Step into a World of Wonder — curiosity leads the way in this virtual reality application designed by a USF team

• Andrea Knies
• March 10, 2026
• Campus News, Research

When people hear the term, virtual reality (VR), many quickly conjure up an image - a person whose eyes are covered by a small, rectangular plastic box that is held on by straps crisscrossing the top of their head. Although popular culture has made it easy for people to picture VR headsets, innovative researchers and experts are needed to envision educational uses of VR technology. From View-Masters to flight simulators, artificial environments aren't new, however, today's increased affordability and advancements in computing have evolved VR beyond entertainment or high-level training to an accessible pedagogical tool.

Thanks to grants from the Florida High Tech Corridor Early-Stage Innovation Fund and the University of South Florida (USF) Sarasota-Manatee Office of Research, an interdisciplinary USF team is contributing their knowledge and skills to develop the virtual reality adventure game, World of Wonder: A Curious Journey. This collaborative partnership includes USF faculty, staff, graduate student research assistants in education, undergraduate computer science and digital art students and local middle-grades youth.

Similar to smart phones, VR headsets utilize apps that are available in app stores to create a virtual experience. World of Wonder: A Curious Journey is a VR app prototype where "each encounter invites you to question, reflect, and think differently about the world around you." To advance through the story, World of Wonder users are immersed in an illustrated world where they must solve problems such as deciphering a riddle to identify the proper door key or build a vessel to cross a river.

Project lead Lindsay Persohn, assistant professor in Literacy Studies, states, "In talking with youth about VR, they express excitement for the opportunity to take part virtually in experiences that would be inaccessible to them due to timeline, geographic, economic, or other constraints, or impossible on planet Earth."

The app's framework was inspired by Persohn's dissertation in which she studied the illustrations from Lewis Carroll's "Alice's Adventures in Wonderland" overlaid with elements of Joseph Campbell's "Hero's Journey". This prototype aims to overtly use the virtual reality environment as a space for youth to explore and develop solutions to challenges they see in the world, such as economic insecurity, climate change, and social-emotional health.

"Each encounter invites you to question, reflect, and think differently about the world around you. World of Wonder challenges your thinking through interactive moments that spark inquiry and imagination." World of Wonder App Description

Howard Kaplan, associate director of USF's Advanced Visualization Center, led a team of staff and student developers and artists to create the app prototype. During this process, the team utilized civically-engaged thinking to not only enhance the prototype, but to also ensure that the app provides meaningful experiences for the user - middle school aged students. "It's about human-centered design and human flourishing through the use of technology and innovation," said Cheryl Ellerbrock Sarasota-Manatee campus dean of Education.

Workshops and camps were hosted at the USF Collaboratory - a hub where immersive, emerging and intelligent technologies advance education - for youth to test World of Wonder. Creative Director of the Collaboratory Csaba Osvath patiently guided youth participants through the VR experience and thoughtfully listened to their feedback. The development team received insightful input from the youth participants, while the youth gained insights into digital design processes and together, they watched their ideas come to life.

"Working on the World of Wonder game was my first large collaborative project," said USF Fine Art student, Jasmine Jakubowicz, "it gave me great experience both technically and artistically. However, I think the main thing that I took away from the project was being able to grow in my communication and teamwork while learning the details of the development pipeline."

Spaces like USF's Collaboratory serve as valuable resources for area students and community members to experience cutting-edge technology such as VR with expert guidance and support. "In today's rapidly changing world, we don't even know the careers that we are preparing youth for," said Ellerbrock. "We want to help them think differently. We want them to understand human-centered design, starting with the person and moving forward from that."

This prototype will eventually become a completed app and continue to educate students through the VR experience, however, the impact for the middle school and college students involved in this collaborative process goes far beyond the finished product. These students have seen the value of creativity, innovation and digital mindfulness to support human flourishing in a rapidly changing world.