One area where the potentials of the metaverse are perhaps most clearly spoken of, envisioned and experienced is education. It seems like a natural fit to have an educational experience in an immersive metaverse environment.
Just a few days ago, an educational institution – Northland College – in Saskatchewan, Canada, announced the launching on its metaverse campus.
According to the release, Northlands College Metaverse Campus is “one of the few colleges in Canada to establish a full campus presence in the Metaverse.”
It also was pointed out: “This type of metaverse campus environment will build community, open geographic borders, collapse time such as the option to attend recorded Virtual lectures that enable learners from different time zones or those learners that are working to follow experiential and ‘in-person’ lectures on their own time.” The college also specifically highlighted “bridging the rural divide.”
Taking note of this college and others in higher education examining and implementing ways for the metaverse to expand the reach of their campus – that is, their educational programs – in ways that more fully engages students is exciting.
Think about the expansive opportunities regarding “field trips.” An article titled “How the metaverse will revolutionize K-12 and higher education” is a fascinating read, but here’s an interesting part:
“I visited Dreamscape headquarters, put on a VR headset, and jumped into their educational world… Most impactful for me is how the technology can transport you not just to different times and places but to different scales… First, we visited a landscape with creatures the size of a brontosaurus. For the first time in my life, I truly appreciated how small we really are compared to dinosaurs. He then shrunk us down and took us on a trip through the bloodstream, viewing red and white blood cells in their perfect proportions. We then watched as macrophages attacked a cancer cell, gaining intuition as to their relative sizes and the manner in which they behave. Walter and I were able to discuss what we were looking at in real-time, each of us represented as VR avatars. Finally he took me to visit some world heritage sites, where I could appreciate the true grandeur of ancient structures without having to get on a plane.”
Wow. And naturally, all of this should be noted by those outside of academia as well. For example, the possibilities for teaching entrepreneurs and employees are fascinating and exhilarating.
Indeed, the breaking down of geographic and other barriers through immersive metaverse tech holds enormous opportunities for entrepreneurs, businesses, creators, teachers, institutions and students/consumers in the field of education, and of course, beyond.
Breaking Down Barriers to Education in the Metaverse
By
Ray Keating
One area where the potentials of the metaverse are perhaps most clearly spoken of, envisioned and experienced is education. It seems like a natural fit to have an educational experience in an immersive metaverse environment.
Just a few days ago, an educational institution – Northland College – in Saskatchewan, Canada, announced the launching on its metaverse campus.
According to the release, Northlands College Metaverse Campus is “one of the few colleges in Canada to establish a full campus presence in the Metaverse.”
It also was pointed out: “This type of metaverse campus environment will build community, open geographic borders, collapse time such as the option to attend recorded Virtual lectures that enable learners from different time zones or those learners that are working to follow experiential and ‘in-person’ lectures on their own time.” The college also specifically highlighted “bridging the rural divide.”
Taking note of this college and others in higher education examining and implementing ways for the metaverse to expand the reach of their campus – that is, their educational programs – in ways that more fully engages students is exciting.
Think about the expansive opportunities regarding “field trips.” An article titled “How the metaverse will revolutionize K-12 and higher education” is a fascinating read, but here’s an interesting part:
“I visited Dreamscape headquarters, put on a VR headset, and jumped into their educational world… Most impactful for me is how the technology can transport you not just to different times and places but to different scales… First, we visited a landscape with creatures the size of a brontosaurus. For the first time in my life, I truly appreciated how small we really are compared to dinosaurs. He then shrunk us down and took us on a trip through the bloodstream, viewing red and white blood cells in their perfect proportions. We then watched as macrophages attacked a cancer cell, gaining intuition as to their relative sizes and the manner in which they behave. Walter and I were able to discuss what we were looking at in real-time, each of us represented as VR avatars. Finally he took me to visit some world heritage sites, where I could appreciate the true grandeur of ancient structures without having to get on a plane.”
Wow. And naturally, all of this should be noted by those outside of academia as well. For example, the possibilities for teaching entrepreneurs and employees are fascinating and exhilarating.
Indeed, the breaking down of geographic and other barriers through immersive metaverse tech holds enormous opportunities for entrepreneurs, businesses, creators, teachers, institutions and students/consumers in the field of education, and of course, beyond.