness: GoPros to capture moments in adverse settings for further reflection, and podcasts to help expose the diverse voices and stories that make up a place. Even before students step foot in the wilderness, digital resources—from how-to videos to plant identification apps—are being shared to prepare students for learning.

So, as a variety of devices such as smartphones, tablets, and wearables enter the consumer market, I’m excited by all the possibilities. I see a future where technology can be seamlessly integrated into outdoor environments and deliver content that can enhance human relationships with nature for years to come. Read Eryn’s research here. *Augmented reality is an interactive experience where the real-world environment, say a park or a public space, is overlaid with digital content. Think Pokémon Go.

Eryn Pierce, former art director at NOLS and instructor, works with brands that strive to make a positive impact on the planet. She is a contract design educator.