The arrival of the Metaverse has meant a new world of possibilities for the educational sector, which now faces the challenge of making the most of this new tool.
It is an ecosystem that is still growing. However, many professionals and experts have already begun to think about how they can use the Metaverse and what technological advances will be necessary to develop training and implement its use in educational centres.
The Valley debated the needs that the Metaverse will have to meet to educate in it. Specifically, in Metavalley, the space of the school in Spatial, there was a discussion about how education in the Metaverse could be developed to do it the most similar way to what is done today in physical and digital environments, working as a complement to create digital experiences. And, in turn, as an independent place.
Thus, the Metaverse will allow changes in the methodologies used in the educational sector thanks to its possibilities of interactivity and participation.
However, to achieve this, there is still a long way to go; for now, it will be necessary to develop the technologies used in these virtual and professional environments, although it is very positive, according to Lito Navarro, director of The Valley’s Metaverse Diploma “that the new generations they will naturally see the use of these tools and the way to express themselves in these virtual environments, which will make their use much more widespread”. However, here are some of the things needed to bring the education sector into the Metaverse:
Refine the necessary technologies: The first step for the Metaverse to influence the way we learn is for all the technologies used to create these virtual environments to be able to make safe and appropriate use of them to be perfected. This requires a significant investment in professionals in virtual and augmented reality, designers of interfaces, experiences and virtual environments, and blockchain and cybersecurity. For this, it will be necessary to have specialized training and technological infrastructures that are still being created. In addition, another fundamental aspect is that this technology can be available to anyone, that is, closing the digital divide and facilitating access to the devices and tools necessary to enter the Metaverse, since, without this last factor.
Teachers immersed in the Metaverse: To get the most out of the Metaverse, it is necessary for teachers to be trained and to know all the possibilities offered by this new virtual environment since only in this way will they be able to adapt their classes, use immersive content appropriately and optimize the use of the Metaverse. to improve the learning process of their students. Good use of these technologies will allow more playful training experiences and personalize the training path according to the pace of each student. In addition, it will be necessary for the teacher-student roles to change since, thanks to the Metaverse; students will have a much more active role in learning, and teachers will have to assume a position of accompaniment, so it will also be essential to redefine the criteria evaluation.
Educated by playing in the Metaverse: Gamification has opened the doors to new ways of teaching and learning online. All kinds of video games have been used to transmit knowledge that has achieved similar results to traditional methods. In this sense, the Metaverse will be able to contribute to gamified teaching by going one step further, and that is that, in this new virtual environment, students will be able to face problems that are much more similar to reality thanks to the virtual and augmented reality technologies used. In addition, they will be able to do it collaboratively, play in groups and solve challenges among several participants who connect virtually, which is even more attractive and becomes a much more enriching experience.
More immersive content and new virtual environments: For the Metaverse to bring about a significant change in the teaching methodology, it is necessary to promote more interactive and participatory learning. For this, it is essential to have the appropriate materials to achieve it. One of the challenges that the educational sector faces when incorporating the Metaverse among its training methods is the lack of immersive content. Therefore, it will be necessary to increase this type of content and create it focused on education, that is, create immersive content and new virtual environments in which both students and teachers can carry out their activities.
