New Curriculum Leverages VR To Promote Intercultural Understanding

Claudia Quevedo-Webb, César Hoyos Álvarez, María Jesús Barros García and Spencer Striker have been named the 2025 recipients of the Alumnae of Northwestern University’s Award for Curriculum Innovation.

Quevedo-Webb, Hoyos Álvarez and Barros García will incorporate virtual reality into the classroom to enhance language learning and intercultural understanding. Striker will integrate the current digital media design curriculum with Northwestern Qatar’s human centered AI and media lab research.

Administered by the Office of the Provost, the award recognizes and supports faculty with innovative ideas for new courses, methods of instruction and enhancements to existing classes.

The award includes $12,500 in funding allocated for development expenses, stipends for the awardees and the faculty members’ home department. The four recipients will be recognized during a reception in the spring.

Cultural immersion within the classroom

Claudia Quevedo-Webb, César Enrique Hoyas Álvarez, and María Jesús Barros García, all faculty members in the Spanish and Portuguese department at Weinberg College of Arts and Sciences, have begun using VR technology to create cultural immersion learning experiences for students within the Northwestern classroom.

Although study abroad experiences are recognized for developing critical intercultural communicative competence (ICC) in language learners, not all students can study abroad, and if they do, they may not have the opportunity to take part in cultural practices.

The team’s curricular innovation utilizes VR to immerse students in various scenarios and real-life situations. Paired with classroom discussions, cultural comparisons, and self-reflection, this approach helps students develop cultural competence and a deeper appreciation for different cultures.

Quevedo-Webb’s research focuses on using new technologies in the language classroom and diversity and inclusion practices.  She joined Northwestern in 2022.

Hoyos Álvarez joined Northwestern in 2022. His research centers around the application of critical pedagogies and addresses the need for more inclusive learning environments that cater to the linguistic and socio-affective needs of emergent bilinguals.

Barros García joined Northwestern in 2018. Her research focuses on intercultural pragmatics, politeness theory and second language acquisition.

The future of digital media design

Spencer Striker is an associate professor of digital media design at Northwestern Qatar.

His curricular innovation is to integrate creative production curriculum with NU-Q’s AIM Lab research to advance human centered AI innovation in media, creative production and digital communication.

By incorporating AI tools across various courses and leveraging AIM Lab’s research infrastructure and partnerships, Striker seeks to establish a sustainable model for long-term innovation in creative technology education that will benefit NU-Q students for years to come.

In Game Design, students will explore content generation and AI-assisted level design, while focusing on core gameplay principles. Animation courses will balance traditional principles of movement and timing with emerging AI tools for character animation and style transfer. Sound Design will integrate AI audio synthesis with acoustic theory, and Web Design will investigate AI-driven interface generation within the framework of user-centered design principles.

Striker joined Northwestern in 2019. His work focuses on designing game-based learning experiences, immersive VR simulations, and generative AI-driven production pipelines that bridge storytelling with educational impact.

Story posted on Northwestern Now, written by Stephanie Kulke.