Class Timeline
A historical chronology of JMU X-Labs academic classes offered since the program was founded in
2015, this timeline provides a glimpse into the history of our growth, how we are constantly
working to improve our offerings, and how we respond to the needs of a growing number of collaborators.
2022-2023
Fall Semester
Community Innovations
This course is a passport to active, creative, and impactful global citizenship. It helps students build vital and transferable skills for their careers, and the work they accomplish becomes a signature entry in their professional portfolios.
Esports Tournament Execution
This class focuses on applying project management to the creation and development of Esports classes and tournaments, and explores the economic impact of this multi-million dollar enterprise.
Foundations of Digital Development
In partnership with Deloitte, students gained insightful knowledge into the world of CRM and Salesforce to operate as successful System Administrators.
Read more about the Foundations of Digital Development class
Hacking for Diplomacy
Students collaborate to solve real-world foreign policy problems.
Hacking for the Environment
Students innovate solutions to ocean-related problems.
Internet of Things
Students use IoT for innovative solutions, from smart homes and self-driving cars to drones, robotics, biomedical research, disaster relief, and environmental protection.
XR: Creating New Realities
Using the latest technology, students design and develop augmented and virtual reality solutions for everyday problems.
2021-2022
Spring Semester
The Future of Learning at JMU
Students with professionals from across campus and beyond to shape the future of learning at JMU.
Internet of Things
Students use IoT for innovative solutions, from smart homes and self-driving cars to drones, robotics, biomedical research, disaster relief, and environmental protection.
Hacking for Defense
Students helped various military organizations develop processes for analyzing data, emergency response coordination, engaging soldiers and their families, onboarding, operational decision-making and collecting information for health administrators.
XR: Creating New Realities
Previously called Augmented/Virtual Reality, students design and develop augmented and virtual reality solutions for everyday problems using the latest technology,.
2021-2022
Fall Semester
Arts Innovations
Students from the College of Visual and Performing Arts merge theater with technology to create virtual settings and performances.
Augmented/Virtual Reality
Using the latest technology, students design and develop augmented and virtual reality solutions for everyday problems.
Future of Education
Students explore and reimagine JMU’s General Education curricula to include meaningful, transformative courses focused on addressing the oppressive structures that create barriers to justice, equity, diversity, and inclusion (JEDI).
Hacking for Diplomacy
Students collaborate to solve real-world foreign policy problems.
Hacking for the Environment
Students innovate solutions to ocean-related problems.
Internet of Things
Students use IoT for innovative solutions, from smart homes and self-driving cars to drones, robotics, biomedical research, disaster relief, and environmental protection.
Medical Innovations
Engineering, health, kinesiology, and nursing students work in multidisciplinary teams to develop and communicate solutions to a community health challenge.
Robotic Process Automation
In partnership with BRMi, students covered a variety of business and education applications for RPA as well as the means and methods to intelligently optimize work performance.
Salesforce Training
In partnership with Deloitte, students gained insightful knowledge into the world of CRM and Salesforce to operate as successful System Administrators.
2020-2021
Spring Semester
Arts Innovations
Students from the College of Visual and Performing Arts merged theater with technology to create virtual settings and performances.
Augmented/Virtual Reality
Students identified and mapped out biological markers in the brain using augmented technology, made key updates to JMU's virtual tour, or analyzed the economic impact of local airports.
Community Innovations
Food Insecurity – Students focused problem solving around local issues related to poverty and food insecurity.
The Future of Learning – Students prototyped ambitious hybrid and online education projects to contribute to the future of learning at JMU.
Hacking for Defense
Students improved scheduling resources, increased collaboration visibility and efficiency across business units, helped catalog lead-contaminated facilities, helped identify and intervene with counter-productive leadership styles, and provided military family dependents who have special needs better ways to navigate healthcare.
Internet of Things
Through the problem-solving process, teams built requisite skill sets in electrical engineering, Arduino microcontrollers, sensor and motor integration, firmware development, CAD, 3D printing and laser cutting.
Robotic Process Automation
Students covered a variety of business and education applications for RPA as well as the means and methods to intelligently optimize work performance.
Salesforce App Development
Students gained insightful knowledge into the world of CRM and Salesforce to operate as successful System Administrators.
2020-2021
Fall Semester
Arts Innovations
Students from the College of Visual and Performing Arts merged theater with technology to create virtual settings and performances.
Community Innovations
Students worked with the United Way of Harrisonburg and Rockingham County to collect data about how COVID-19 has affected the economic, social, and health of the ALICE (Asset Limited, Income Constrained, Employed) population in Harrisonburg.
Hacking for Democracy – Pilot
Students addressed complex challenges surrounding the 2020 election.
Hacking for Diplomacy
Students focused on Megacities (population surges), Sino-Indo relations, Blue Nile River analysis, and protecting the Sikh population in Afghanistan.
Internet of Things
Students collaborated with Northrop Grumman to find ways to effectively monitor bears in their natural habitat.
Medical Innovations
Students developed empathy maps, designed prototypes, and performed usability testing to address various challenges brought on by the COVID-19 pandemic.
Robotic Process Automation
In partnership with BRMi, students covered a variety of business and education applications for RPA as well as the means and methods to intelligently optimize work performance.
Salesforce Training – Pilot
In partnership with Deloitte, students gained insightful knowledge into the world of CRM and Salesforce to operate as successful System Administrators.
2019-2020
Spring Semester
Augmented/Virtual Reality
In response to COVID-19, the AR/VR class pivoted from planned projects to explore how immersive technology could address the impacts of the public health crisis.
Community Innovations
Students addressed select problems around human trafficking.
Drones
Students modified drones to carry payloads including cameras and sensors and/or to develop sensors to interact with UAVs that can be used to answer questions and solve problems.
Hacking for Defense
Student teams pursued solutions to challenges based on the needs of client partners from the 11th Wing of the U.S. Air Force, the Defense Logistics Agency, the Defense Threat Reduction Agency, the U.S. Air Force, the U.S. Department of State, and the Womack Army Medical Center.
Robotic Process Automation
In a partnership with BRMi, students covered a variety of business and education applications for RPA as well as the means and methods to intelligently optimize work performance.
2019-2020
Fall Semester
Augmented/Virtual Reality
Students developed a VR tour for JMU Admissions and a study abroad experience for the Center for Global Engagement, brought pre-construction models to augmented reality, and built a laboratory simulation for online graduate students for Communication Sciences and Disorders.
Autonomous Vehicles
Students developed sensors and artificial intelligence to provide safe self-driving golf cart kits to retirement communities.
Hacking for Diplomacy
Students worked with client partners including the Army National Guard, the U.S. Department of State, NATO, the Joint Personnel Recovery Agency, and the U.S. Department of Homeland Security.
Internet of Things
Students worked with client partners including the American Red Cross, Amazon Web Services, OpenCollar, and the Department of Game and Inland Fisheries.
Medical Innovations
Engineering, health, kinesiology, and nursing students worked in multidisciplinary teams to develop solutions to the opioid crisis.
2018-2019
Spring Semester
Arts Innovations – Pilot
In partnership with the Furious Flower Poetry Center, students built a digital archive prototype that showcases the entire proceedings of the first Furious Flower conference in 1994.
Augmented/Virtual Reality
Students developed AR tools to teach the constituents of chemistry molecules, used motion capture to represent dance movements with dancers from the School of Theatre and Dance, and created a mobile version of the JMU Campus VR Tour for the Center for Global Engagement for international student recruiting.
Autonomous Vehicles
Students developed sensors and artificial intelligence to provide safe self-driving golf cart kits to retirement communities.
Community Innovations
In partnership with United Way, students prototyped solutions regarding affordable childcare, public transportation, and the relationship between JMU and local non-profits.
Drones
Using drones and custom sensors, students prototyped solutions for problems such as the decline of bee populations and oyster reefs in the Chesapeake Bay.
Fueled
Students worked together on innovative projects directly applicable to the business needs of the Fueled food truck.
Hacking for Defense
Students improved training to maximize learning and performance, incentivized infantry service, created a leaner, meaner defense acquisition team, enabled transparency in humanitarian aid delivery, and developed standards for universities to secure unclassified innovative research.
Robotic Process Automation – Pilot
In a partnership with BRMi, students covered a variety of business and education applications for RPA as well as the means and methods to intelligently optimize work performance.
Read more about the Robotic Process Automation – Pilot class
2018-2019
Fall Semester
Augmented/Virtual Reality
Students designed and built a virtual reality tour of JMU’s campus using the latest technology in 360° media and VR. The tour became part of a recruitment exhibit in the newly renovated Madison Hall.
Autonomous Vehicles
Students brought the autonomous concept out of simulation and into the real world by transforming a golf cart into a self-driving vehicle.
Blockchain
Students developed a multidisciplinary understanding of blockchain technology with consideration for underlying ethical issues and create their own innovative applications.
Community Innovations – Pilot
Students partnered with local organizations to respond to the challenges they face, developing innovative solutions.
Creativity and Innovation – Pilot
Students developed creative confidence and learn specific methods designed to disrupt pattern thinking, generate new ideas, and work on interesting problems using a variety of design thinking processes.
Fueled
Students worked together on innovative projects directly applicable to the business needs of the Fueled food truck.
Hacking for Diplomacy
Students optimized the deployment speed of 20 NATO nations, provide recruitment support for the D.C. National Guard, determine early warning signs of human trafficking, and neutralize terrorist propaganda targeting youth and new followers.
Internet of Things – Pilot
Students explored underlying technologies and develop minimum viable products that address complex open-ended problems for industry partners.
Medical Innovations
Medical Innovations expanded in the fall of 2018 with the addition of students and faculty from the Department of Kinesiology. It was the second consecutive year students focused on aspects of the opioid crisis.
2017-2018
Spring Semester
Augmented/Virtual Reality
Students designed and built a virtual reality tour of JMU’s campus using the latest technology in 360° media and VR. The tour became part of a recruitment exhibit in the newly renovated Madison Hall.
Autonomous Vehicles – Pilot
Students transformed a golf cart into a self-driving vehicle, gaining hands-on experience at the intersection of design, engineering, systems, software, controls, and project management.
Blockchain – Pilot
Students wrote a blockchain textbook, a first of its kind, designed to be a comprehensive introduction to the topic.
Drones
Students designed drones that distinguish elk from deer, protect oysters in Chesapeake Bay, safely tranquilize large animals, protect grassland birds, survey for invasive plants, connect with animal trackers, image shoreline erosion, track peregrine falcon nests, protect aquatic vegetation, and sway bears from harmful situations.
Fueled
Students worked together on innovative projects directly applicable to the business needs of the Fueled food truck.
Hacking for Defense
Students worked with U.S. military organizations to develop a faster way to log flight records, track recalled medical items, track passengers and carry-on bags, and prevent human trafficking.
2017-2018
Fall Semester
Augmented/Virtual Reality
Students designed and built a virtual reality tour of JMU’s campus using the latest technology in 360° media and VR. The tour became part of a recruitment exhibit in the newly renovated Madison Hall.
Drones
Students designed and built drone prototypes to track pregnant bears, track and protect endangered species, and collect dung beetle data that helps reduce parasites and greenhouse gases.
Hacking for Diplomacy – Pilot
In 2017, JMU offered the only H4Di course in the country and was the first in the nation to offer it exclusively to undergraduate students, who worked on problems as diverse as cybersecurity and hate crime prevention.
Medical Innovations
Students designed practical, ethical solutions to address the opioid crisis.
2016-2017
Spring Semester
Applied Math/Robotics
Students applied their mathematical model to design and build a walking bicycle.
Augmented/Virtual Reality – Pilot
Using the latest technology, students designed and developed augmented and virtual reality solutions for everyday problems.
Drones
Students analyzed and tackled real problems using unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs).
Fueled – Pilot
Students worked together on innovative projects directly applicable to the business needs of the Fueled food truck, including industrial and environmental design, nutrition/health promotion, mind-body awareness, graphic design, marketing, campus/K-12 education and community engagement.
Hacking for Defense – Pilot
Students helped their clients gain situation awareness inside enemy sanctuaries and across battlefields, disrupt threatening aircrafts, and improve communication and coordination between military, humanitarian, and civilian populations.
2016-2017
Fall Semester
Applied Math/Robotics – Pilot
Students and faculty designed a mathematical model to create a walking bicycle.
Drones
Students designed and built drones to help with fire rescue assessment, sea rescue response times, landmine detection and safe detonation, analyze an ancient city wall in Colombia, restore telecommunications after hurricanes, support honeybee populations, and monitor tidal flooding.
Math Teaching Methods – Pilot
Graduate students learned how to teach math by building tangible prototypes for direct application of mathematical concepts.
2015-2016
Spring Semester
Drones
Students discovered the technical components of unmanned aerial vehicles and sensors through hands-on projects.
Medical Innovations
Students formulated ideas for mitigating metabolic syndrome—a disorder which affects about 34% of Americans and increases the risk of heart disease and diabetes.
2015-2016
Fall Semester
Drones – Pilot
Students developed solutions for air pollution, saving the James River spinymussel, saving lives through First Response, aerial imaging for city planning, detecting landmines, and disarming landmines using unmanned aerial vehicles.
2014-2015
Spring Semester
Medical Innovations – Pilot
Students applied maker technology to produce and communicate solutions for metabolic syndrome—a disorder which affects about 34% of Americans and increases the risk of heart disease and diabetes.