About the Project
Reimagining College Algebra Through Virtual Reality
A groundbreaking initiative from Prairie View A&M University
Using immersive VR technology to tackle one of STEM education’s toughest challenges – the College Algebra barrier.
Funded by the National Science Foundation
A New Approach to an Old Problem
Algeverse is an innovative research project developing virtual reality solutions for College Algebra education at Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs).
Algebra remains a significant stumbling block for STEM aspirants – with failure rates as high as 55% at some institutions.
“College Algebra is the most-failed course in U.S. higher education
— Morris et al., 2023
College Algebra has the highest failure rates in U.S. higher education and acts like a barrier to STEM degrees — especially underrepresented students at HBCUs.
Students wear Meta Quest 3 headsets and move through a gamified 3D world called the Algeverse Wasteland, completing mission-based algebra activities built around functions, graphing, and inequalities. An AI-powered mentor responds to student questions in real time — referencing the student’s actual in-game manipulations, such as stretching a parabola or shifting a vertex, to give contextual guidance rather than generic answers. Students can ask the mentor questions by voice or text.
No. Algeverse is designed as a supplemental resource that reinforces College Algebra concepts through immersive, inquiry-based practice. In our latest testing, students completed three progressively challenging missions in a single 15–30 minute session, then provided feedback through surveys and interviews that directly shapes the next version of the platform.
While initially designed for HBCUs, the technology is scalable to any institution—we’re starting where the need is greatest.
We’re seeking partner institutions for future pilot phases. Educators can contact us to express interest. Please use the Contact Us page to reach out.
Beyond the Lab
Whether you’re an educator interested in piloting. the technology, a researcher wanting to collaborate, or simply someone who cares about STEM equity – there are ways to engage with the Algeverse project.
Project Contributors
Dr. Anne Lippert is an Assistant Professor of Psychology at Prairie View A&M University. She. has interests in deviant behavior, victimization, forensic psychology, knowledge representation and text analysis.
Dr. Anne Lippert
Assistant Professor of Psychology
Loren is a senior Psychology major with a minor in African American Studies at Prairie View A&M University. Her interests include identity development, and student experiences at HBCUs.
Loren Smith
A&M Prairie View University Graduate in Psychology
Aevry is a senior Psychology major at A&M Prairie View University.
Aevry Williams
A&M Prairie View University Graduate in Psychology
Leads VR implementation and AI integration for Algeverse, bringing expertise in immersive learning environments and educational AI.
Dr. Donggil Song
Co-Investigator – Texas A&M Engineering Experiment Station
Provides College Algebra subject matter expertise and guides curriculum alignment for the VR modules.
Dr. James Valles
Co-Principal Investigator – Prairie View A&M University
From Concept to Classroom
The Algeverse development journey
Project Launch
NSF Award #2405599 funded. IRB approval secured, VR development pipeline established with Blender and Unity, and ten Meta Quest headsets procured.
First Interactive Prototypes
Pilot testing began on Meta Quest 3 with early navigation systems including point-and-teleport, smooth locomotion, and direct object manipulation of algebra elements.
First Conference Presentations
Algeverse presented at the APA Division 45 Research Conference, reaching psychologists and educators focused on culturally responsive STEM education.
SCiP 2025 & AI Mentor Integration
Presented at the Society for Computation in Psychology. Generative AI mentor integrated into the modular problem framework, with voice and text input.
Peer-Reviewed Publications
Two peer-reviewed conference proceedings published: multimodal grounding for VR algebra support (AIED 2026, Springer) and resilient educational AI through multimodal context fusion (AAAI Symposium Series).
Version 1.2 Student Implementation
Algeverse v1.2 tested with 37 university students across Prairie View A&M and Texas A&M, completing usability data collection and generating feedback now guiding version 1.3.
Our Sponsors
Latest Research
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