Over the past two years, the Miami Animation and Gaming International Complex (MAGIC) has led the development of the VR for Education initiative, bringing immersive learning experiences into classrooms across multiple academic disciplines at Miami Dade College. Working closely with faculty, MAGIC students have designed curriculum-aligned virtual reality applications that transform complex concepts into interactive, hands-on experiences. Projects include Lab Lockdown, a chemistry simulation where students safely conduct experiments and solve laboratory challenges; Digestion 3D, which allows nutrition students to explore the human digestive system from the inside and better understand physiological processes; and Everglades Ecosystem, an earth sciences simulation that immerses students in South Florida’s unique environment to study ecosystems, biodiversity, and conservation. These applications demonstrate how immersive technology can increase student engagement, improve comprehension, and create meaningful experiential learning opportunities that complement traditional classroom instruction.
Lab Lockdown
Lab Lockdown is an immersive virtual reality chemistry simulation developed through MAGIC’s VR for Education initiative to provide students with an engaging, interactive approach to learning laboratory concepts. Designed in collaboration with Miami Dade College chemistry faculty, the experience places students inside a virtual laboratory where they interact with equipment, chemicals, and scientific procedures while completing challenges that reinforce classroom instruction. By combining problem-solving, exploration, and hands-on interaction in a safe virtual environment, Lab Lockdown allows students to practice concepts without the risks or limitations of a physical laboratory. The simulation demonstrates how VR can complement traditional instruction by increasing engagement, encouraging active learning, and helping students better understand and retain complex chemistry concepts – Video.
CHM 1025: Introductory Chemistry
This course will provide beginning students with certain basic knowledge and skills, which will enable them to be successful in the first semester of General Chemistry I, CHM1045. The students will learn elementary principles of modern chemistry, including basic measurements, chemical bonding, chemical reactions, stoichiometry, concentration of solutions, and chemical nomenclature.
Credits:
Faculty Supervisor: Dr. Davia Holness, MDC Wolfson Campus Natural Science Department
Faculty Leads: Silvia Sayas and Mel Tomeo, MDC MAGIC
Lead Producer – Angel Lorenzo; Lead Programmer – Josh Bossio
Original Music Composition by Schlinler Derenoncourt (NWSA)
Dialogue by Camila Cassingena and Jose “Coach” Ramirez
Supervision by Mauricio Ferrazza, Chairperson at the Miami Animation & Gaming International Complex
Digestion ED
Digestion ED is an immersive virtual reality simulation developed through MAGIC’s VR for Education initiative to help students explore and understand the human digestive system in an engaging and interactive way. Designed in collaboration with Miami Dade College nutrition faculty, the experience takes students on a virtual journey through the digestive tract, allowing them to visualize organs, biological processes, and the different stages of digestion from perspectives that are impossible to experience in a traditional classroom. By transforming complex anatomical and nutritional concepts into an interactive 3D environment, Digestion ED promotes active learning, strengthens students’ understanding of how the body processes food and nutrients, and demonstrates the potential of VR to make science education more accessible, memorable, and engaging – Video.
HUN 1201: Essentials of Human Nutrition
The Essentials of Human Nutrition is a general education course designed to acquaint students with the specific role of carbohydrates, fats, proteins, vitamins, minerals, and water in daily life. Students will learn how the human body systems manage the breakdown, assimilation, and excretion of nutrients and their metabolic wastes. Students will also learn the relationships between food and optimal health including physical fitness and the relationships between nutritional imbalances and diseases.
Credits:
Faculty Supervisor: Prof. Faoye Olubisi, MDC Wolfson Campus Natural Science Department
Faculty Leads: Silvia Sayas and Mel Tomeo, MDC MAGIC
Programmers & Level Designers: Josh Bossio & Joel Figueroa
Original Music Composition by Schlinler Derenoncourt (NWSA)
Supervision by Mauricio Ferrazza, Chairperson at the Miami Animation & Gaming International Complex
Everglades Ecosystem
Everglades Ecosystem is an immersive virtual reality simulation developed through MAGIC’s VR for Education initiative to bring the unique environment of the Florida Everglades directly into the classroom. Created in collaboration with Miami Dade College Earth Sciences faculty, the experience allows students to virtually explore the Everglades while learning about its interconnected ecosystems, native plants and wildlife, biodiversity, water systems, and environmental challenges. Through interactive exploration and observation, students can experience concepts that are difficult to communicate through textbooks and lectures alone. Everglades Ecosystem transforms the classroom into an immersive field-learning environment, increasing student engagement while strengthening their understanding of ecology, conservation, and the importance of protecting one of South Florida’s most significant natural resources – Video.
BSC 1005: General Education Biology
This course applies the scientific method to critically examine and explain the natural world including but not limited to cells, organisms, genetics, evolution, ecology, and behavior. Student learning outcomes: students will evaluate data regarding validity; students will read and interpret a variety of scientific data; students will describe the natural world; and students will articulate and practice the scientific method.
Credits:
Faculty Supervisor: Prof. Louisiana Gomez, MDC Wolfson Campus Natural Science Department
Faculty Leads: Silvia Sayas and Mel Tomeo, MDC MAGIC
Lead Programmers & Level Design: Adrian Betancourt & Lewis Tamayo
Original Music Composition by Schlinler Derenoncourt (NWSA)
Supervision by Mauricio Ferrazza, Chairperson at the Miami Animation & Gaming International Complex
How to Play
MAGIC’s VR for Education simulations are delivered through the Curio XR platform, providing students and faculty with a simple way to access immersive learning experiences using Meta Quest VR headsets. After launching Curio XR on the headset and connecting to the platform, users can access the collection of MAGIC educational simulations, including Lab Lockdown, Digestion ED, and Everglades Ecosystem, and launch the selected experience directly in virtual reality. The platform provides a centralized environment for distributing and managing VR educational content, making it easier for faculty to incorporate immersive experiences into classroom activities without requiring students to manage complex software or technical configurations. This streamlined approach allows instructors to focus on teaching while students quickly transition from the traditional classroom into an interactive virtual learning environment. Students can access the VR simulations in all eight MDC Campuses – at the Learning Resources Libraries.
For technical support please contact Mauricio Ferrazza – mferrazz@mdc.edu or Jhony Molina – jmolin2@mdc.edu
For more information about the MAGIC program at MDC, visit us at magic.mdc.edu or (305)237-3560