The Virtual Transformational Leadership Development Experience: Creating a Classroom of the Future

In response to a new set of challenges facing universities today—developing the next generation of leaders while integrating existing and emerging technologies to transform learning spaces—a team at Penn State University conducted research that culminated in the Virtual Transformational Leadership Development (VTLD) Experience, a course that addresses these challenges in a virtual format. The research examined the contribution of the arts, in conjunction with immersive technologies, towards promoting student engagement. Student interviews indicated that the creation of high impact practices revolving around the arts ultimately generates a memorable and involved experience that more frequently includes topics of social relevancy such as racial equity. Furthermore, the pairing of these methods with relevant and emerging technologies, such as artificial intelligence (AI) and virtual reality (VR), effectively creates an educational experience that more personally suits a student’s needs in this type of transformational course.