ECU Instructor Brings Virtual Reality Leadership Lessons to Global Week at ESAN University

A student in a green hoodie uses handheld VR controllers while wearing a headset during class. — Hands-on practice with VR controllers gives students a new way to connect with course material.

A professor stands smiling at the front of a classroom where students wearing VR headsets participate in a group learning activity. — Tracy Ginn stands with her class as students participate in a VR learning session during Global Week at ESAN University.

In August, East Carolina University College of Business instructor Tracy Ginn traveled to Peru to teach at ESAN University’s Global Week, an international program that brings together faculty and students from around the world to explore the latest trends in business and management.

Ginn’s course, Improving the Performance of Global Virtual Teams through Immersive Virtual Reality, introduced students to the power of VR technology as a tool for leadership development and cross-cultural collaboration.

“Virtual reality allows students to feel as if they are sitting in the same room with teammates from across the globe,” Ginn explained. “In seconds, they put on the headset and experience the challenges and opportunities of working in a truly global, virtual team.”

The course combined business theory with hands-on practice in immersive environments. Students experimented with VR simulations to strengthen trust, improve communication, and enhance problem-solving within multicultural teams.

ESAN University highlighted the course by noting:

“You put the visor on… and in seconds you’re leading a team elsewhere in the world. This is how we learn at ESAN University: blending the latest business trends with simulations and state-of-the-art technology to take you beyond the classroom.”

For Ginn, the experience was both professional and personal. “It was an incredible opportunity to share ECU’s commitment to innovation in leadership education with an international audience. Watching students embrace the technology and realize its potential for their future careers was truly rewarding,” she said.

Through initiatives like this, ECU continues to prepare students for the evolving landscape of business leadership—where global collaboration and emerging technologies go hand-in-hand.