Preparing for Immersive Learning: AIR’s upcoming CPD in Palermo
From 30 November to 4 December 2026, the AIR partnership will come together at the National Research Council (CNR) in Palermo for a five-day continuous professional development (CPD) programme. The training programme combines hands-on exploration of augmented and immersive reality with educational design and preparation for piloting in higher education.
The aim is to give participants time to explore selected tools, consider their suitability for teaching and develop learning scenarios that they can implement at their own institutions.
A learning pathway extending beyond Palermo
The CPD is being designed as a blended learning pathway. Online self-learning materials will introduce relevant topics, including immersive learning practices, educational design, competence-oriented learning and validation, and the LEVEL5 approach.
In November, an introductory online session will give participants the opportunity to meet, discuss their expectations and clarify the preparation required for the face-to-face workshop.
The Palermo training will then turn these foundations into practical activities. Subsequently, participants will implement their pilot activities and document their experiences, with support from peer exchange and sharing.
Exploring tools through educational questions
Practical experimentation will be a central part of the workshop. Tool selection is ongoing, with priority given to accessible, cost-effective applications that do not require expensive hardware.
As well as exploring how the tools work, participants will consider how they could support a learning activity, including what learners should do, how participation will be organised and how the experience connects with educational objectives.
This creates space to examine both the possibilities and limitations of an activity before bringing it into a university teaching context.
Designing for participants’ own contexts
The partnership is preparing a flexible approach to learning design. Participants will be able to focus on pilot ideas relevant to their own institutions, and there will be opportunities for transnational collaboration where shared interests and needs make this useful.
Information about participants’ backgrounds, expectations and teaching conditions will inform the activities. This is intended to strengthen the connection between the training and the practical circumstances in which participants will later work.
Connecting professional learning with piloting
Competence-oriented learning and validation will encourage reflection on the knowledge, skills and attitudes involved in planning, facilitating and evaluating immersive learning.
The CPD will provide an environment in which to develop and prepare these approaches. Subsequent pilots will offer opportunities to investigate their application with learners, identify necessary adaptations and share experiences across the partnership.
Through this process, AIR aims to link professional development with practical experimentation and use the resulting insights to inform its future work.
