With evolution of VR headsets we hoped that sooner or later these futuristic gadgets will intergrated in our daily life, and it seems like it’s already happening.
With the announcement of Meta that, Meta for Education beta program, is a product designed for Colleges and Universities for a better learning environment and greater freedom for imagination. The solution wants to aid Teachers, Trainers, and Administrators in expressing their thoughts and ideas in more convenient manner through its Quest portfolio of VR headsets and MR headsets.
Colleges with Meta for Education beta program
This beta education program sees itself in US and UK colleges and universities such as Arizona State Univerity, Imperial College London, Miami Dade College, Houston Comminity College, New Mexico State University, University of of Michingan, Univeristy of Miami, University of Leeds, University of lowa, University of Glasgow, San Diego State University, and Savannah College of Art and Design.
This universities will work with Meta, provide feedback on the experience of VR/MR for Education to enhance and scale ahead of a broader release for topics such as science, medicine, history, and language arts.
Remarks of Colleges and Universities
Kim Grinfeder, University of Miami Professor and University XR Initiative Lead
The first time I put on a headset, it was immediately apparent to me that this is not like a screen or TV. It had a completely different feeling. We were creating experiences. I immediately recognized this as a tool that’s going to change education—change the way we teach. It allows us to bring the world into the classroom.
Meta expalined how Metaverse solutions can empower classrooms with digital field trips and trianing.
Rubén Durán, Houston Community College Reality CoLab Director
Said:
Students are engaging with the technology in meaningful ways. With our project Virtual Reality for Empathy, we invite in community organizations that are open to all like the Center for the Healing of Racism, and members of the community and HCC students come to the lab and role play to raise awareness and enhance student achievement and experiences that are unknown to the person participating. And this immersion creates emotions in what we think is the initial step to create empathy. The outcomes of this experience are forming part of important research conducted by our psychology faculty.
Monica Arés, Executive Director of Imperial IDEA Lab, Imperial College London
We’re finally at a place where we have a way to combine the digital and physical worlds, and it’s unlocking this entirely new set of tools, which is what makes all of this so exciting.
Andrew Sedillo, New Mexico State University Director of Microcredentials Instructional Design
Andrew Sedilo, said that during implementation of Meta for Education beta program, his team has tested “the early prototype of these programs.” and Sedillo mentioned that “Meta checks in with us—they’re asking us what they can do to improve the products, and they’re actually listening.”
