Meta has officially rolled out their ‘Meta for Education’ initiative, inviting schools and educational institutions worldwide to integrate Quest headsets along with a suite of XR educational applications into their classrooms.
First unveiled last April, Meta for Education offers a comprehensive package for educators eager to embrace XR technologies. The offering includes Quest headsets, subscriptions to XR management solutions tailored specifically for educational environments, and a variety of tools designed to support administrators, teachers, and students.
During its beta phase, Meta collaborated with several colleges in the United States and the United Kingdom to fine-tune the platform. Educators from these institutions noted that incorporating virtual and mixed reality into lessons significantly boosted student engagement and helped them grasp complex subjects more effectively.
Nick Clegg, Meta’s President of Global Affairs and former UK Deputy Prime Minister, emphasized the revolutionary possibilities that immersive tech brings to education, allowing learners to engage with experiences that would otherwise be out of reach.
“I’ve always been passionate about improving educational outcomes for children throughout my career in politics and technology,” Clegg remarked. “Among all the innovations I’ve encountered at Meta, immersive technologies like virtual and augmented reality are particularly inspiring because of their potential to revolutionize learning. With Meta for Education, I hope we can simplify the process of learning, practicing, and applying new skills, facilitate a deeper connection between students and educators, and offer experiences that seem otherwise unattainable. Ultimately, I hope it assists teachers in their primary mission: teaching.”
Data gathered from 43 schools within the Inspired Education Group, which have already incorporated immersive technology for teenagers, showed promising results. Reports indicate that 87% of students felt more engaged and interested in their lessons, while 85% of teachers recognized the value of virtual and mixed reality in enhancing their instructional methods. Students also saw a 15% boost in performance on multiple-choice tests.
With its beta phase complete, Meta has forged partnerships with a range of academic institutions, such as Arizona State University, Imperial College London, and the University of Miami, to further integrate VR into their educational programs.
Additionally, Meta and VictoryXR have collaborated to create over 30 “metaversities” using the Engage XR platform, establishing digital replicas of campuses to facilitate remote student interactions. These digital campuses are now accessible at places like The University of Leeds in the UK, University of the Basque Country in Spain, and University of Hannover in Germany.
For educators interested in exploring Meta for Education further, more information is available on the program’s official website. The initiative caters to applicants from a diverse range of countries, including Australia, Austria, Belgium, Canada, and many more throughout Europe and the Americas.
