The metaverse remains an area of endless possibilities, and for innovators, it’s like wet cement to mold their ideas. Recently, many interesting events have been going on in virtual reality, including games and webinars to campaigns against deforestation. One sector that can benefit from the metaverse is the education industry. What are the exciting applications of the metaverse in the education industry? Let’s find out!
It is intriguing to think about what fundamentally made people consider leveraging the metaverse in the education sector. What value can it add to the existing process? Or what pain points in the current system can it solve?
One area where metaverse can add value is in training processes. For example, consider driving lessons. Traditionally, students would get their hands on the wheels straight ahead after going through some theory classes. Very likely, they’d end up causing damage to the vehicle as they crash and scratch. Lately, driving schools have started using simulation games to train students. These driving simulators help reduce the damage as students are somewhat trained to drive in a virtual scenario. A virtual reality driving simulator app can offer a much more realistic driving simulation for students and better training.
Driving is just one example. Imagine having simulated training apps for conducting body surgeries, operating heavy machines, training militants on diffusing bombs, combat training, chemical experiments, and the list can go on.
The benefits?
Obviously, training with simulation apps in VR can help the trainers and trainees in several ways. First of all, the cost caused due to damages in real-world training can be reduced a lot. Trainees can get virtual classes as many times as they need since the process in virtual reality is not expensive compared to real-world training. The benefits are
Even though the metaverse domain is in its infancy, many applications of the metaverse in the education industry have already surfaced in the market. Listing down the top 10 applications,
The applications of the metaverse in the education sector are gradually increasing. For example, the US military first came up with the idea to train their army in vocational skills through the metaverse. Skills needed to repair a piece of equipment or a vehicle first require knowing where all the parts go. Various organizations have opted to go by VR learning before real-life training. The key metaverse components that are beneficial for education are;
Augmented reality (AR) helps create digital versions of real-life objects with various specifications. The mixed reality (of both physical and digital worlds) enhances the learning for students. AR can be accessed through smartphones as well. For example, it can help medical students with medical imaging for surgeries or get a 3D visualization of an architectural plan. In the metaverse, AR is used to layer real-life elements. Various real-life landscapes are built into the metaverse using augmented reality.
It is possible to mirror the real world as a virtual reality through the metaverse. Real-world geography can be mirrored and spread out in the metaverse so that anyone can go anywhere. Google Earth is an example of a mirror world with realistic visualization. Mirror worlds in the metaverse can be looked at as reflections of the real world that are informationally enhanced.
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In the metaverse, you can travel to another planet, visit underground lives or even travel back in time to visit the Great Wall of China being constructed. Metaverse in education with new-age 3D animations and AR can transform learning as we know it today by opening doors to new dimensions.
Ansys, a software development company, and Oklahoma State University developed digital twins of human lungs. They simulate drug delivery to patients with different lung capacities. Through this experiment, the university found a method to be used by doctors to increase the accuracy of drug delivery by 90%.
Lifelogging promotes self-learning by allowing students to create their learning resources through documentation. Technologies such as VR let us document daily life in more than one way. Capturing, storing, and sharing everyday experiences, events, and interactions at an advanced level of reality helps the learning process be more dynamic than rote static textbook information.
Students can feed their status into the system accompanying art and self-expression, which becomes a “backup memory” that will remain available forever. A real-life example of lifelogging includes smartwatches with health trackers and mood trackers. Classting AI in Korea is an educational Social Networking Site (SNS) for online class communities. It analyzes students’ achievements and habits and suggests customized learning paths.
Through VR and metaverse in education, A classroom of students can join their teacher on a trip to Africa with VR goggles and even meet some exotic animals up close. Some places accessible through VR include Buckingham palace and Amazon rainforests, among many others. Companies like Tech Row have been actively involved in immersive learning. They have enabled VR in classrooms with trips to Pluto, Antarctica, Machu Picchu, and more!
In the metaverse app, digital avatars of students and teachers can interact with each other just like in real life through VR digital spaces. Virtual experiences in the metaverse are unlimited, and virtual spaces can have their own economy. Meanwhile, the entertainment industry utilized the metaverse’s full capacity to make events as realistic as possible. Rapper Lil Nas X performed live on Fortnite, which witnessed a record-breaking online crowd.
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The metaverse can transform the education industry in more than one frontier. Apart from aiding in learning, metaverse also extends to admin works. The use of Blockchain in the metaverse is considered one of the most effective transaction systems and can help store academic records, transcripts, and degrees. The paperwork burden can be reduced, and evaluations will be made easier.
Metaverse in education will also help address the difference between learning quality in developed and developing countries. Education through technology is cheaper than traditional methods. Using the metaverse for learning saves time and effort without compromising efficiency.
A study by the University of Maryland found that people retain information more effectively while presented in virtual reality. The results showed an 8.8% improvement in the overall ability to recall information, which the researchers say is significant.
According to Global Millenial, metaverse-based, virtual world games such as Second Life and Minecraft were used by universities as a learning medium during the pandemic. Roblox, a virtual world gaming giant, released a platform for learning where educators could create virtual classrooms. There are private servers for teachers and students who can use the experiences and educational content Roblox provides.
Metaverse can help students spend less by reducing the cost of commuting to class or on a field trip. It also helps the management reduce the cost of maintenance of infrastructures. Students residing in different countries can get hold of realistic learning experiences by being where they are, unlike Zoom classes. Schools can reduce the cost and time to set up auditoriums and labs as students can do everything virtually with the help of sophisticated features in the metaverse.
Students and teachers can interact in real-time even while not on campus. Teachers can observe the students while in the classroom with their avatars. Classrooms can be personalized and decorated according to students’ wishes. Teachers can teach theoretical subjects with more than just a board.
Victory XR has partnered with Engage to introduce the metaverse in education. They create digital twins of campuses. Students can learn in live interactive classrooms with the greatest minds in the world.
Metaverse in education can provide safety to learning environments in ways traditional teaching cannot. Inside the metaverse, the teachers will fully control students and their interactions. The control can help reduce bullying and impose disciplinary actions easily by changing some of the permissions in the digital space. This way, children can experience safe and distraction-free learning.
The VR gears complement the realistic nature of the metaverse. By wearing VR headsets and gloves, students can mimic physical interactions and practice skills, and when they return to real-life, they will retain muscle memory.
Students and teachers can attend classes in parks, restaurants, or even inside the Colosseum with the incredible animations fed into the metaverse combined with mirror world designs. User suggestions for virtual spaces in the metaverse include Hogwarts from Harry Potter, Vulcan, and more fictional worlds that can make learning more fun than ever.
Online education was a challenge to conduct labs and practical subjects properly. With metaverse, VR-enabled tools can help students conduct experiments, dissect a human heart, assemble a machine or visit France during the french revolution.
The metaverse can create the liveliest of campus lives. After-school activities can now include a trek to Mount Everest, attending a concert, or even getting on a spaceship to Mars. The ideas surrounding the use cases of the metaverse in education are endless.
Related article: Metaverse use cases and applications: What to expect in 2022?
The future of the metaverse is hopeful of transforming various sectors by giving them what they are missing. The expected market size of augmented and virtual reality is $215 billion; meanwhile, currently, it is worth $38.85 billion. Tech giants like Google, Facebook, and Microsoft are racing to build the next best metaverse application.
The education industry is not limited; students have diverse interests, and the metaverse feeds a curious mind at an advanced level. The future of the metaverse will also focus on empowering students everywhere with high-quality and affordable education.
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