Digital Innovation Showcase at Celebrate UCI: Using XR Technology to Enhance the Prospective Student Experience

 group of students in a conference room wearing VR headsets

Students don MetaQuest headsets to experience dorm life during Celebrate UCI 2025. Tony Hwang/UCI

June 24, 2025
By Antu Nguyen

At this year's Celebrate UCI, hundreds of admitted students stepped into the future of campus life through the new Digital Innovation Showcase. Hosted by UCI Enrollment Management in partnership with the Office of Data and Information Technology, and with support from collaborators at Dawdle Labs and SimInsights, the event introduced cutting-edge extended reality (XR) technology to enhance how prospective students connect with the university.

With UC Irvine students admitted from almost every state and more than 70 countries, XR is a fantastic option for offering glimpses of campus long before they arrive for their first day of class. This year, dorm tours were made available via XR, allowing newly-admitted students to explore campus housing virtually. Over 400 visitors engaged in immersive, virtual dorm tours and interactive meeting simulations, providing a peek into the possibilities of student life and academic collaboration at UCI.

"Many of the students and their families had never experienced anything like this before," said Derick Barrientos, Computer Science 27, one of the XR interns who supported the event. Positioned at the exit of the XR feature, Barrientos welcomed feedback, answered questions about the technology, and helped guests navigate the experience and additional resources. These observations echoed the larger impact noted by Tony Hwang, Executive Director in the Office of Enrollment Management, who shared that witnessing prospective students and their families so energized and engaged with the AI and XR technologies was incredibly rewarding.

The showcase exemplifies UCI's commitment to digital innovation in student outreach and education. Hwang played a key role in connecting enrollment strategy with these emerging technologies. He added, "This showcase was more than just a demonstration of technology; it was a clear illustration of our commitment to student success by providing a dynamic and forward-thinking learning environment." His insights underline how thoughtful applications of XR can support informed decision-making for prospective students and their families.

The success of the event was made possible through the efforts of XR interns and the support of industry partners including Dawdle Labs and SimInsights, who helped develop and deliver the interactive experiences. While they were behind the scenes, their contributions helped bring the virtual environments to life in a way that resonated with students and families alike. "We wanted students to leave feeling like UCI offers something truly unique," said Barrientos. "Not every school uses technology like this. We saw how much that stood out."

As a highlight of Celebrate UCI, the Digital Innovation Showcase demonstrates the University’s full commitment to building meaningful, future-focused experiences for the next generation of students.