Demystifying the Metaverse in Education: Part 2 of 2

In our previous article, we explored what the metaverse really is and what it isn’t. We also scratched the surface of learning in the metaverse. Let’s dive deeper into these applications in this blog.

Why has traditional e-learning failed to deliver?

Since 1980, the cost of undergraduate tuition in the USA increased by 1400%. 

E-learning was to be the answer to high educational costs, limited student capacity, high student debt, and a other problems. It was to do this by delivering scalable, remote learning to many times more students per teacher. The pandemic added urgency to this movement over the past two years as well. 

However, traditional e-learning has simply not been able to deliver on the promise it seemed to hold. This has largely been because it simply ended up being less engaging than the offline alternative. Watching a video, reading a PDF, or even attending a Zoom session – each is uninspiring, unexciting, and just plain boring.

How can metaverse education address these shortcomings?

Learning in the metaverse has two big claims to fame – engaging 3D characters and environments, and the advanced tools that metaverse education enables. These fundamentally address the major limitations of traditional e-learning. Keep in mind that the immersive 3D environments involved are not a gimmick or even an overlay. They are the core of the learning management system itself in metaverse education.

It is possible today to create extremely realistic simulations that incorporate tactility and responsiveness to create a ‘real-world’ feel and help learners connect with the content. Games have applied these principles for some time now – Roblox or Minecraft for example. However, the same principles of persistent, gamified 3D experiences can also deliver learning in the metaverse. They have been shown to deliver high levels of retention, on subjects as diverse as physics, surgery, and engineering.

In this podcast, Matthew Ball – author of The Metaverse: And How It Will Revolutionize Everything – examines all these facets of metaverse education. He also examines how the metaverse can help address issues like the speed and effectiveness of education, the number of students that can be educated with the same resources, and increasing the reach of teachers.

Where are we heading?

The 2D internet as we know it is on its way out. The way we interact with the internet will change significantly as learning in the metaverse gains ground. Sure, the world isn’t quite going to look like Ready Player One just yet, but the basic principle is the same.

At Hornbill FX, we’re betting big on this change. And with our extensive experience with creating engaging, interactive, and immersive 3D learning experiences, we’re ready to hit the ground running. We’d love to talk to you about what we have cooking, and see if we can help you address your e-learning needs. Talk to us today!