Case Study
Immersive laboratories for university teaching
How Multiversity brought hands-on learning to online courses
Bringing labs into distance learning is a great opportunity, but also a real challenge. Physical spaces, costs, logistics, and ensuring uniform access for students often make it difficult to offer quality practical experiences in online courses.
Techstar Education was created to overcome these limitations, transforming practice into a simple, engaging, and scalable digital experience.
Client
Multiversity S.p.A.
Area
University education
Category
Immersive laboratories
Accessibility
Web browser and XR headsets
Context
Multiversity S.p.A., a leading online university, operates a network of institutions with thousands of students across Italy and internationally. In technical and scientific courses, a long-standing limitation of online education has been access to laboratories. The goal was not simply to “digitize” the physical laboratory, but to reimagine it in an immersive way, ensuring quality, reliability, and ease of use for both students and faculty.
The Challenge
The request was ambitious: to integrate real-world practical activities into distance learning, overcoming the limitations of traditional laboratories and ensuring all students have equal opportunities, regardless of their location. At the same time, teachers needed to maintain control over the experience, monitor participation, and evaluate results without increasing their operational load.
The Techstar Education solution
We’ve designed an ecosystem of immersive digital labs, accessible directly from a browser or through XR headsets. Students can enter interactive 3D environments, use virtual tools and machines, perform simulations and practical exercises, and repeat activities independently, without complex configurations or technical barriers.
For teachers, the platform provides dedicated dashboards to monitor activity progress, verify exercise completion, analyze engagement levels, and intervene promptly when needed. The entire system is GDPR-compliant and specifically designed for academic use.
Impact and Results
The adoption of immersive labs has enabled Multiversity to:
- offer practical experiences comparable to physical laboratories
- increase student engagement
- reduce costs and logistical constraints
- expand access to technical training
- make teaching more flexible and inclusive
A replicable project
The platform developed by Techstar ED is designed to grow alongside the institution. It can be extended to new courses, disciplines, and universities, while consistently maintaining simplicity, control, and reliability.
A concrete example of how XR can seamlessly integrate into university teaching without compromising on quality.