by Key Takeaways
- The goal of the Meta for Education beta initiative is to use VR and XR applications to revolutionize educational experiences.
- To test VR learning resources on Quest headsets, the business is collaborating with several colleges.
- Digital twin “metaversities” are likewise being introduced by Meta throughout Europe.
Meta has introduced the Meta for Education beta program. Through immersive virtual reality (VR) and extended reality (XR) apps on Quest headsets, the new venture seeks to revolutionize educational experiences.
More than a dozen prestigious colleges in the US and the UK have cooperated with the company. The University of Leeds, the University of Glasgow, and Imperial College London are a few of these. Meta is testing state-of-the-art teaching resources intended to improve student accessibility and engagement. Through this partnership with educators, Meta’s educational apps will be improved before a wider release, giving students access to experiences and simulations that are normally limited by location or expense.
Imperial College London’s Executive Director of Imperial IDEA Lab, Monica Arés, highlighted the program’s collaborative potential and the value of fusing the digital and real worlds to provide more engaging learning opportunities.
Presenting Europe’s Digital Twin Metaversities
Meta is also introducing digital twin “metaversities” around Europe in collaboration with VictoryXR, beginning with the University of Leeds in the United Kingdom, the University of the Basque Country in Spain, and the University of Hannover in Germany. Through virtual versions of their actual campuses, these metaversities enable instructors and students to participate in live classes and social activities. In September, immersive performance and theater classes were introduced at the University of Leeds.
A number of Hannover institutions, including the University of Göttingen, will incorporate immersive technology into their curricula, while the University of the Basque Country will employ virtual reality (VR) for physiotherapy and anatomy courses in early 2025.
In addition to the metaversities, Meta is offering tools to help teachers employ immersive learning resources. Supporting the Netherlands-based Immersive Learning Academy, which aims to incorporate VR into training and lifelong learning initiatives, and helping France Immersive Learning publish an English-language reference on VR technology for educators are two examples of this.
