Dr. Norma Jones sits down with Dr. Garrick Grace—Director of Professional Development for the California Virtual Campus—to reveal how extended-reality simulations and adaptive AI tools are reshaping classrooms across the nation’s largest community-college system. Grace recounts using grade-leveled articles to let refugee teens debate NBA stats on day one, then shows how that same “everyone participates” mindset now powers XR chemistry labs and a statewide course-sharing network that wipes out wait-lists. The result: higher engagement, deeper belonging, and faculty who see tech as a workload saver—never a wedge.

• Immersive ladder: live demo → XR scenario → guided reflection for rapid skill transfer

• Belonging boosters: AI-leveled pop-culture content for multilingual or refugee cohorts

• Mind-shift PD: light-bulb workshops that ripple from one instructor to 60 000 colleagues

• Budget guardrails: merge AI with XR without draining dollars or staff bandwidth