The idea of virtual reality lessons becoming a reality is one of the largest uses of virtual reality and metaverse technologies in education. This concept is being carried out by Meta, the social media giant, which is assisting 10 colleges in the development of their metaverse-based campuses.
One of them is the online university University of Maryland Global Campus (UMGC). The university’s more than 45,000 students will be able to gather and exchange experiences online in a metaverse.
In accordance with this strategy, the university will provide five courses on the metaverse campus at no extra cost compared to non-immersive courses. The number of headsets the institution can lend students—which are necessary for the courses—is a constraint, though.
The University of Kansas School of Nursing, New Mexico State University, South Dakota State University, Florida A&M University, West Virginia University, Southwestern Oregon Community College, California State University, Dominguez Hills, and Alabama A&M University are some of the other institutions that will be involved in this project.
In order for students to participate in the courses, Meta is giving these groups a donation of its Meta Quest headsets. Meta’s Immersive Learning project hopes to enhance students’ access to these tools by collaborating with businesses and academic institutions. As part of its $150 million investment, Meta will provide headsets in collaboration with Victoryxr, the firm creating the campuses for the metaverse.
Additionally, Meta has assisted universities with funding the design and construction of these areas, which can run as much as $50,000 for a campus with five to seven buildings.
In Q2 2022, Reality Labs, a division of Meta’s metaverse business that specializes in virtual reality, reported losses of $2.8 billion. This indicates that Meta’s shift to virtual reality has cost the corporation money. In August, the business also issued its first set of bonds, raising $10 billion in debt to fund various projects, including the development of metaverse products.
