AI, Holograms, and the Future of Learning: Innovation with Purpose

Joseph Buhain EdD MBA RRT CHSOS CMSP FAARC,LRT NREMTB, Director of Interprofessional Simulation and Emerging Technology, Assistant Professor, Florida Gulf Coast University

Dr. Joseph Buhain is Director of Interprofessional Simulation and Emerging Technology and an Assistant Professor at FGCU’s Marieb College of Health and Human Services. He leads interprofessional education and simulation initiatives, advancing immersive, technology-enabled learning that strengthens collaboration and clinical preparedness across health professions.

In an exclusive interview with Education Technology Insights, Joseph Buhain shares insights on advancing interprofessional simulation, integrating emerging technologies into health sciences education, and using immersive learning to strengthen collaboration, clinical readiness, and student engagement.

AI Adoption with a Purpose in Higher Education

Artificial intelligence (AI) is no longer a future concept in higher education it is a present force reshaping how institutions teach, learn, and prepare students for increasingly complex professional roles. The more pressing question, however, is not whether universities will adopt AI-driven technologies, but whether they will do so with intention, humility, and an unwavering commitment to human-centered education.

At Florida Gulf Coast University (FGCU), the integration of AI-enabled holographic imaging offers a compelling example of purposeful innovation. Within the Marieb College of Health & Human Services, faculties have introduced Proto Hologram technology into health professions curricula, allowing students to interact with life-size, high-resolution holographic patients and guest experts. These immersive experiences move well beyond novelty. They create learning environments that more closely resemble authentic clinical encounters than traditional video-based instruction or mannequin simulation alone. The concept of Holographic Recording and live Streaming allows students and faculty to record real training experiences and concepts. Concepts like History and Physical, Patient Assessment and Conversational AI are just a few of many elements that have been created in the Proto System Platform.

Reimagining Learning through Holographic Presence

Holographic technology fundamentally changes the quality of presence in the classroom. Students are no longer passive observers of a screen, they become active participants in spatially rich interactions that require communication, clinical reasoning, and situational awareness. In healthcare education where nuance, empathy, and interdisciplinary collaboration are essential this distinction matters. When learners must engage with a “patient” or expert who appears embodied and responsive, the learning experience becomes more immediate, relational, and memorable. Still, technology itself is never the point.

AI holds enormous promise to personalize learning, enhance simulation, and support reflective practice. Yet without clear pedagogical purpose and ethical guardrails, it can just as easily distract from learning goals, flatten educational experiences, or reinforce existing inequities. Innovation without values is not progress; it is noise. The real work lies in aligning emerging tools with educational intent, faculty expertise, and institutional mission.

Inclusion as a Foundation for Human-Centered Innovation

This alignment is especially evident in FGCU’s broader commitment to inclusive education through the Golisano Intellectual and Developmental Disability Initiative (GIDDI). Housed within Marieb College and supported by the Golisano Foundation, GIDDI seeks to create a more inclusive campus and community for individuals with intellectual and developmental disabilities (IDD). Its work focuses on enhancing crossagency communication, developing meaningful educational opportunities, and increasing awareness of the unique needs of individuals with IDD across health, social, and service systems.

"The promise of AI in higher education is not about replacing human connection, it is about strengthening it."

Under the leadership of Dr. Ellen Donald, GIDDI brings together faculty, students, individuals with IDD, families, and community partners into shared learning spaces grounded in dignity, agency, and lived experience. By creating opportunities for students to learn with individuals with IDD rather than simply about them, the leadership of GIDDI, along with faculty colleagues in Marieb College, exemplifies an educational approach that prioritizes human connection and reflective practice. These experiences challenge assumptions, deepen understanding, and prepare future professionals to deliver more compassionate, equitable care.

Research consistently shows that learning environments incorporating first-hand perspectives of individuals with disabilities enrich learning for all students. Abstract concepts become personal. Professional roles become relational. The work of faculty of Marieb College and GIDDI demonstrates that inclusion is not an “add-on” to education, but a powerful driver of professional identity formation and ethical practice.

Holographic and AI technologies can strengthen this work when used to extend access, amplify voices, and support inclusive design. Across the United States, Proto’s holographic platforms have been deployed in medical and nursing programs to support training in patient communication and clinical skills. Internationally, universities in the United Kingdom have adopted similar technologies to facilitate real-time, cross-campus engagement. At institutions serving specialized populations, such as Gallaudet University, holographic systems have even been explored for American Sign Language instruction highlighting their potential to support accessibility and embodied communication in ways traditional tools cannot.

Human-First Leadership in the Age of AI

These advances underscore both opportunity and responsibility. AI and immersive technologies raise critical questions about equity, data privacy, faculty preparedness, and sustainability. Introducing new tools without thoughtful governance risks undermining the very human elements education seeks to protect. Institutions must invest not only in technology, but also in professional development, ethical frameworks, and continuous evaluation.

FGCU’s AI-Aware Initiative reflects this level of intentional leadership. With the direction of Dr Shawn Felton, Dean of Allied Health and Human Service for Marieb College and Associate Dean Dr Elizabeth Murray, Associate Dean of Health and Human Service, the vision of medical advancement and technology continues to grow with their leadership and support. As part of a multi-year roadmap toward becoming an AI-preemptive institution, the initiative emphasizes AI literacy, interdisciplinary collaboration, and responsible governance across advising, curriculum, research, and operations. Complementing this effort, the FGCU AI Academy provides hands-on learning opportunities in AI and data science while foregrounding ethical and human-centered use.

This kind of institutional coherence matters. When innovation aligns with strategy, technology enhances rather than distracts from educational mission. It ensures that AI adoption supports not supplants the relational core of teaching and learning.

In health professions education, where I have spent much of my career, the stakes are particularly high. Future clinicians must learn to navigate advanced technologies without losing sight of empathy, judgment, and interprofessional collaboration. Immersive AI tools can enhance learning, but only when paired with reflective practice, ethical grounding, and a clear commitment to human dignity.

Ultimately, the promise of AI in higher education is not about replacing human connection it is about strengthening it. When guided by clarity, inclusion, and purpose, technologies such as holographic imaging can expand what is possible in teaching and learning. They can help prepare students not only to use emerging tools, but to think critically, act ethically, and care deeply.

That is the kind of innovation higher education needs now: bold, strategic, and above all human first.

AI

Healthcare