12Dec By jbenebyDecember 7, 2022Education, Metaverse How could the metaverse impact education? The buzz around the metaverse has reached a fever pitch. This is a unique opportunity for the emerging world to leapfrog stale eLearning programs into an “always on” universe of new experiential learning opportunities. The learning industry has come a long way from the PC internet boom that introduced eLearning in the late 1990s. The second wave of mobile computing and social media ushered in microlearning through shorter, video-based learning on demand. Industry watchers are now suggesting that the third era of computing is upon us. Flat, static pages on the PC and phone will be replaced by a metaverse of digital 3D spaces, where we interact as lifelike avatars. The metaverse is an embodied internet where you’re never alone. Unlike a scheduled Zoom call that disappears when you’re done, the metaverse is “always on” and affords social interactions with peers. This transition has profound implications for capability-building and learning. A new way to teach and learn The new generation of virtual reality (VR) headsets is the portal to the metaverse. Head-mounted VR displays engulf the senses and offer an unrivaled sense of embodied presence. Users can move freely through a 3D scenario and interact with the world around them with their hands, just like in real life. VR technology is mature enough that it’s no longer part of Gartner’s Hype Cycle, and it is becoming affordable enough (under $300) to address global capability gaps. An internet connection is not even necessary for single-player sessions. VR engages the brain’s motor system and builds muscle memory. Like a flight simulator prepares pilots for emergency landings, VR can train anything, from farming skills to firefighting. Skills that play to the unique strengths of the metaverse include spatial training, such as involving the hands and body for tasks that are too dangerous, expensive, inconvenient, or simply impossible to practice in real life. Other examples include simulating scenarios for routine and abnormal operations, emergency response, stressful workplace situations, critical procedures, and high-consequence events—all in a safe and controlled environment that can be repeated until it becomes second nature. 6 ways the metaverse can positively impact learning and capability building 1. Learn and connect in an immersive virtual campus Before and during COVID-19, learning had already moved from physical classrooms to more virtual and blended spaces. The metaverse facilitates an immersive campus life, where learners wearing VR headsets enter the virtual campus or university to learn, explore, and socialize. For example, learners can delve into different learning pods, visit libraries and breakout rooms, meet coaches and counselors, and hang out with peers in this digital space. These digital experiences can truly democratize education by bringing people from geographically dispersed locations and varied economic backgrounds together to learn in a cost-effective, flexible, and quicker duration. For example, in September 2023, the planned Kenya-KAIST virtual campus located 60 kilometers from the capital city of Nairobi will allow the institution to extend its reach across continents, allowing students to learn together on cutting-edge topics without leaving their home countries. 2. Enhance real-world skilling in virtual and hybrid environments The metaverse provides experiential, embodied skilling opportunities using real-world scenarios and high-pressure situations where you can make mistakes without consequence. It combines VR with data science and spatial design when well-designed to improve learner engagement, confidence, and application. Some examples of the benefits of training in the metaverse include: Experiential learning. Pharmaceutical leader Novartis trains life-saving lab skills with high-fidelity, multiplayer VR simulation. Students enter a virtual lab to interact with instructors and practice welding tubes, removing bag caps, and labeling bags with unlimited do-overs. Deliberate practice. The metaverse provides intense practice and feedback loops, where learners practice many concept variations to hone skills. Walmart’s Spark City game is different every time the game is played. If customers appear within 10 feet, players must ask if they can help, but not before addressing spills and other safety hazards. State-dependent learning. Providence Health triggers the psychological stress of responding to microaggressions in the workplace. A live actor captured in 3D volumetric video appears through the camera lens of your phone or tablet as a hologram standing in the room before you for learning and retrieval taking place under the same conditions.. 3. Explore different worlds through visualization and storytelling Visualization and storytelling are two hallmarks of a metaverse learning experience and much needed today after the profusion of boring Zoom experiences during COVID-19. Through VR technology, learners can step into an entirely different world or into another person’s shoes. For example, health care leader DaVita builds patient empathy by using an interactive, multi-sensory first-person story. Stepping into metaworlds facilitates visualization of scenarios, including complex development challenges. For example, a learner can use a VR headset to examine a street transformation in South Asia or explore life in a green Smart City. Through bite-sized 360 degree stories, virtual tours, and visualizations, learners “enter” crucial global development challenges, including climate change, education, gender, urban development, international trade, and public health. 4. Build human capabilities in interpersonal or difficult situations Training staff for soft skills, such as communication, leadership, listening, and empathy, is hard to achieve and also measure. The metaverse facilitates this by immersing learners in real-world conflicts and allows them to practice their soft skills in a safe environment, for example, having sensitive or difficult conversations with employees or customers. Safety training scenarios concerning robberies can create a sense of danger and overwhelm Verizon staff. By using VR, Verizon helped over 22,000 associates across 1,600 stores train for this complex scenario; the company reported that 97 percent of those trained said they felt prepared when put in such dangerous situations. 5. Improve accessibility for people with disabilities The metaverse promises to improve educational and social access for people with disabilities. For example, an immersive environment offers young adults with special needs, autism, and social interaction issues the ability to improve their interpersonal and job skills, such as visiting a mall or grocery, shelving products at a store, or loading goods in a truck. Through VR apps, they can practice skills and interact with others in a safe environment without feeling overwhelmed or anxious. VR can also help those with mobility or anxiety issues to improve their quality of life. For instance, the Starlight charity uses VR technology to give pediatric patients the chance to “escape” the walls of their hospital room and be transported into another world. They experience playing soccer, hanging out with friends, or visiting faraway places through VR goggles. 6. Increase data capture on learning performance Using the metaverse to create immersive learning experiences allows organizations to collect hitherto untapped data to gain insights into learner behavior, track progress, identify gaps, and continuously improve the learning experience. Useful data on learner actions includes usage, performance, attention and engagement, sentiment, and predictive analysis. Teachers can also play a more active role in collecting data and analyzing lessons on the effectiveness of such environments for learning. For instance, hand movements are tracked in Pfizer, Novartis, and Bristol Myers Squibb’s pharma sims. If users cross their hands or angle them incorrectly under the biosafety cabinet, the sim immediately provides feedback and starts over. Every digital footprint can be measured, and a dashboard of telemetry data can provide actionable insights to improve the simulation experience. The metaverse means “life” after the internet. Early applications of this new way of learning include virtual campus activities, 3D simulations, and gamified activities. This is only the start—through this technology, there are boundless opportunities to reimagine and democratize education in novel ways. Sheila Jagannathan Lead Learning Specialist and Program Manager, World Bank https://www.weforum.org/agenda/2022/12/metaverse-impact-education-learning/