Meta has announced its Meta for Education beta program, designed to explore the potential of VR and XR in university education through Meta Quest headsets. By collaborating with several universities in the US and UK, Meta aims to transform learning through immersive experiences and gather valuable feedback to enhance its educational applications.
Participating universities, including Imperial College London, the University of Glasgow, and the University of Leeds, work closely with Meta to pilot classroom VR-based programs. The early access enables these institutions to experience firsthand the innovative apps and features that bring complex, resource-intensive educational experiences into a more accessible virtual environment.
“We’re finally at a place where we have a way to combine the digital and physical worlds, and it’s unlocking this entirely new set of tools, which is what makes all of this so exciting,” says Monica Arés, executive director of Imperial IDEA Lab, Imperial College London.
In addition to the beta program, Meta partnered with VictoryXR to develop Europe’s first digital twin “metaversities.” Students at institutions such as the University of Leeds, the University of the Basque Country, and the University of Hannover can now engage in immersive experiences mirroring their physical campuses. Leeds kicked off its program in September, focusing on Performance and Theater.
Beyond the beta testing and digital twins, Meta actively supports educators with new resources and training. In France, Meta has partnered with France Immersive Learning to release an English-language guidebook to help educators understand and integrate VR technology into classrooms. In the Netherlands, Meta supports the Immersive Learning Academy, which focuses on integrating VR and XR tools into lifelong learning programs and educator training.
Studies highlight the benefits of VR in education, as PwC reported that VR learners are 40% more confident in applying what they learn and 150% more engaged in class. Moreover, 77% of educators surveyed by the XR Association and the International Society for Technology in Education (ISTE) believe immersive technologies fuel curiosity and boost engagement.