Getting Social Learning right: Leveraging the Metaverse

Collaboration is one of the key human impulses that drive learning outcomes. Social learning uses collaboration, interaction, and shared experiences to improve engagement and overall learning outcomes. Social learning adapts itself well to tools such as the metaverse, an immersive, collaborative learning experience.

When used right, the metaverse is an extension of social learning as, unlike other e-learning techniques, it provides a realistic in-person learning experience.

Here’s a look at some of the best ways to work with social learning within the metaverse.

The metaverse and new points of view

Social learning, especially in person or the metaverse, exposes you to different perspectives. It helps your learners learn from the experiences of others and create stronger peer-to-peer relationships. They can also share, request, and receive feedback from their peers, thus building a strong learning community that helps all participants in the learning journey.

If your learners engage with each other within a metaverse, the community-building process becomes much more realistic. Learners interact with each other ‘in person’ for deeper engagement within the e-learning program.

Group projects within the metaverse

When you create collaborative learning opportunities within the metaverse, you provide your learners with a more engaging and interactive e-learning program. Group projects encourage learners to work together to complete tasks. By prioritizing interpersonal engagement within the VR world, you can train your learners on soft skills and realistic collaboration.

Game-based learning in the Metaverse

It’s hard to create a community in a purely impersonal online learning environment. Two ways to do so are by using the metaverse and by creating and implementing team-based or collaborative learning games. When combined, these help learners get involved with the community, as they feel they’re really engaging with their colleagues. As they help each other get through the game, learning becomes more of a collective, personal experience.

Discussion forums within the metaverse

By creating virtual breakout rooms within the metaverse, or immersive discussion forums, you can facilitate collaboration and interaction. This allows learners to connect with each other virtually, yet personally, while learning.

Immersive peer-to-peer learning

By allowing your learners to teach each other, you let them share ideas, assess each other, and share constructive feedback. It’s easy enough to pair younger learners with more experienced peers as mentors, but if they don’t have a way to interact with each other in person, it’s tough to establish a true bond. That’s why, within the e-learning environment, it’s advisable to provide your learners with an immersive option for peer-to-peer engagement. With an opportunity for near-real engagement, learners can interact and gain social feedback and support from peers, buddies or mentors in an engaging and supportive learning experience.

You need an element of personal interaction for social learning, which is easier to create when paired with a virtual reality learning environment such as the metaverse. So if you’re creating social learning strategies for your corporate e-learning strategies, work with the immersive learning experts. Talk to Hornbill FX today.