Walking with ‘Walden’: A VR immersion in literary history
For his upper-level capstone English course on the classic literary work “Walden” by Henry David Thoreau, Assistant Professor of English Jamie Parra took the suggestion “walk a mile in someone else’s shoes” literally.
Parra collaborated with Skidmore’s (LEDS) team, which facilitates classroom engagement in emerging technologies, to introduce the award-winning virtual reality (VR) experience “Walden, a game” to his students.
In the game, students retrace the steps of American transcendentalist Thoreau — a naturalist, essayist, poet, and philosopher — during his two years spent living at Walden Pond from 1845 to 1847. They explore Thoreau’s cabin and the greater Concord, Massachusetts, area; participate in daily activities like tending to the bean fields and fishing; and experience the natural world as it was in the mid-19th century.
While Parra admits he doesn’t play many video games, he immediately recognized how a game could enhance learning — an observation shared by other Skidmore professors as well. When it came time to plan for his “Walden” course, it seemed only natural that he ask Lead Instructional Technologist Ben Harwood to assist.
Emerging technologies and interactive play experiences are being used to further learning in disciplines ranging from Health and Human Physiological Sciences to Asian Studies, true to the College’s philosophy that Creative Thought Matters.
‘Like putting vegetables in dessert’
I sat in on a lesson conducted in the LEDS classroom, a large room with several rows of tables located on the second floor of . Students had already visited in pairs for an initial playthrough of “Walden, a game,” but this was their first time meeting collectively to discuss the experience. At the head of the room, a large screen was set up to display the feed from a pair of VR goggles.
Harwood gave a brief introduction, explaining the origins and purpose of the game, which is more than a decade in the making by developers at the USC Game Innovation Lab. He described how each tree, plant, and animal in the game’s open world is accurate to the location, season, and time period.
One student volunteered to don the VR goggles while others provided analysis and reflections from their own experiences. For many, it was their first encounter with VR.
Lead Instructional Technologist Ben Harwood helps a brave student volunteer to equip a pair of VR goggles.
“’Walden, a game’ really is, I think, a way to bring Thoreau’s observations and ideas to life in a way that a traditional reading cannot,” says Harwood, who frames the VR experience as a beneficial “disruption” of the classroom environment. “It becomes a means to experience what it may have been like being in Thoreau’s shoes.”
Referring to the term “disruptive innovation,” a theory developed by businessman and educator Clayton Christensen, Harwood says, “Digital tools are both disruptive and innovative ... they give students the chance to approach learning from an angle that feels relevant to them.”
During the class, a student who had recently visited Walden Pond in-person noted that much of the scenery appeared very different in the game than it does in present-day reality, sparking a discussion about how VR can be used to preserve and share cultural and geographical history in areas that are threatened by climate change.
“Thoreau’s philosophy in relating to things that are non-human has a real relevance to now, and the conversation we were having in the classroom went very naturally to questions like, ‘What are we doing in making a virtual representation of a place that really does exist?’” Parra reflected. “I think this has been a helpful bridge as we move away from close readings of the text to its historical context and to our present moment.”
Charlotte Mahn ’25 said the game was a learning experience in more ways than one. She and her fellow senior English majors are used to connecting with past experiences and figures through the written word. VR offered the students a chance for connection through another medium entirely, while also gaining valuable experience using a new technology.
“It’s like putting vegetables in dessert — it’s educational but also fun,” said Mahn, who mentioned that her favorite part of the game was fishing in the pond (something that Thoreau notoriously disliked). “You walk around and see signs for the abolition of slavery and signs that are against the U.S.-Mexico War. You could see how easily Thoreau became involved with those movements in Concord.”
New ways to explore and imagine
Harwood and the LEDS team are bringing exciting new tools to many other Skidmore classes as well.
Visiting Assistant Professor of Health and Human Physiological Sciences Edgard Soares brought his HP311 Advanced Physiology class to the LEDS classroom for an incredible opportunity to visualize and explore the human heart with Apple Vision Pro technology.
The Insight Heart app provides an interactive simulation of a human heart, allowing students to study anatomy, speed up and slow down the heart rate, and view specific conditions such as heart failure and hypertension. These key functionalities enabled Soares’ students to review and refine their knowledge of the human heart in a highly detailed manner.
Students from Soares' HP311 Advanced Physiology class were able to manipulate and explore the human heart using the Apple Vision Pro and the Insight Heart app.
“I saw a lot of engagement with the VR. I also saw great retention of what we learned in the LEDS classroom,” said Soares. “I would love to try to implement more technologies like this in my teaching in the future.”
As a recent alum, my first experience with VR was also in the LEDS classroom, playing a zombie game as part of a Post-Apocalyptic Film and Literature course with Professor of American Studies Beck Krefting. Beyond being scared out of my wits (I hate zombies, ironically enough), I vividly remember the excitement in being able to see the tropes discussed in class play out in real time as I contributed an active role in the narrative.
For me, as a teacher, the challenge has been moving beyond the traditional ‘just read the text’ approach. Students today live in a multimedia world; their comfort with platforms like gaming means we can engage them through channels that they’re already used to and excited about.Ben HarwoodLead Instructional Technologist
These courses are one example of how Skidmore is transforming learning experiences for students. By connecting students and teachers with creative new technology, LEDS is helping uncover new ways to learn and embrace alternate methods of thinking.
“We’re building knowledge through experience, with prompts and guidance,” said Harwood. “That kind of learning tends to be stronger, richer, and more lasting.”