EDUCATION
Texas Immersive is where creativity, strategy, and innovation converge to shape the future of immersive media and experiential storytelling. Designed for students of all levels and backgrounds eager to explore how technology transforms audience engagement, the program provides hands-on experience in crafting interactive narratives, brand experiences, and dynamic environments. Rooted in audience-first design, it bridges media, technology, and human experience—equipping students (grad and undergrad) with the skills to push the boundaries of what’s next in entertainment, education, marketing, and social impact.
Being a TXI Explorer is a time commitment, you will be challenged. But if you give your best effort, you will develop skills and gain the tools necessary to impact any industry. You will become a professional with real-world experience and a storyteller who can provoke genuine action and true connections.
Texas Immersive Courses
Course 1a: Audience Development & Engagement
ADV 365, ADV 391K, PR 365
Understand an audience’s intention, expectation, interaction and relationship with space and emerging technologies to create resilient and inspired engagement.
Course 1b: Immersive Media Studio
ADV 378
Develop through emerging technologies to understand how we engage in participatory practices of creating, communicating, collaborating, and circulating stories.
Course 1c: Foundations of Immersive Media *NEW*
ADV/PR 310i
This course provides students with a foundational understanding of immersive media and experiences that encourage immersion. Through a blend of theoretical exploration and practical application, students will examine the history, core principles, and evolving practices of immersive media.
Course 2: Experimental Storytelling
ADV 367, ADV 391K, PR 367E
Understand the expansion of characters, afford new ways of telling stories, and apply them to world-building scenarios that create personalization and interaction.
Course 3: Immersive Experience
ADV 364, ADV 391K, PR 364
Combine the understanding of an audience, the language of development and awareness of the affordances of each medium to design immersive user experiences.
Please note the following may not be offered every semester
Immersive Strategy
ADV 378, PR 378
Learn how brands are implementing immersive technologies and strategies into their business model as well as new career opportunities in the immersive field.
Creativity in AI
ADV 378, ADV 391K, PR 378
Explore the intersection of artificial intelligence and creative processes. Examine how AI can enhance and augment human creativity in various domains such as art, music, writing, and design.
Designing for Participation
ADV 378, PR 378
Explore the tools, processes, and neuroscience of how to activate and engage audiences in immersive experiences.
The elements of a Texas Immersive course include:
Lectures Supplement Real Work
There are few lectures during class. Lectures are pre-recorded and required as homework. The lectures are used to fuel discussion and hands-on activities for ongoing projects.
Transdisciplinary
Immersive is transdisciplinary. People from all sorts of backgrounds are needed to create an effective experience. Expect to collaborate with people outside of your major.
Active Learning
Activities emphasize collaborative and cooperative learning. A frame of reference for this type of learning is easily recalled with the acronym PIES: Positive interdependence, Individual accountability, Equal participation, and Simultaneous interaction (Kagan, 2003).
A Helping Hand
The professor's objective is to get students going on projects and to be available as an on-hand resource. Expect a plethora of guest speakers who are leaders in the immersive space to come and speak with you.
Reap What You Sow
The responsibility for learning is placed on you, the student. Majority of the work is donein teams where you'll try on different roles and your peers rely on you. Be present and show initiative.
Building Blocks
Each course and class activities build on each other to provide a dynamic and integrated learning environment that emphasize personal intellectual development and content learning.