CURRENT POSITION Future Ready Library Information Specialist, Alan B. Shepard Middle School, Deerfield, IL DEGREE PhD, Instructional Technology, Northern Illinois University, 2024 FAST FACT Trudeau pushes her limits by running marathons, skydiving, bench pressing her weight, earning a PhD, and traveling the world solo. FOLLOW andreatrudeau.com; buildinglibraries.org; andrea-trudeau.bsky.social Photo by Katerina Schroeder

Technology for Empathy

“I have been working with virtual reality (VR) in my school library since Google Cardboard hit the educational scene in 2016,” Andrea Trudeau says.

“Within months of harnessing this instructional technology, it was apparent to me that it had a profound impact on my students.” Notably, after being immersed in a short VR documentary film on the refugee experience, her students took action to support a Syrian refugee family arriving in the United States.

Inspired by the technology-facilitated compassion she saw developing, Trudeau embarked on a PhD program studying cinematic virtual reality and its impact on students’ empathy.

Using the literacy framework of Dr. Rudine Sims Bishop’s “windows, mirrors, and sliding glass doors,” Trudeau’s research demonstrated that “students who experienced a film in cinematic virtual reality format experienced greater immersion, a stronger sense of control, and increased presence, which led to higher engagement and better comprehension. It also significantly improved both cognitive and emotional empathy, with the most notable (and statistically significant) gains seen in adolescent boys.”

This work led to a 2022 Fulbright-Hays scholar position where she worked with educators in Tanzania, several peer-reviewed publications, and multiple national and international conference presentations. It’s been a fulfilling ride for Trudeau, who says she “never anticipated becoming a librarian.”

She thanks an early-career mentor who encouraged her curiosity and a love for technology, and “inspired me to be in tune with my students and myself in order to be the best educator, and now librarian, to serve my school community.”