The Eduneering Initiative
The Eduneering Initiative
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Issue Date
2025
Authors
Temple, Torrence
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Abstract
The Eduneering Initiative
The Eduneering Initiative, a guidebook specifically built to support a 3-course OER-funded program at National University by Dr. Torrence Temple, empowers teachers with tools from neuroscience, storytelling, and AI to reclaim student engagement. It emphasizes immersive, emotionally resonant, and cognitively optimized instruction. Central to the program is the “Omnidoc,” a 24/7 digital hub promoting equity through ubiquitous learning. The Initiative advances teacher ideation without dependency, reshaping educators into designers of transformative, accessible, and culturally responsive learning experiences driven by creatively constructed story-based narratives.
Dr. Torrence Temple (Bio)
Dr. Torrence Temple is a 27-year veteran of the classroom with a noted expertise in creative application of narrative-based learning experiences, like his "Boldly Going" unit (which turned his entire science classroom into the bridge of a starship for 5 days), which won the National Science Teaching Award as the best use of technology integration in the country (2004). His list of experiences is vast and unexpected. He also served as a science consultant for the TV series CSI: NY during season 4. During this time, he took part in the story generation process. Dr. Temple challenged the notion of traditional lesson and unit planning, suggesting that our students have outgrown the traditional models that center their design structures around ease of data collection and not the concepts that students find inherently interesting. Following that notion, Dr. Temple designed the internationally acclaimed STEM chemistry program called AREA154: Apocalypse Division, which tore up the traditional chemistry curriculum and its pacing in favor of staging the content in a way that felt meaningful and immediately impactful. While still finding adherence to NGSS standards, AREA154: Apocalypse Division prioritized the narrative over ease of assessment. The result: Prior to AREA154, the average rate of failure for chemistry was up to 40%. Only two years after implementation, the failure rate dropped to just 9%. Dr. Temple completed his doctoral work attempting to illuminate the reasons why the program was so successful. The results of that research became the foundation for the Eduneering Initiative Guidebook and the 3-course intensive that the guidebook supports. Dr. Temple has expertise in a variety of media technologies; he's built websites, directed and edited science fiction movies, acted in Hollywood, has a blackbelt in Krav Maga, can fly airplanes, has worked for covert programs for the government, and has taken all of these experiences to indulge as a master virtual reality experience designer. In what might be his most daring project yet, in collaboration with IXR (Illuminatexr.com), he is attempting to storify and bring to life one of the most difficult courses, one of the most failed courses, in all of high school. Coming soon, A complete year-long course called Algebra: For All Time. Here, the student takes on the role of the legendary "Mu Zah", the one who heals time in an attempt to secure humanity's destiny. It's online, nearly autonomous, AI-assisted, and driven by interactive virtual reality game elements where the student "plays" with the math. Despite the sophistication of the Algebra program, it is still basically a manifestation of Eduneering Initiative ideas and concepts scaled to its upper limits. Dr. Temple was the recipient of National University's Innovation Award in 2025 for his work in the field of artificial intelligence. He's not just an out-of-the-box designer and thinker, but it's been said that Dr. Temple... has no box at all.
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Keywords
Sanford College of Education , Student Success Science