Without access to classroom laboratories during the pandemic, more than 2 million students attending California's community colleges can now conduct experiments in virtual labs.

For 28 students taking associate professor Steven King's "emerging technologies" class, attending class virtually has taken on a new meaning.

Campus is closed in response to the COVID-19 pandemic, but students can still tour campus through virtual reality and YouTube and photo tours.

School closures are underscoring technology's shortcomings in a way that could benefit education in the long-term, said technology researcher Amber Case.

Adaptive technologies backed by data analytics and blended learning were named among the top tools helping educators to improve outcomes for students.

Granted access to some of the Roman Catholic Church's most private spaces, students are given a unique chance to train in a modern technology.

The new program is less about coding, organizers say, and more about "designing the human experience."

Technologies like virtual or mixed reality aren't a classroom cure-all, but some experts say they could transform how students learn.