Montclair State University recently opened a new virtual reality learning facility that will bring coursework to life for students across disciplines while helping train the next generation of virtual reality content creators.

The state-of-the-art virtual reality lab that opened recently in the College of Communication and Media building at Montclair State University in Montclair, N.J., occupies a space previously used for video and televised broadcast production.

Integrated design firm JZA+D designed the conversion, reimagining the 2,450-sf former broadcast studio to serve several functions simultaneously: an immersive experiential VR pod for four learners to explore the virtual space on foot, a classroom setting for seated VR-based learning for up to 26 students plus an instructor, an entry foyer, and a lobby area with seating and amenities.

JZA+D Adapts Broadcast Studio for Montclair State VR Learning Lab

Built in partnership with Dreamscape Learn, an immersive learning company that uses cinematic storytelling and virtual reality to deliver learning experiences grounded in research-backed pedagogy, the new on-campus facility will serve more than 24,000 Montclair students.

Montclair will join a growing group of colleges and universities across the country using Dreamscape Learn, including Arizona State University, Rowan University, and the University of Nevada, Las Vegas.

"Montclair is investing in a whole new approach to learning that turns curriculum into experiences students live, not lectures they sit through," said Josh Reibel, CEO of Dreamscape Learn. "It creates the kind of college experience today’s students are looking for."

According to Mark A. Sullivan, AIA LEED AP, a partner with JZA+D whose career has largely focused on academic and institutional facilities, the goal for the design of the conversion and renovation was to support the suite of systems created by VR technology provider Dreamscapes and related academic programming for multiple Montclair State departments.

"Our design solution included capturing part of the adjacent corridor, with a view of New York City through the building’s glass curtainwall, for a new foyer at the VR lab entrance," says Sullivan.

He notes that JZA+D was responsible for designing raised floors and ramps to ensure accessibility and upgrading the cooling infrastructure to provide the 42,000 BTUs required to keep the servers operational. Paints, finishes, lighting, and carpeting were specified to complement Dreamscapes’ brand-specific furnishings, millwork, décor, and VR experience.

"We retained and reused the original broadcast studio’s ceiling-hung lighting rigs, which enhances the overall experience in the lab and classroom settings," says Sullivan, who adds that his firm’s design allows for easy conversion back to use as a broadcast studio should the VR lab ever need to be relocated. 

Montclair State’s VR Lab Brings Coursework to Life

Montclair’s facility will include a 26-seat classroom and a free-roam pod that allows students to freely walk through a virtual world to bring course materials to life like never before.

Dreamscape Learn combines a student-centered approach, 360-degree motion-capture technology and highly advanced haptics—physical stimuli involving vibrations and other motions to simulate touch—to create a truly immersive educational experience.

Montclair will offer Dreamscape Learn’s signature course, "Biology in the Alien Zoo," which sends students to go on a series of missions in an alien ecosystem. Working together, students conduct virtual fieldwork, collect and analyze data, and apply scientific concepts as they try to save an alien species from extinction.

Virtual Reality Lab Aims to Improve Student Learning Outcomes

The new facility will strengthen Montclair’s commitment to creating life-changing outcomes for all students.

Students taking Biology at Arizona State University, which opened the first Dreamscape Learn Lab in 2021, are nearly two times more likely to earn an A grade in lab assignments when compared to students in regular course sections. Montclair will expand available course offerings over time to create even greater access to the space for students of all majors.

In addition, students will get hands-on learning opportunities in a rapidly growing field with the ability to train on the industry’s leading technology.

"The Dreamscape Learn Lab will offer practical, real-world skills development in virtual reality, a critical medium for the future," says College of Communication and Media Director Keith Strudler. "Our students will graduate knowing how to storyboard, design, code, and run virtual, preparing them for vibrant careers in our tech- driven economy."