The initiative opens more opportunities for promoting virtual universities. The virtual building of the University of Maryland Global Campus is the first experiment of Meta Immersive Learning and is in pilot now.
Meta Platforms Inc (NASDAQ: META), formerly Facebook Inc, has introduced its Immersive Learning to enable as many as 10 selected universities to offer virtual reality classes via VR headsets. In the future, Meta wants to increase this number to 100 universities.
How does it work? Iowa-based VictoryXR, one of the world leaders in virtual reality educational product development, has created a virtual campus with buildings and various facilities for the University of Maryland Global Campus (it does not have a physical institution and offers online education instead). Now, students can put on their headset and enter the virtual building. There, they can start chatting with financial aid avatars.
For now, the University of Maryland Global Campus will offer five metaverse courses. They include blockchain courses, as well as courses in biology and astronomy.
According to Meta, through its Immersive Learning, the company is investing $150 million to help develop the next generation of metaverse creators, fund high quality immersive experiences that transform the way of learning, and increase access to learning through technology. With a 90% share of the current headset market, Meta is standing good chances of entering the educational space. The company is ready to help finance universities’ digital environments. However, its ultimate goal is to monetize the metaverse.
Manwhile, for VictoryXR, the initiative opens more opportunities for promoting virtual universities. The virtual building of the University of Maryland Global Campus is in pilot now. The company hopes to create 100 digital universities in one year, with each costing the real institution about $50,000.
Metaverse Meeting Education
With the exploding buzz around the metaverse, experts are looking for practical strategies to integrate the different metaverse tools into learning experiences. These immersive technologies include augmented reality (AR), mixed reality (MR), and virtual reality (VR). Using these technologies, metaverse can have a positive impact on the learning process. Let us have a look at some examples of how Meta Immersive Learning project can change the educational sector.
Firstly, Meta Immersive Learning can bring people from geographically dispersed locations and varied economic backgrounds together to learn in a cost-effective, flexible, and quicker manner.
Secondly, the metaverse can enhance real-world skilling in virtual and hybrid environments. In other words, you can make mistakes while learning online without significant consequences in real world.
Thirdly, the metaverse can improve educational and social access for people with disabilities. For example, an immersive environment allows young adults with special needs to improve their interpersonal and job skills that they can practice and interact with others in a safe environment without feeling overwhelmed or anxious.
Further, the metaverse can build and train human capabilities in difficult situations.
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