How the metaverse can help students and teachers adapt to a post-pandemic world

It is easy to be sceptical about ambitions to create a digital universe, but we should not overlook the opportunities to improve education
Virtual-reality-based learning has been shown to boost grades and student engagement – more vital than ever as Covid-19 continues to disrupt schooling

Leon Hady

Published: 9:15am, 24 Dec 2021

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There is a new digital reality on everyone’s lips; the metaverse. Being touted by Facebook as the “next chapter” of the internet, many believe it is nothing more than a diversion to deflect from the company’s tarnished reputation. I believe it is far more than that.

We mustn’t overlook what an augmented world could mean for education. The classroom could be transported anywhere from the Arctic to the Large Hadron Collider, while everything from the night sky to a racing car can become an opportunity for learning.

Since early 2020, 91 per cent of students worldwide have had their education disrupted by the pandemic. They have been forced to adapt quickly, with remote learning becoming the new normal overnight. As a result, access to technology is now a necessity, not a privilege.

If we can embrace technology as a learning tool during a pandemic, then we can just as easily become early adopters of the metaverse.

The term metaverse was coined in 1992 by science fiction writer Neal Stephenson, who imagined a digital universe that could be accessed through virtual and augmented reality technology. Today, this vision is no longer the stuff of fiction. Not only will the metaverse feature extensive virtual spaces, it will also enable elements of the digital world to be overlaid onto the real world through digital headsets or glasses.

This is a game-changer for education because it provides endless opportunities for learning. It can also help us overcome the artificial siloing of subjects, a typical feature of our outdated curriculums. Immersive learning will allow teachers to combine traditionally separate disciplines like maths and science to provide a holistic, engaging learning experience.

For example, a teacher could show their students a racing car. They could then explore how it was built, how fast it goes and what temperature and speed the tyres can withstand.

Through the use of real-life scenarios, key theories take on a whole new meaning and relevance, as educators will be able to bridge gaps between theory and practice and make their teaching more nuanced.

Think this sounds like a pipe dream? In the UK, Bradfield College, an independent school, has already incorporated virtual-reality-based teaching into history, geography and science lessons, allowing students to experience these subjects in a new light. The metaverse already exists – the question is one of mass adoption and affordability.

While the initial feedback from students at Bradfield College can be called anecdotal, longer studies in Chinese classrooms have shown that VR can have a huge impact on test result efficacy, with students who are taught using VR learning immersion typically outperforming those who are not.

Education syllabuses have a perennial problem; they struggle to keep up with an ever-changing world. Many will remember a time when maths students were told they wouldn’t always have a calculator in their pocket. Little did they know.

The metaverse can ensure curriculums remain useful and relevant. It will enable up-to-date, expert analysis to be embedded all over the real world. We could look up to the night sky and have Neil deGrasse Tyson explain the structure of the Milky Way. Expertise will come from anywhere, not just from textbooks and classrooms.

Yet it is not just our current ways of learning that are outdated, but our forms of assessment. Written exams are useless for both acquiring and exhibiting the practical skills needed for a variety of vocations.

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Imagine if, instead of revising for a written exam, an apprentice could demonstrate real, hands-on experience by wiring a virtual plug, fixing a blocked drain or even performing an operation, all without the dangerous, real-world consequences. The science is conclusive on this: learning by doing trumps learning by memorisation, every time.

As with any new technology, it is our duty as parents and teachers to exercise caution. Many parents may wonder whether the metaverse will simply add more addictive screen time to our children’s day. This is a reason to manage our children’s engagement with the metaverse, not simply ban it.

Take the internet; most schools and parents are able to place parental blocks on certain websites and set screen-time allowances. There is no reason we cannot place the same controls on access to the metaverse. While we are aware of the harm of the internet, I believe it has been a net benefit for education across the world. The same will be true of the metaverse.

Indeed, the generation being raised today is already familiar with world-building technology. Games like Minecraft, which encourage organic collaboration among anonymous users, have attracted some 140 million players worldwide.

Herein lies a key benefit of learning in the metaverse; it can “gamify” learning. In other words, the virtual, collaborative and task-oriented nature of the metaverse will allow children to learn without realising it, which is the holy grail of education.

Various scientific studies have shown that learning experiences are most effective when they are fun. Gamification of learning is the future of education, which is what makes the metaverse a natural fit for the classroom.

The metaverse is another stage in the evolution of the internet. The internet has put the entire canon of human knowledge at our fingertips. The metaverse could deliver far more to the students of tomorrow, but only if we let it.

Leon Hady is a former head teacher, and founder of Guide Education, which has trained thousands of teachers

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