# Prisms, a novel immersive learning platform to increase proficiency on bottleneck topics in secondary STEM

> **NIH NIH R43** · PRISMS OF REALITY INC. · 2021 · $246,773

## Abstract

Project Summary/ Abstract
Prisms of Reality seeks to develop and assess the impact and feasibility of an immersive virtual reality
(IVR) learning platform that targets high-leverage pain points in the secondary math and science
curriculum to support a more diverse and well-equipped healthcare workforce. Our platform engages
students in self-directed scientific inquiry using compelling real world contexts that develop empirical
decision-making skills with regards to key issues in public health. In Phase I, we will design an IVR
learning module for high school Algebra that emphasizes how mathematical modeling of ultraviolet rays
using trigonometric functions can be applied to reason quantitatively about the risks posed by ozone
depletion, which led to the 1987 Montreal Protocol. In the face of ever changing climate change
regulations, our module will ensure students are capable of flexibly applying quantitative models in
support of policies that advance public health outcomes while improving proficiency on math and science
skills that preclude so many from continuing their education in STEM, specifically in the medical fields.
There is evidence that IVR increases motivation and engagement, but applications in learning that
empirically improve student outcomes have proven to be elusive. Therefore, the development of a
pedagogical framework in IVR that leads to enduring understanding and increased achievement will be
ground-breaking for STEM teaching and learning. Our platform employs constructivist, gamified
narratives that foster “hands on” student discovery and 3D sense-making of natural phenomena and
mathematical models tied to public health issues. Through holistic data collection and analytics, our
teacher-facing learning management system will track each student’s conceptual progress and provide
individualized feedback. If successful, Prisms’ platform will not only transform the student experience
and achievement, but will provide a model of how progressive pedagogical practices can be actualized
through IVR to yield meaningful student outcomes.
To develop the platform, in Phase I Prisms will a) design a robust game-based pedagogical framework
that harnesses innovative features unique to VR to cultivate deep conceptual flexibility and abstract
reasoning skills based on authentic real world problems; b) explore effective VR functionalities,
experience design, and development techniques for high quality implementation using the cost-effective
Oculus Quest; c) implement a teacher-facing learning management system that will provide teachers
data-driven insights about student learning in order to support individualized feedback and intervention;
and d) evaluate productive user experience & empirically measure our platform’s impact on learning
outcomes in authentic classroom settings.

## Key facts

- **NIH application ID:** 10252740
- **Project number:** 1R43GM142301-01
- **Recipient organization:** PRISMS OF REALITY INC.
- **Principal Investigator:** Anurupa Ganguly
- **Activity code:** R43 (R01, R21, SBIR, etc.)
- **Funding institute:** NIH
- **Fiscal year:** 2021
- **Award amount:** $246,773
- **Award type:** 1
- **Project period:** 2021-09-05 → 2022-08-31

## Primary source

NIH RePORTER: https://reporter.nih.gov/project-details/10252740

## Citation

> US National Institutes of Health, RePORTER application 10252740, Prisms, a novel immersive learning platform to increase proficiency on bottleneck topics in secondary STEM (1R43GM142301-01). Retrieved via AI Analytics 2026-05-27 from https://api.ai-analytics.org/grant/nih/10252740. Licensed CC0.

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