Meta is taking a big step to get virtual reality (VR) into classrooms, partnering with 13 universities across the U.S. and U.K. to see how VR might actually work for education. Through the “Meta for Education” beta program, Meta’s Reality Labs team is handing over early versions of its VR and mixed reality (XR) prototypes, hoping to bring immersive learning to subjects like science, medicine, history, and language arts.
Some of the top universities onboard include Arizona State University, Imperial College London, and the University of Michigan. These schools will put Meta’s VR tech to the test, exploring how it can boost learning and offering feedback that’ll help shape future versions of the program.
But that’s not all. Meta’s also expanding its “digital twin” metaversity concept to Europe, re-creating real-life campuses in virtual space. University of Leeds in the U.K., University of the Basque Country in Spain, and University of Hannover in Germany are now part of this experiment. At Leeds, VR classes in performance and theater have already kicked off. Next year, Basque Country and Hannover will start VR courses in physiotherapy and anatomy. These VR-powered environments replicate real-world campuses, fostering immersive learning.
This initiative builds on Meta’s previous collaboration with VictoryXR, a VR education company that teamed up with Meta back in 2021 to create digital twin campuses in the U.S. It’s a big part of Meta’s VR-in-education push, which is now crossing the Atlantic with these new European metaversities.
On top of this, Meta has been building out an educational hub based around its Quest headsets, which could turn classrooms into VR-friendly spaces for students aged 13 and up. With this hub, Meta has added tools for teachers to centrally manage multiple headsets, along with apps and educational content for a variety of subjects.
It’s clear Meta is serious about VR in education, even as its Reality Labs unit posts financial losses; Meta reported a Q3 loss of $4.4 billion, with expenses expected to rise due to continued VR product development.
As Meta pushes forward, it’s not the only one eyeing the VR space. With Apple’s Vision Pro headset on the horizon, the whole immersive tech industry could see a boost, making VR and XR more mainstream than ever. If Meta’s partnerships with universities pay off, we could see VR become a regular feature in classrooms worldwide.
Featured Image courtesy of JOSH EDELSON/AFP via Getty Images
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