Meta has officially launched its ‘Meta for Education’ initiative, waving goodbye to its beta phase. This means schools and educational institutions worldwide can now equip their classrooms with Quest headsets and take advantage of various XR (extended reality) educational apps and software.
First unveiled last April, ‘Meta for Education’ is a comprehensive package designed to smoothly integrate XR into educational settings. It includes Quest headsets, XR management software subscriptions customized for educational environments, and a suite of specialized tools and apps for administrators, teachers, and students.
Throughout its beta testing phase, Meta collaborated with universities in the U.S. and the U.K. These partnerships helped refine the platform, with educators noting how virtual and mixed reality significantly boosted student engagement and enhanced their grasp of complex subjects.
Nick Clegg, Meta’s President of Global Affairs and former U.K. Deputy Prime Minister, is a staunch advocate for the transformative power of immersive tech in classrooms. He emphasizes how it allows students to encounter scenarios they couldn’t otherwise experience.
“Improving children’s life prospects through education has been a long-standing interest of mine, both in the realms of politics and technology,” Clegg remarks. “Among the technological innovations I’ve witnessed at Meta, immersive technologies like VR and AR have particularly sparked my imagination due to their potential to revolutionize learning. I hope that ‘Meta for Education’ facilitates easier learning, skill acquisition, and application. It should help students feel present with their teachers and peers and access experiences and places previously out of reach. Crucially, it aims to enhance teachers’ ability to do what they excel at: teaching.”
Data from 43 Inspired Education Group schools already utilizing XR technologies show promising results. An impressive 87% of students reported feeling more engaged and interested in their classes, while 85% of teachers found virtual and mixed reality valuable in enhancing their teaching methods. Students also exhibited a 15% improvement in multiple-choice assessments.
This move from beta to full release is bolstered by collaborations with academic giants like Arizona State University, Imperial College London, and the University of Miami, all working to weave VR into their curricula.
Moreover, Meta has teamed up with VictoryXR to create over 30 “metaversities” using the Engage XR platform. These digital twin campuses facilitate student interaction remotely, and are now available at institutions such as The University of Leeds in the U.K., University of the Basque Country in Spain, and University of Hannover in Germany.
Educators curious about delving deeper into ‘Meta for Education’ can visit the program’s website. It provides a wealth of information and an application contact for interested parties in countries including Australia, Austria, Belgium, Canada, Denmark, Finland, France, Germany, Iceland, Ireland, Italy, Japan, Netherlands, New Zealand, Norway, Poland, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, the U.K., and the U.S.
