Metaverse in Education: A Whole New Approach to Learning and Teaching

Education in the metaverse is the forthcoming new era of innovative and immersive learning that will reform the current educational sector extraordinarily.

From the rise of the PC internet in the late 1990s to the present era of mobile computing and social media, eLearning has come a long way. And now metaverse, the not-so-distant future and the latest iteration of the internet, is opening up new opportunities to make online learning even more engaging and accessible.

Training young talent in the era of the 4^thindustrial revolution requires more than just providing them with conventional textbooks and lectures. It has now become necessary to apply immersive technologies like Metaverse and virtual reality to expand their learning experiences and prepare them for the future where cutting-edge science technologies like AI, etc. will become more common.

Metaverse is currently the most keenly debated area in the digital world and has endless possibilities, so let’s look at the potential progressions of this technological innovation when applied to the field of education.

What will Education in the Metaverse look like?

Imagine swimming deep through the Pacific Ocean, exploring the wild fishes and coral reefs, or wandering in space among the moon and stars– right from your classroom desks, sounds fascinating right? Learning in the metaverse allows you to have such near-reality experiences and even more.

The demands for basic knowledge of science and mathematics will continue to increase for future societies and the current educational infrastructure is insufficient for the characteristics of the forthcoming generation.

Metaverse schools or “Meta-veristies” will make teaching and understanding difficult concepts and phenomena way more interesting, and easier to grasp by:

1. Visualization and virtual field trips: Educators can use any lesson idea to create virtual scenarios for example teachers can take students to tour ancient Egypt or Greece or any historical site.
2. Distanced learning and Accessibility: Online learning though metaverse will break down political and national restrictions, providing equal learning opportunities for all.
3. Virtual labs and Experiments: Metaverse with the help of virtual reality and sensors allows students to perform dangerous experiments in a risk free and safe virtual environment. Lab experimentation and medical studies could be made more practical with enhanced safety.

4. 3D simulations & Realistic Learning: The main technologies powering the metaverse are VR, AR, MR and AI, they work together to provide a fully enchanting 3D experience. This makes metaverse spaces look hyperrealistic making students get immersed into the lessons.

5. Digital Classrooms and Holograms: Teachers and students can use metaverse platforms to meet online virtually o in the form of holograms making quality education accessible and widespread.

How different subjects will look like in Metaverse?

Applying metaverse in education is transforming the way we learn through enchanting visualizations and immersive experiences. Virtual reality is opening up doors to depths of the oceans to the vastness of space and beyond.

Here’s what studying different subjects would be like with metaverse technologies:

• History – Any particular time period or historical event can be recreated in the metaverse so the students can actually teleport to the historical landscapes and get near-reality experiences. For example, students can witness and learn from the destructions of the first world war and its after-effects as if it was happening live.

• Geography – Geography students can learn in-depth about the different layers or patterns of the earth through the immersive visualization offered by a metaverse.
• Art – Art admirers and learners can study and observe paintings and artworks of famous artists or even talk to them within the metaverse and feel enthused to produce their own digital artwork.
• Astronomy – Students and Astro physicists studying astronomy can utilize the hyper-realistic experience provided by a Metaverse for a better understanding of planets and outer space entities.
• Science – Students can perform laboratory activities and trials in the metaverse freely, this allows them to do experimentation within a virtual setup in a safe way.  For instance, they can dissect a virtual frog to learn its anatomy, and conduct chemistry experiments on toxic substances or tests on Newton’s weight, mass, gravity, etc.

• Literature – Tales from novels and literature can be recreated in the metaverse and students can actually enter and watch scenes unfold, which would help them relate to the characters and understand the plot better.

What are the benefits of Education in Metaverse?

Utilizing metaverse for education will give students greater value and engaging learning experience as it can stimulate hyper-realistic simulations which will ultimately enhance learners’ creativity and imagination.

Some of the noteworthy advantages of receiving education in the metaverse are:

• Better understanding of concepts: Students would be able to have an improved understanding of concepts through simulations, creative visuals, and virtual field trips enabled by artificial intelligence and virtual reality headsets.
• Increased learner interest and participation: Metaverse brings a factor of gamification and fun to conventional learning resulting in higher rates of participation and interest among students. It makes studying effortless and fun by introducing an element of excitement and improves problem solving and critical thinking capabilities of users.

• Retention of knowledge: On average the human brain only retains about 5% of the knowledge by reading theory, whereas experienced learning and practical knowledge last a lifetime.
• Inclusive learning and Accessibility: Metaverse learning has the potential to be an inclusive space for people coming from different countries and racial backgrounds, a comprehensive classroom where everyone feels like home. In addition to that metaverse learning would be revolutionary for people with disabilities as they would be able move about the digital space without any limitations inflicted upon them in the real world.

• Immersive experiences: The world of metaverse offers the users the delight of studying and understanding things in the 3D immersive land of visualization.  Students indulge themselves into learning by interacting with 3D objects along with their mates in a magical universe where everything is possible.

• No restrictions on time and location: Education in metaverse shatters all physical and geographical barriers, enabling students and teachers from different locations and time zones to conduct and join classes seamlessly ensuing a culturally enriched learning experience.

Challenges of Metaverse in Education:

Data Privacy & security:

In the metaverse there are increased chances of data leaks frauds, surveillance and other cybercrimes as the little learner with no social experience can be easily be exposed to criminal events and privacy violations.

Also, the projects and creations of both teachers and students have higher possibility of being plagiarized.

Identification systems and technologies like cryptocurrency, NFTs, and blockchains are urgently needed to make work and creations in the metaverse traceable, or else it would just be a lawless land.

Technology and gadgets:

VR headsets and devices are essential for both learners and teachers to teleport in the world of the metaverse. While recent advancements in technology have enhanced VR hardware devices but there are still a lot of grounds for improvement.

For example, there are several reports suggesting that VR device users might experience signs of cybersickness such as blurred vision, eye soreness, dizziness, or even may even fall on the ground after wearing these headsets for a long period of time.

Ethics and morality:

Being readily accessible to people throughout the world raises increased concerns about racial, and religious conflicts, bullying, violence, and other ethical challenges.

People from different worldviews, and ideologies may face cross-national, cross-gender, and cross-political, conflicts and issues. Therefore, there is an urgent need for establishing a well-composed system of rules and regulations to be exercised within the metaverse ecosystem.

Identity and interactions:

Spending too much time in the metaverse may lead people to have trouble connecting with people in the real world and develop social anxiety and emotional barriers.

A timely guide from schools, teachers, and society on recognizing the difference between reality and simulations would be effective and necessary for learners.

Addiction:

The enchanting and magical world of the metaverse enabled by sensors and VR technologies comes with plenty of scenarios and gears that miss in the real world, making students easily get immersed in this bizarre land.

Young learners lacking restraint and self-discipline may inevitably become addicted, which will lead to potential damage to their physical and mental health.

For more detailed information read: The metaverse in education: Definition, framework, features, potential applications, challenges, and future research topics

Conclusions:

Merging cutting edge technologies to drive digitized education to extraordinary roads, metaverse is a means to accelerate online education delivery through unique inventive ways.

It offers the safest and the most comfortable, realistic, enhanced and inclusive learning experiences using features such as avatars, soundboards, voice-changing apps, 3D audio, vibrations, and more. These features eliminate friction in the classroom that students with specific physical or emotional needs often encounter.

To sum up, Metaverse education has exceptional potential to revolutionize the eLearning sector with more immersive learning and teaching opportunities.

It would be incredibly interesting to witness how the this technology transforms the way we work, play, communicate and learn.