Now, with the use of virtual reality technology, some UofL classes are mirroring the Jetsons’ futuristic world even more and helping students learn in a more engaging environment.

Through UofL’s within the , instructors have piloted VR activities for an array of course subjects such as German and chemistry to promote active learning with their students.

Danielle Franco, associate professor of chemistry, was one of the first instructors to try out the technology with her class in fall 2022.

“When I used the VR system for the first time, I was really impressed with the possibilities. Students can poke their head inside a molecule so they can actually see the layers where electrons are located, which is better than just having them imagine these things,” Franco said. “With virtual reality, I can show students exactly what I’m describing using 3D models, and everybody has a better understanding. Students engage more in class because they comprehend what they are learning, rather than just memorize it.”

UNLIMITED LEARNING

The Delphi Center has , which is the umbrella term for virtual reality (VR), augmented reality (AR) and mixed reality (MR). To use the technology, students place a VR headset over their eyes and use two handheld controls that allow them to manipulate formula elements, experience the other side of the world and more.

In Franco’s chemistry class, students were able to go beyond reviewing formulas on paper by virtually manipulating life-size molecules. Blake Orr, a sophomore majoring in mechanical engineering, was one of the students who used VR in Franco’s Chemistry 201 course. Orr noted that despite the early trial stage of using the technology in class, it provided a helpful and fun learning experience.

“The VR helped me visualize different structures in our chemistry class such as the shapes that different molecules come to form, as well as electron orbital shapes,” Orr said. “It challenged me in new ways like learning how to operate in a virtual space. I would like to see VR used more in classes.”

Jurdyne Skaggs, a senior pre-law major who experienced using VR in her German 121 and 122 courses, also would like to see the technology used more widely in her classes.

“This could be really cool to use in a courtroom so law students could experience a real trial and be right next to a judge to see what that’s like,” Skaggs said.

The technology opens the door for students to experience scenarios and places they might not be able to without VR and takes students outside the box of traditional learning. Skaggs’ German professor, Jordan Gabbard, said VR offers many capabilities to help his students learn the foreign language.

“There’s this really exciting ability to take students and put them in the middle of a 360-degree VR video of all these German and Austrian cities for different tours,” Gabbard said. “And it’s a completely different experience from what we can typically offer them in our traditional classrooms.”

VR technology provides real-world opportunities such as walking the streets of Germany or experiencing a bustling café in Berlin that would be difficult or impossible to recreate in the typical classroom environment. This activity helps break barriers for students who may not be able to attend an overseas education trip for financial reasons, family responsibilities or other factors.

“The greatest potential VR offers us as instructors is the ability to immerse our students in new environments,” Gabbard said. “For world language teachers – especially coming out of the COVID years, when all of our were shut down for an extended period of time and are just starting to come back to where they were before – now, this is the best way for us to put our students into those native speaking environments.”

CHOOSING YOUR AVATAR

When students join a VR session, they can create their avatar, or the electronic image that represents them within the virtual reality realm.

“It’s kind of like a bunch of ‘Sims’ characters,” Skaggs said, referring to the early 2000s simulation video game.

Lucian Rothe, assistant professor of German and a native German speaker, said this VR feature helps students learn by allowing them to be creative in how they present themselves virtually. 

“An added benefit that I see, in addition to the immersion students get, is that students can play with their avatars and play with their appearance,” Rothe said.

Students can choose their clothing and appearance, and some have even chosen a crown to wear. One of Rothe’s classroom activities involves students talking with each other to describe their avatars and what they are wearing. The freedom of expression VR offers helps make activities like this more enjoyable.

“We could have talked about that in a regular classroom too, but probably nobody would wear a crown in a regular classroom,” Rothe said with a grin. “So, you get a deeper sense of learning and discussion.”

Skaggs believes the VR has helped her become more confident and excited to participate in her German classes.

“The VR tech has helped me be more expressive,” Skaggs said. “When you go into your VR set, it’s easy to be like, ‘Ich bin Jurdyne!’ And it makes me want to speak more, because it takes away the pressure of reacting or participating in class.”

THE FUTURE OF VR CLASSROOMS

Professors Gabbard, Rothe and Franco are expanding their use of VR technology in their classes with each semester and are dedicated to learning more about the best ways it can be used to help students succeed. While Franco first used VR as a tool to simply get students more engaged, she said it is helping to even the playing field for students who have a difficult time learning traditionally.

“Some students have difficulties imagining how to see an orbital, for example,” Franco said. “We can tell them why they need to know that, why they need to understand, but this allows them to be part of the simulation so they can fully immerse in what they are learning.”

Rothe and Gabbard are focusing on implementing their own VR videos to have more control over what their students see within the VR headsets, as well as adding in text what students see. The German professors were chosen as and are studying the proven benefits of using VR scenarios with students to reach learning outcomes compared with those in a regular classroom. They hope to discover more ways to use VR as an effective tool to help students reach their potential and to encourage other professors to use the technology.

For Skaggs, VR opened her eyes to places she might never have seen and gave her a new and exciting way to learn.

“Germany has some of the most beautiful sights. The mountains and little villages within the mountains are so gorgeous. It was really cool to see all of that with my own eyes, even if it was technically virtual,” Skaggs said. “VR changed the way I learn and see things because it lets me see them from my own perspective instead of someone else’s.”

Brooke Whitaker contributed to this story.

For some University of Louisville students who need help with these and other potentially overwhelming questions, advice is a text or a phone call away to a parent who also went to college.

For others, those whose parents do not have four-year college degrees, finding an answer might be trickier.

These students, known as first-generation, are the focus of a Student Success Center (SSC) initiative that began in 2019 to increase UofL’s support of first-generation students. Center staff, along with other UofL administrators, have aggressively studied the latest data and adopted national best practices to build a solid foundation on which first-generation students can flourish.

Last year, for instance, SSC joined with TRIO Student Success Services, a federally funded program to assist first-generation or low-income students or students with disabilities to complete their degrees, to host the National Celebration of First-Gen Students.

“I had never thought being a first-generation college student was something to be proud of until I was celebrated at the University of Louisville,” said Chiara Doran, who graduated in May with a bachelor’s degree in criminal justice. Doran was among the first cohort of UofL students who wore honor cords at commencement to symbolize their status as first-generation students.

FIRST, A DEFINITION

Students whose parents or guardians earned bachelor’s degrees are known as “continuing-generation” students. First-generation students are those whose parents or guardians did not earn four-year college degrees.

That is a definition that, before 2020, was not standard across UofL. Factors limiting the definition – such as whether parents or guardians took some college courses – left out students who possibly could have benefited from extra guidance.

“If neither of your parents/guardians earned a four-year university degree before you, then you’re a First-Gen Card, even if you have a sibling who graduated before you,” said Christy Metzger, who leads the Student Success Center’s First Year Experience & Student Success Programs team.

Nationally, the nonprofit Center for First-Generation Student Success (CFGSS) is gathering and sharing research data to guide colleges and universities with this student population.

In 2022, UofL became one of only a handful of Kentucky colleges to be recognized by the CFGSS, earning a designation as a First Forward institution. The designation acknowledges UofL’s commitment to first-generation student success.

“Through really digging into this work in a more strategic way with campus and community partners, hundreds more UofL students are getting the support they need to complete their degrees and create brighter, more secure futures for themselves and their families,” Metzger said.

MENTORS ARE KEY

In 2019, the Student Success Center partnered with UofL alumnus Chuck Denny ’75, ’80 to create the READY Mentoring program, in which PNC Bank employees were paired with first-generation, first-time freshmen for ongoing mentoring. The bank employees provided strategies and advice to help the students transition to college life and navigate what is often referred to as the “hidden curriculum” – the unspoken rules, expectations, lingo and know-how that’s a critical part of student success.

Faduma Abdirahman, who graduated in May with a bachelor’s degree in psychology, was among the first students to be connected with a mentor through the program.

“That really helped me start to feel confident in my ability to navigate college, because he would really share his experiences and everything. … He was always there. He helped me find the resources I needed and really just went out of his way to help me,” she said.

Abdirahman, whose parents immigrated from Somalia in the 1990s and who is the oldest of three, was the first of her siblings to graduate from high school and the first to earn a bachelor’s degree. She hopes to become the first to obtain a master’s degree.

This fall, all READY mentors will be another group of First-Gen Cards: UofL faculty or staff who are themselves first-gen graduates.

“What many fail to acknowledge is that first-generation college students need someone to invigorate their courage,” said Farhiya Awale, a first-gen whose mother also emigrated from Somalia. Awale, whose campus leadership includes serving as president of the Student Organization for Alumni Relations, graduated in May with a bachelor’s degree in bioengineering (pre-med) and ethics certification and hopes to become a physician. “They need individuals to support them enough to get them to a point where every fiber of their being leads them to an end.”

New students are invited to become part of READY Mentoring and other first-gen focused programs during orientation. Throughout the year, the students are guided to the resources they need, knowing they always have somewhere and someone to turn to when they need a hand or encouragement.

NATIONAL TRENDS

Metzger attended a CFGSS presentation in 2019 and was so inspired by what other institutions around the country were accomplishing that six months later, UofL had changed its first-gen definition.

With the change, the number of First-Gen Cards almost doubled from 17% to 33%.

“It continues to go up,” said Metzger, who said one of the lessons learned was that visible support for first-generation students is the third most important factor in college selection for that population after location and cost.

Last spring, a group of UofL administrators attended the CFGSS Leadership Academy, further cementing UofL’s commitment to enhancing first-gen support from recruitment through graduation to eliminate disparities in undergraduate degree completion for this large student population. 

In 2023, the university’s strategic plan was updated to add as a metric increasing first-gen graduation rates.

NOT JUST FOR STUDENTS

First-Gen Cards can be undergraduate or graduate students, as well as faculty and staff. One prominent First-Gen Card is UofL’s new president, Kim Schatzel.

The SSC started outreach in late 2021 to identify first-gen faculty and staff and in 2022 started adding that call to the welcome packet given out to new employees.

A year later, some 200 faculty and staff members have self-identified as first-gen, and that number continues to rise. The SSC is creating an ongoing training program for them that will integrate strategies for support into classes and services.

“I am so happy UofL has thought of this,” School of Nursing graduate assistant Belen Zamudio Aquirre wrote to the SSC office. “It is such a wonderful idea to remind all of us that we belong here and that we are where we are supposed to be.”

The CFGSS, based in Washington, D.C., is an initiative of the National Association of Student Personnel Administrators (NASPA) and The Suder Foundation. Using a three-tier, data-based model, CFGSS is creating a community of institutional partners to elevate and advance outcomes for first-gen students. As of April, the community included 274 institutions in 45 states plus the District of Columbia.

According to its data, when compared with continuing-generation students, first-gen students have fewer financial resources; pursue college-level education at lower rates; and attain four-year degrees at lower rates.

In addition, median career earnings for a non-college graduate are $1 million less than a college graduate, according to CFGSS.

“Addressing first-generation success has intergenerational impact, as successful college completion is a significant predictor of education, workforce and life success for the families of graduates,” CFGSS said on its website.

COMMON CONCERNS

First-Gen Cards report that one of the biggest needs of their population is understanding financial issues to keep them from spiraling into debt.

“Speaking with my peers, I learned that, more often than not, their parents were handling taking out loans and every aspect of their finances,” said Doran, who hopes to attend law school.

Also high on their list of concerns is convincing parents and guardians that because college is a place of discovery, interests and majors change.

Senior Zachery Irvin, a first-gen who started at UofL as a nursing major, will instead graduate in 2024 with a bachelor’s degree in psychology. He said he was worried his mother, a seamstress who moved to the U.S. from South Korea, would not approve of his interests away from the medical field.

“I think our relationship kind of got better after I told her I was pursuing something that I really loved and that I’m studying something that I really loved,” he said. 

Want to be part of this growing family? Now that UofL is identifying students, faculty and staff who are FirstGen Cards, it is time for alumni to get involved. Visit uofl.me/1stgen-signup and fill out the form identifying yourself as a First-Gen Card. You’ll receive a lapel pin and a sticker and have the opportunity to volunteer with the Student Success Center in supporting this growing student population.

Having served for years as the alma mater for many of the lawyers based in Jefferson and the surrounding counties, the law school makes its mission to serve the broader Louisville community while also helping law students obtain the practical legal experience they need under the guidance and supervision of experts in the field.

In pursuit of these goals, the Brandeis School of Law built three robust law clinics in the past 15 years. The Ackerson Law Clinic, Entrepreneurship Clinic and Trager-Brandeis Elder Law Clinic have become integral parts of the school in the tradition of Brandeis, the Louisville native and former U.S. Supreme Court associate justice for whom the school is named.

The three clinics operate throughout the academic year and cater to community residents who need support in areas such as housing and family law, business startup and estate planning, but who do not have the means to hire private law firms. 

Expanding help across the community – Ackerson Law Clinic

Founded in 2009, the Robert and Sue Ellen Ackerson Law Clinic is the longest running of the law school’s clinics, and has helped more than 1,400 domestic violence victims to date. It was created to work with emergency protective order hearings, divorce actions and housing cases, with many clients referred from the Legal Aid Society of Louisville. In its 14 years, it has expanded to include a mediation clinic. Most recently, a new translation pilot program has been pioneered with UofL’s classical and modern languages department to serve even more members of the community.

Clinic Director Heend Sheth has been with the Ackerson Clinic since 2018, serving as interim director for two years before her recent appointment. She sees the value to local law firms in hiring students who served in the clinic.

“Each student goes through intense training and is in the courtroom as soon as possible. They are first-chair on their cases in a matter of three or four weeks. I can’t describe how helpful this experience is when you are a new lawyer; we are sending students into the workforce having had real trial experience. Most of our students practice between 10 and 15 cases per semester,” Sheth said. “It’s amazing.”

The Ackerson Clinic’s work gives vital support to people of all backgrounds in the local community; thus, the Interpretation and Translation Pilot program was set in motion this year. Third-year law student Jason Raff conceived the program to help the clinic include potential clients for whom English is a second language, while also supporting the development of language students.

Having previously worked with the Kentucky courts system as an interpreter, Raff’s experience came to mind when he came to Brandeis School of Law. “I felt the Ackerson Clinic had possible language needs that were going unmet,” Raff said. “When I had more contact with the clinic, the idea began to crystalize and take shape.”

Given its success in the first year, Sheth can see this project expanding. “I see a lot of opportunity for growth here, including adding the mediation clinic to the mix,” she said.

Helping startups with their start – Entrepreneurship Clinic

The Entrepreneurship Clinic was founded in 2012 to provide law students with experiential learning opportunities by offering legal support to the Entrepreneurship MBA program at UofL’s College of Business. Here, MBA students are the clients, and representing them takes many forms. Law students at the Entrepreneurship Clinic help frame articles of organization, operating agreements, independent contractor agreements and option agreements for technology while offering opinions of counsel. The clinic runs as a corporate department of a law firm might, with weekly firm meetings covering agreements, accounting, intellectual property, ethics, Food and Drug Administration approval and other topics.

Abi McFarland, a third-year law student, participated in the Entrepreneurship Clinic’s cohort this year to expand her knowledge of the field. “The Entrepreneurship Clinic was a great way to learn practical skills and network with experts in the community,” she said.

With the supervision of clinic directors Will Metcalf and Carlos Hernandez Ocampo, McFarland and her fellow students gained real-world experience. “We were able to apply principles from our doctrinal classes to client interactions with University of Louisville students,” McFarland said. She and her fellow students also receive support from other members of the law faculty and several local firms. Students in this clinic also meet with MBA professors to develop an understanding of their student clients’ ideation process.

McFarland is one of many who benefit from the opportunity to engage with the everyday problems they will encounter in the business field after graduation. She and eight other students worked with the Entrepreneurship Clinic in the past semester, totaling 78 students who have benefited from the clinic in the past five academic years.

Respecting elders with legal aid – Trager-Brandeis Elder Law Clinic

The law school recently developed the Trager-Brandeis Elder Law Clinic in conjunction with the UofL Trager Institute. Designed to meet two important needs, it supports law students through real-life interactions and experiences in the field of estate planning and provides valuable legal advice to those with limited access to resources and legal representation.

The Elder Law Clinic, hosted at the Trager Institute, opened its doors in 2021. The original concept was brought to fruition by Clinic Director Misty Vantrease, an experienced and well-regarded local elder law attorney. Under her supervision, the clinic successfully served 22 clients in just its first year and provided client-facing experiential training to 19 students.

Emily Monarch, co-director of the Elder Law Clinic, is enthusiastic about its mission. “The clinic provides each client with important end-of-life documents such as a durable power of attorney, health care surrogate designation, living will and last will and testament,” Monarch said. “Many clients would not otherwise have access to this service.”

Sydney Dazzo, a third-year law student, demonstrated the impact the clinic has on both the community and the students.

“In talking and working with the clients, it was clear that our efforts were making an impact in their lives as well. The clients I worked with were so appreciative to be getting their estate planning documents in order, Dazzo said. “Being able to help actual clients with their estate planning needs while still in school was a great feeling and has made me even more excited for my future legal career.”

Vantrease is ambitious about the clinic’s future. “As the clinic prepares to take on more clients, we have a dream of one day being a full-time, five days-a-week law clinic. With the support of the community and the University of Louisville, the little clinic that exists today is just the beginning,” she said.

The critical services that these clinics provide are immeasurable and grow with each year. As these programs continue to grow, so do their legacy, true to the school’s namesake and his commitment to public service.

When Jeff Brohm ’96, one of the top quarterbacks in school history, was announced as the head football coach, there was no doubt it was going to be a family affair. Fellow Cardinal quarterback and younger brother Brian ’07 would follow as offensive coordinator and older brother Greg ’93, ’15, a former wide receiver, joined as chief of staff. Dad Oscar ’70, ’95, also a former quarterback, would be in the stands.

But 2023 ushers in a new Brohm era for UofL when 18-year-old Brady Brohm, Jeff Brohm’s son, begins classes as a Cardinal. Brady doesn’t play football, but his insight into the game — honed from years spent next to his dad, grandfather and uncles on the sideline — just may be UofL’s secret weapon this season and beyond.

When asked how Jeff planned to incorporate his son into the Cardinals program, it was a no-brainer, or no choice, really, for the coach.

“It’s not about how; he’s always involved,” Jeff said, chuckling.

The benefits of youth

Brady, who graduated from Trinity high school in May, officially joined his dad’s staff as a student assistant helping with recruiting and operations. But he has held several unofficial titles on Jeff’s previous teams, including as Purdue University’s “get-back” coach ensuring people stick to the sidelines during play and, perhaps more importantly, as a social media maven bridging the gap between coaches and players.

His age is his advantage and what sets him apart from the other Brohms on staff.

“I think being a different age, relating to the players on the team, relating to the recruits, I bring that middleman to the player-recruit-coach connection,” Brady said. “I know the coaches’ perspective and what they expect, and I know from the players their perspective on what it’ll take to get them there. So, I can help both angles come together.”

“Brady is on social media a lot, he understands how to use cellphones very well and all the gadgets that go with it and he loves the recruiting aspects and the operations aspects of football,” Jeff said. “He loves doing that so we’re utilizing his knowledge and strength and youth to help us at times. Will he be on the sidelines in front of the cameras a little more than I’d like? Yeah, probably, but he’s a lot of fun to have around.”

Majoring in sport administration and with his sights set on eventually becoming a general manager in the NFL, Brady didn’t want to waste any time following his family into football.

For this season, he’s spent time getting to know recruits and players, particularly those the team gained through the transfer portal. Building a team’s camaraderie, especially in the first year with a new program, is critical. The relationship building is a place where Brady can carve out a niche for himself.

“He likes to spend as much time over here as I do,” Jeff said. “Brady is even more of a people person than I was. He just likes being around the guys, the group and he likes being in the action. That’s kind of, other than going to school, what he enjoys doing.”

Jeff said he’s the shy family member, only really coming out of his shell when he became a head coach. Brady, on the other hand, is outgoing.

The comfort level of talking – and talking back – when you are family is something that has served this father-son pair well.

“I think sometimes assistant coaches kinda worry about giving a full-on opinion when they shouldn’t be worried,” Brady said. “But I’m sitting there like I’m his son, I’ll give the opinion for you.”

And he does.

“He’s like the others (in the family); he’s going to express his opinion and probably even more so what I’m doing wrong and what I need to do more of,” Jeff said. “But it’s good to have around; he gives me even more of an honest perspective.”

Bringing back the fun

Even with their personality differences, their assessments of the upcoming season are similar.

“We want to make it fun for our players to play in but also for our fans to watch,” Jeff said. “We want to try to be entertaining while we’re on the field, and while winning is the priority, there are ways to go about that to give an element of excitement that fans want to watch.”

“It’ll be fun football again,” Brady said. “My dad always says if we go down, we want to go down taking a chance, not sitting back and hoping the other team doesn’t do this or that.”

So, what else does Brady think is in store for the Cardinals this season?

“I think you’ll see an aggressive team. A team that’s not afraid to take its chances. A team that’s not afraid of running interesting plays, that’s not scared to press, to blitz, to take their shots,” he said. “I think we’ve got a good quarterback; we added some real good receivers, we’ve got a really electric running back and a good o-line. I think our defense with our (defensive backs), you’ll see them getting up in people’s faces.”

There are a lot of expectations – from the fan base, the school, the players – now that the Brohms are back.

“I think people trust that we’re going to do everything in our power to try to elevate this program as high and as fast as we can,” Jeff said. “It goes beyond just a job; it’s been our life since we’ve been born. This is where we live and where our family lives, and we consider the whole city of Louisville to be our extended family.”

Brady, while biased of course, thinks his father is the best person for the job. And he plans on being beside him the whole time.

BROHM ON BROHM

During the photo shoot for this story, UofL Magazine lobbed over a few fun questions for the father-son duo to see their relationship in action. It resulted in a lot of laughs and a couple of questionable calls.

UOFL MAGAZINE: What is the craziest play you’ve seen your dad run?

BRADY: The WKU game at Marshall (when Jeff called for the team to go for two extra points to break an overtime tie instead of the less risky extra-point kick). I definitely started sprinting up and grabbing his shirt like ‘WHAT ARE YOU DOING?!’ But we weren’t stopping anyone that day, so he did it.

JEFF: I was right. We got a trip to the Bahamas for the bowl.

BRADY: He was only right because it worked. But I would have been right if it hadn’t.

UOFL MAGAZINE: Name the top three quarterbacks in UofL football history. I know it’s a loaded question with the family ties, so you can take some time to think about it.

BRADY: I’ve already got mine. Lamar Jackson. Johnny Unitas. (Brady pauses to whisper something to Jeff, who smiles and tells him to go ahead.) OK, for me, it’s Teddy Bridgewater.

JEFF: We’ve got the same top two. Lamar. Unitas. But for third place, I’m going to go with…Brian Brohm. (Jeff pauses to reconsider.) But then you’ve got Chris Redman and Teddy Bridgewater. Or go back further and there’s Browning Nagle. And, well, if we’re going back, you might as well throw me in there.

UOFL MAGAZINE: There it is. We were wondering which one of you was going to be the first to name a Brohm.

BRADY: Not me. (Laughs.)

Along with a commemorative cover in honor of our esteemed basketball coach, community leader and friend, the of UofL Magazine shares stories of other UofL programs and people aiming to alter the way the world works.

Students are engaging in new ways of learning thanks to UofL faculty who are implementing virtual reality into their curriculum and breaking down classroom walls to expand minds.

First-generation students are standing on solid ground with new programming targeted toward supporting their unique needs and talents.

And, clinically speaking, law school students are discovering ways to better their community by providing public aid as part of their own education.

Read these stories and more in the latest issue of .