Meta has officially rolled out its ‘Meta for Education’ initiative, inviting schools and educational institutions worldwide to enrich their classrooms with Quest headsets, enabling students to dive into a diverse range of XR (extended reality) educational tools and software.
Initially introduced last April, Meta for Education offers a full package for educators eager to integrate XR into their teaching environments. This includes Quest headsets, subscriptions for XR management solutions tailored for educational use, and an array of specially designed tools and apps for administrators, educators, and students.
During its beta phase, Meta collaborated with colleges in the United States and the UK to fine-tune the platform. Feedback from educators indicated that utilizing virtual and mixed reality bolstered student engagement and helped demystify complex subjects.
In a nod to the program’s impact, Nick Clegg, Meta’s President of Global Affairs and a former UK Deputy Prime Minister, emphasized the transformative potential of immersive technologies in education. He acknowledged how such advancements allow students to engage with scenarios they might never otherwise access.
“I’ve always been passionate about enhancing educational opportunities for children, both in my political career and within the tech sector,” Clegg remarked. “Among all of Meta’s innovations, immersive technologies like VR and AR have truly captivated me because of their capacity to revolutionize learning. My hope is that Meta for Education will empower students to acquire new skills, foster meaningful interactions with their peers and instructors, and explore environments they could never physically visit. More than anything, it aims to equip teachers to excel in their craft.”
Meta’s data, collected from 43 Inspired Education Group schools that have already embraced immersive tech for teen education, reveals that 87% of students felt more engaged and eager in their studies. Additionally, 85% of teachers found that virtual and mixed reality significantly enriched their teaching toolkit, with students experiencing a 15% boost in their performance on multiple-choice exams.
The transition from beta comes after significant partnerships with institutions like Arizona State University, Imperial College London, and the University of Miami to integrate VR into their educational offerings.
Moreover, Meta and VictoryXR have launched more than 30 “metaversities” using the Engage XR platform to establish digital replicas of campuses for remote student interactions. These digital campuses are now accessible to students at The University of Leeds in the UK, the University of the Basque Country in Spain, and the University of Hannover in Germany.
Educators eager to learn more or potentially join Meta for Education can visit the program’s official site, which provides contact information for applicants across various countries, including Australia, Austria, Belgium, Canada, and many others in Europe and North America.
