Immersive Technology for Digital Tourism
Project Lead: Dr Nevan Bermingham, Lecturer in STEM and Business at TU Dublin
School: School of Tourism and Hospitality Management
Faculty: Faculty of Arts and Humanities
Contact details: Nevan.Bermingham@TUDublin.ie | 01 220 5813
Project Description: This project integrates immersive technologies into the core of a new module called Immersive Technology for Digital Tourism (TFIT1003 for TU953/1). Using Meta Quest 3 XR headsets, Insta360 360-degree cameras, and a mix of other digital platforms, students will learn firsthand how to create immersive content such as 360° tourism videos, interactive digital resources for tourist destinations, events, attractions and digital marketing products.
The project blends theory and experiential engagement in way that encourages students to develop both technical and critical digital marketing production skills. The new module places technology at its core and embraces an ethos of praxis - integrating theory and practice through reflection - so that learning and action continually inform one another, fostering creativity whilst enhancing student retention through active engagement.
Why am I running this project?
- The initiative enhances student engagement, technical literacy, and creative capacity, by equipping learners with relevant skills for a rapidly evolving digital economy.
- It compensates for limited real-world exposure when engaging with the theory of digital tourism by immersing the students in simulating environments and providing experiential understanding of the technology.
- The project aligns with TU Dublin’s strategic objectives around practice-based learning and student retention, while also applying Universal Design for Learning (UDL) principles by providing multiple means of engagement and expression.
- A secondary goal is to reimagine the learning experience and curriculum through the lens of ‘enjoyment’. By integrating this kind of technology into class activities, learning becomes more interactive - essentially it becomes “more fun” – allowing students to explore the potential of this new technology through the acting of “playing” with the tools. In turn this increases student engagement, strengthens retention, and helps re-establish learning as a fundamentally enjoyable activity.
What have I achieved so far?
- Secured NTUTORR, SATLE and School funding to acquire VR headsets and 360-degree cameras to cover up to 35 students in the new module.
- Designed the approved ‘Immersive Technology for Digital Tourism’ module in TU Dublin’s Tourism & Digital Marketing Programme, blending marketing, tourism, and XR digital technology in a unique and transformative learning experience.
- Developed an assessment for Tourism & Digital Marketing Programme, where students created an immersive digital space – including a 360 XR tourism marketing video - of various Dublin attractions.
- Module will run in semester 2 of the 2025/6 academic year, and qualitative feedback obtained from students on improvements and its impact on engagement.
