How will Metaverse drive innovation in education?

Metaverse is the next buzzword that is likely to be all pervasive and powerful. It is the convergence of physical, augmented, and virtual reality in today’s digital world. Indian companies are experimenting with metaverse for launching products, providing training or hosting events with a personalised and immersive 3D virtual experience for the attendees.

It is seen to be revolutionising almost every industry and education is no different. Metaverse in the Education spaceOnline education has become mainstream post the onset of Corona topped by the lockdown. Each school going child was given a smartphone to attend the online classes.

This giant leap introduced a whole new world of possibilities in the form of Metaverse. So far edtech was all about online video sessions – either live or pre-recorded. But now educators are all set to take education to the next level by adopting and integrating.

Metaverse into daily learning. Through this, students and teachers can meet virtually irrespective of their actual location along with an array of experiential learning. Here are a few unequivocal benefits that Metaverse brings along – VR enabled classroom teaching mechanism.

Virtual reality promotes practical application of theoretical lessons. VR enabled classrooms have the ability to dissect a particular subject into simpler real life examples. It demonstrates how theories can be applied to real-life situations encouraging young minds to inculcate a habit of ‘learn by doing it yourself’ early in life.

Peer to peer learningAmong the best ways of learning are discussions and collaboration with classmates and peers. Metaverse makes this possible by breaking down geographical barriers, and taking up the experience factor many notches. The traditional student-exchange programme is ready for a virtual makeover, making peer-to-peer learning more impactful, cost efficient and sustainable.

Stay updated with the curriculumEmbracing Metaverse into the learning module will convert your whole world to a classroom. Students can stay updated with the progress of the course from anywhere anytime with complete access to all the classes. Besides, they are designed to be more up to date with a futuristic approach.

GamificationThe virtual visual content play in the Metaverse paves the way towards better engagement and concentration in the subjects. Its emphasis on collaboration and completing tasks with lessons structured like quests make the subject interesting and motivating them to finish their work, just like in a video game. Classroom on the CloudAdopting the Metaverse by educational institutions has ensured cloud access to course content.

Any student can access his/her learning modules at any point of time from the cloud. This will eventually result in democratisation of education with no pre-imposed geographical constraints. Augmented Reality EnabledImplementation of Metaverse will bring in augmented reality experience for students imparting knowledge in a more holistic way.

Adding interactive elements to supplement study materials on a device in virtual environments can be beneficial. It stimulates the interest of the students in different subjects along with conducting various class activities. To sum-up, new age technologies coupled with virtualisation is acting as an enabler to build an inclusive, innovative and futuristic ecosystem.

Simply put, educators and students can leverage the potential ofMetaverse as a 3D, interconnected, and real-time online space. It will co-create a world where students will not only interact with teachers and fellow students but also chat with each other, share notes and discuss topics just like in a physical classroom. Undoubtedly, its widespread adoption is poised to bring about a paradigm shift to the entire education and edtech landscape of India.

The author is Co-founder and President, Kestone.