As part of its continuous effort to use immersive technology – Metaverse, to transform the world’s educational sector, Meta has announced a strategic partnership with 15 USA universities. Under the partnership, Meta hopes to create new opportunities for teachers to inspire students with Metaverse technologies.
According to the tech giant, the partnership introduced a new program for the universities to embrace and examine how Metaverse can contribute to the future of education by conducting classroom sessions and exercises in virtual reality.
“We want more and more teachers and students to benefit from these technologies. That’s why, as students return for the new academic year, we’re announcing a new partnership program to help college students in the US learn using VR and testing more ways to make it easier for Meta Quest users to find educational resources in the Meta Quest store, said Nick Clegg, Meta’s President, Global Affairs.”
How Metaverse Technologies is Transforming the World
In recent decades, digital technology has drastically changed many facets of education. Technology plays a critical part in how people teach and learn, from pocket calculators to computers tablets and the video conferencing capabilities that enabled learning to shift online during the pandemic. Hence, virtual reality (VR) and augmented reality (AR) metaverse technologies promise to give teachers new opportunities to motivate students.
Even though these technologies are still in their infancy, there are already encouraging indications of the positive effects they may have: according to a recent PwC report, 40% of VR learners are more confident in applying what they’ve learned, and 150% more engaged during classes; and according to a study by the XR Association (XRA) and the International Society for Technology in Education (ISTE), 77% of educators think immersive technologies spark students’ curiosity and increase engagement in the classroom.
Using Metaverse Technologies to Create New Opportunities for Teachers to Inspire Students
Stanford University uses the BodySwaps app to teach its Business School students soft skills, Nova Southern University teaches its first-year medical students about organs in the human body with VR, and Arizona State University uses VR so students can practice having conversations in a new language in different virtual environments are among the 15 Universities.
Another is Morehouse College, which has established a digital twin campus to teach classes across a range of subjects, including chemistry, biology, business, and journalism. New Mexico State University, the University of Iowa, Purdue Global, Birmingham’s University of Alabama, and Miami Dade College are also on the list.
“The metaverse is the next evolution of the internet. It spans a range of technologies, including VR headsets that transport you to whole new environments, AR glasses that will one-day project computer-generated images onto the world around you, and mixed reality (MR) experiences that blend both physical and virtual environments. These technologies create a more immersive, 3D experience where you feel like you are right there with another person or in another place, she added.”
