In Spring of 2025, students in SOCW 461: Professional Practice Seminar I experienced a powerful new way of learning about housing justice, using immersive 360-degree videos, using virtual reality (VR) headsets to explore the socio-historical landscape of Champaign County. Led by Clinical Associate Professor Julie Muñoz-Nájar, the project blended technology, community voices, and immersive media to deepen student engagement with local policy.

Professor Muñoz-Nájar was inspired to create this experience after attending a historical bus tour of Champaign in winter 2023, organized by fellow social work professor Kevin Tan. “I wished that all students could have that experience to learn about the socio-historical issues that exist in Champaign County,” she said. Since SOCW 461 already includes content on redlining and housing policy, and with a community workshop planned for November 2024, she saw an opportunity to expand that curriculum in an innovative way.

Organizing repeated bus tours would have been expensive and disruptive to residents. Instead, Muñoz-Nájar proposed a virtual experience that would allow students to “time travel to various spaces in the community in a matter of minutes and gain fresh perspectives.” One student from the area noted that the VR experience helped them “see the community through a new lens, literally.”

The seven locations featured in the video were selected based on Muñoz-Nájar’s experiences working with local clients and community leaders. Each site highlighted key themes such as neighborhood resilience, environmental costs of housing near railroads, and the role of neighborhood churches. She also included murals that reflect joy and resistance—many funded by the Champaign County African American Heritage Trail. “I wanted to pass this knowledge on to the next generation of social workers so they could develop a more critical lens on how Champaign County and communities like their own were shaped by policies such as redlining,” she said.

To enrich the experience, the project included recorded interviews with two local leaders: Danielle Chynoweth, Supervisor of Cunningham Township, and Stephanie Burnett of the Housing Authority of Champaign County. “Danielle and Stephanie are some of the most innovative, empowering and inspiring leaders in our community,” said Muñoz-Nájar. “They both are always looking for new ways to create systems of care, not just housing.” Their interviews offered essential historical and current-day insights. “One of my favorite quotes from Danielle’s interview, she said, ‘Our team at Cunningham Township engages with participants from a framework of love and care.’”

Stephanie Burnett’s segment was filmed outdoors on a warm February day as she described how and why public housing developed along Bradley Avenue near the railroad. “Together their two perspectives helped me and my students identify the intersections of the history and how to see housing as a human right through the lens of empathy and understanding,” Muñoz-Nájar said.

Students viewed the experience using VR headsets at the Grainger IDEA Lab. For many, it was their first time using immersive technology in a classroom setting. “They felt transported into the actual spaces the speakers were talking about,” said Muñoz-Nájar. Students shared that the combination of interviews and visuals helped them feel more prepared for internships, particularly in Champaign County. Others said it inspired them to research redlining and housing history in their communities of origin.

The project will be  integrated into the SOCW 461 curriculum for future cohorts. Muñoz-Nájar hopes to continue expanding it with new “chapters” focused on other communities and social issues. “Without proper funding and training for curriculum development, it can be challenging to bring the social work profession up to speed as the world moves faster than ever,” she said, “but I am hopeful we can continue to find funding for initiatives like these.”

This work demonstrates how technology, local knowledge, and community engagement can come together to prepare students for ethical, informed, and place-conscious social work practice.