Metaverse technology is creating new opportunities for teachers to inspire students | Meta

Meta

48 minutes ago

By Nick Clegg, President, Global Affairs

Digital technology has transformed many areas of education in recent decades. From calculators to laptops, tablets and video conferencing tools that transformed online learning during the pandemic, technology plays a vital role in how people teach and learn. Metaverse technologies like Virtual Reality (VR) and Augmented Reality (AR) promise to create new ways for teachers to inspire students. In fact, they are already being used to do just that.

The Metaverse is the next evolution of the Internet. It encompasses a variety of technologies, including VR headsets that take you to entirely new environments, AR glasses that will one day project computer-generated images into the world around you, and mixed reality experiences (MR) combines both physical and virtual environments. These technologies create a more immersive 3D experience, where you feel like you’re right there with another person or somewhere else.

Technologies that create a sense of presence and shared space offer new ways for teachers to do what they do best – teach. While it’s still early days for these technologies, we’re already seeing promising signs of the impact they can have. ONE recent report by PwC found that 40% of VR learners were more confident applying what they were taught and were 150% more engaged in classes. The XR Association (XRA) and International Association for Educational Technology (ISTE) found that 77% of educators believe immersive technology stimulates curiosity and improves engagement in the classroom.

in one Randomized controlled study of the VR Prisms math program, students studying in VR had test scores 11% higher than the control group. The study also showed increased student confidence, engagement, and ability to describe mathematical concepts. And Morehouse College in Atlanta, Georgia, an early adopter of VR, found that students learning VR had an average final test score of 85, compared to 78 in person and 81 for traditional online methods. They also saw an increase in student attendance and engagement.

We want more teachers and students to benefit from these technologies. That’s why, as students return for the new school year, we’re announcing a new partnership to help college students in the US learn how to use VR and test more ways to help people Use Meta Quest to find educational resources in Meta Quest more easily than in the store.

American University Program

We are collaborating with 15 universities across the United States that are actively embracing inclusive learning. Universities are conducting classroom sessions and exercises in virtual reality to consider how immersive technology can contribute to the future of education. These include:

• Stanford University, the company is using the BodySwaps app to teach soft skills to School of Business students, such as how to have a difficult conversation or how to succeed in an interview.
• Arizona State Universityuses VR so students can practice conversing in new languages ​​in different virtual environments.
• New Mexico State Universityare using VR across a variety of topics, including criminal justice where students investigate virtual crime scenes.
• University of Iowais using VR to help business students with soft skills training.
• Purdue Globalwill train nurses in virtual hospital simulations.
• University of Alabama at Birmingham, is teaching business courses on their virtual campus in partnership with VictoryXR.
• Nova Southern Universityis using VR to teach first-year medical students about the organs of the human body.
• Miami Dade College, has created a virtual campus and is teaching advanced VR courses in fields such as music, architecture, research, chemistry, and biology.
• Morehouse Collegehas established a digital twin campus to teach classes in a variety of subjects including chemistry, biology, business and journalism.

Education shelf in Meta Quest Store

There are many education-related apps available for Meta Quest with a variety of topics including science, engineering, technology and math (STEM), history, languages, etc. To help parents, teachers and students can more easily find age-appropriate educational content in the Meta Quest store as they return to school, we’re looking for new ways to help highlight available apps and are testing dedicated in-store shelves during this period.

Growing momentum for VR educational tools in Europe

We are also seeing encouraging signs of metaverse technology adoption by educators in Europe. In Italy, as part of national education investments, schools can integrate immersive experiences into lessons using digital and virtual technology. And in Italy, University of Camerino will run its first course delivered entirely in the metaverse next semester, with both students and tutors taking classes via VR headsets.

Europe is also home to many companies developing applications and educational software for metaverse technology.

• In Germany and Austria, GoStudent is revolutionizing language learning through virtual reality. With foreign language classes, GoVR, students can transfer themselves to a virtual learning environment that simulates a real-life environment. These environments allow students to interact directly with native-speaking tutors and classmates across the country.
• In Italy, Ithaca Education Work with teachers to develop virtual learning experiences for subjects such as natural sciences and physics. This way, students can immerse themselves in science labs filled with equipment that most schools could never afford.
• And in England, Town noun Is one Award Winner educational app that uses gameplay to eliminate the fatigue of learning new languages, including Japanese, Korean, Spanish, French, Italian, German, and Chinese.

We remain extremely optimistic about the impact that metaverse technologies can have – and are having – on education. But for everyone to benefit from the incredible opportunities these technologies open up, governments and other organizations need to embrace and use them in public education systems. Above all, it is good teachers who know how to best inspire their students. Getting this device into their hands is an essential starting point. If we get this right together, the opportunities to inspire students in new and exciting ways are endless.