Course description
Dating apps, Zoom conference calls, and immersive simulation tools used to train professionals for high-risk roles such as pilots and surgeons are now part of the infrastructure of everyday life. These technologies do far more than support daily routines, they actively shape intimate relationships, enable collaboration across borders, and accelerate innovations in health and medicine that can transform what is possible in diagnosis and treatment. In a world that is increasingly globalised, digital technologies are deeply embedded in contemporary social, cultural, and educational life, with wide-ranging consequences for how we perceive the world, interact with others, and make decisions.
Understanding these interactions requires an interdisciplinary perspective that draws on behavioural science, psychology, design, and the social sciences.
This course explores the relationship between human behaviour and the design of user experience, examining how empirical research on perception, cognition, emotion, motivation, and social interaction informs the development of digital technologies. Rather than approaching user experience as a purely technical or commercial practice, the course frames it as a form of applied behavioural inquiry - one that reflects broader questions about addiction, accessibility, inclusion, ethics, and global diversity. A central focus of the course is the global and societal implications of design. Students will critically examine how digital systems may privilege certain users while excluding others, and how assumptions about culture, ability, and normativity are embedded within technological environments.
Particular attention is given to accessibility, neurodiversity, and ethical responsibility in the design of emerging technologies, including virtual reality and metaverse platforms.
Why now? Because Venice sits on the front line of climate change, where rising seas and environmental pressures are not distant scenarios but lived realities. Digital technologies such as environmental monitoring and smarter public systems are among the most powerful tools available to support adaptation and resilience. At the same time, platforms and immersive environments are rapidly transforming education, work, health, and public life worldwide, often faster than regulation or public understanding can keep pace. Through conceptual discussions, collaborative activities and hands-on exploration of digital and immersive environments such as Virtual Reality Headsets, students will engage with key concepts from psychology and human–computer interaction to understand how design choices influence attention, decision-making, engagement, and wellbeing. Students will also explore how everyday digital environments, such as apps, learning platforms, and immersive technologies, are shaped through iterative testing, experimentation, and research-driven decision-making. Finally, students will apply their new knowledge by designing ethical, evidence-informed digital solutions to pressing real-world challenges in Venice and in their home countries. Working from behavioural insights and user-centred design principles, they will develop concepts addressing issues such as flood preparedness and alerting, crowd management, heritage preservation, and sustainable mobility.

Learning Outcomes
Explain how core principles of human behaviour and psychology inform user experience design Critically evaluate digital and immersive technologies using behavioural science frameworks Apply UX research methods as forms of small-scale behavioural experimentation
Assess accessibility and inclusivity in digital and immersive environments Collaborate effectively in interdisciplinary and intercultural teams
Communicate research-informed design decisions through oral, written and virtual presentations

Teaching Methods
This course is structured as an intensive, practice-based and discussion-lead learning designed to progressively integrate psychological theory with applied analysis of digital and immersive technologies. Course will be a combination of the following:
- Interactive workshops (using platforms such as Menti, Vevox, Miro, Padlet, and simple psychology experiments/surveys)
- Case study discussions, Group work and Peer learning
- Hands on UX evaluation using VR headsets and digital platforms (educator will bring VR headsets with them)
- Immersive activities in FrameVR and similar metaverse platforms

Virtual Component
The virtual components for the course bookends the on-campus sessions.
1. Introductory webinar (Zoom call) (Week commencing 20th July 2026)
2. Final virtual showcase (FrameVR* – after on campus component) - 28th August 2026
*FrameVR is an online metaverse platform. It is available via a free account, but through collaboration with Immersive Learning Network, we have a collaborative project of Virtual Campus. As part of this project, I have access to several larger frames where students can engage with activities such as drawing on whiteboards, scavenger hunts and group presentations – all as avatars. You can also access these spaces via the links provided (no log in required – unless you wish to customise your avatars).
https://framevr.io/testingframeexeter1 (limited to 8 participants) https://framevr.io/ilrn-mountain-retreat (limited to 50 participants)

Apps used in the course are selected to suit variable levels of technical proficiency and have been tested with students of variable skill levels – from widening participation to postgraduate research. These platforms also allow for easy access via phone, tablet, laptop, computer or VR, many of which will be provided by the course lead or the university.

Introductory Webinar – Session Structure (full session on Zoom)
1. Course orientation (20min)
2. Introduction to Digital Platforms (10min)
3. Student introductions and group formation (20min)
4. Formative Check in (10min) - live polls, Q&A, pre-reading engagement. Final Virtual Showcase – Session Structure (full session in FrameVR)
1. Introduction (5min)
2. Immersive presentations (20min)
3. Synthesis and relfection (15min)
4. Peer engagement (15min)
5. Wrap up (5min)

Assessment structure
1. Group presentation (in FrameVR) - 40% - presentation of UX evaluation case study
2. Short reflective SAQs (weekly) - 20% - brief reflections at the end of each teaching week connecting theory and practice – 4 reflections (5% each)
3. UX case analysis – 40% - group based evaluation of VR/metaverse environment of app, guided by accessibility frameworks and behavioural research literature.

Course breakdown
The following table provides a detailed map of key topics covered each week.
A field trip will be organized in the first week (could be moved to other weeks if necessary) which will present an opportunity for students to explore one of the earliest examples of human-technology interaction and emphasise importance of interdisciplinary thinking.

Supporting Variable Levels of Technical Literacy
This course is intentionally designed to accommodate a wide range of digital and technical experience. I will use my experience teaching similar topics at variable levels and introduce strategies such as scaffolded exposure (starting with browser-based tools before moving to more immersive platforms), multi-device access (most platforms will be available on laptops, desktops, phones, VR), demonstration-first approach, peer-supported learning, low-stakes experimentation. AI tools will be integrated into teaching and I will be very transparent around their use, thus encouraging students to do the same.

Addressing Variable Disciplinary Backgrounds
As this course attracts students from different disciplinary context, explicit strategies will be sued to foster interdisciplinary understanding and shared language. In week 3 we will explore a ‘psychology mapping’ exercises where students will be able to connect different areas of psychology, technology and their own discipline. This approach support integrative thinking rather than parallel disciplinary silos, consistent with transdisciplinary teaching models.
Case study examples, such as VR therapy, social VR, robotics, are intentionally selected to require multiple psychological perspectives. Students are encouraged to identify any tensions and ethical consideration across domains. Case-based learning has been show to enhance transfer across contexts.
Interdisciplinary teaching literature emphasizes the importance of structured integration rather than simple topic accumulation. The course therefore uses repeated conceptual threads, such as attention, identity, embodiment, to maintain coherance across weeks.

Indicative Bibliography

Most of the books selected are open source or available online. Students are not expected to purchase these books, unless they choose to.
Some of the books listed are textbooks, others are popular science literature. Exact chapters relevant for each week will be identified on the virtual learning environment ahead of the course.

Kirwan, G., Connolly, I., Barton, A., & Palmer, E. (2021). An introduction to cyberpsychology
(2nd ed.). Routledge.
This core British Psychological Society (BPS) textbook provides a structured and research-informed introduction to the psychological study of online behaviour. It covers key topics such as online identity, social networking, gaming, cyberbullying, online relationships, and digital wellbeing. Students will gain foundational theoretical frameworks, critical perspectives, and applied case examples that support progression into more advanced discussions of immersive technologies, AI-mediated interaction, and digital mental health.

Savickaite, S. (2025). Virtual Reality (VR) for Psychology. GitBook. Available at: https://vr-for-psychology.gitbook.io/exeter/ (growing open source book developed by the course lead)
This growing open-source textbook provides a practical and accessible introduction to using VR in psychological research and teaching. Students will learn basics of immersive technologies, engage with external links to sources such as online videos, online exercises and any additional reading.

Kahneman, D. (2011). Thinking, fast and slow. Macmillan.
This popular science book introduces dual-process theory, distinguishing between fast, intuitive thinking (System 1) and slower, analytical reasoning (System 2). Students will gain insight into cognitive biases, heuristics, and decision-making processes, which are foundational for understanding judgment, perception, and experimental psychology.

Shove, E. (2007). The design of everyday life. Berg.
This interdisciplinary text (popular-academic crossover) explores how material culture, design, and social practices shape daily life. Students will develop critical awareness of how environments and technologies structure behaviour - an important perspective for human-computer interaction, XR design, and applied psychology contexts.

Slater M and Sanchez-Vives MV (2016) Enhancing Our Lives with Immersive Virtual Reality. Front. Robot. AI 3:74. doi: 10.3389/frobt.2016.00074
This peer-reviewed article provides a conceptual and empirical overview of immersive VR, focusing on presence, embodiment, and behavioral realism. Students will gain a theoretical foundation for understanding why VR can produce meaningful psychological responses and how immersive technologies may influence cognition and behavior.

Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG) 2.2 https://www.w3.org/TR/WCAG22/
These guidelines provide internationally recognised standards for digital accessibility. Students will gain practical knowledge of inclusive design principles, which are essential when developing digital experiments, XR environments, or online research materials that are usable by diverse populations.

Ward, L. M. (Ed.). (2018). The science of human potential: Exploring the psychology of wellbeing.
This open-access textbook introduces core concepts in wellbeing, motivation, resilience, and positive psychology. Students will gain an evidence-based understanding of human flourishing, linking theory to applied contexts such as education, mental health, and personal development.

White, L. (2014). Mind, body, world: Foundations of cognitive science. AU Press.
This open-access textbook provides a broad introduction to cognitive science, covering perception, embodiment, computation, and philosophy of mind. Students will gain interdisciplinary grounding in how cognition is studied across psychology, neuroscience, AI, and philosophy – all helpful for situating immersive technologies within wider cognitive frameworks.

Last updated: March 27, 2026