The education scenario changed due to the worldwide pandemic. Schools were closed. Students connected online to learn. During these challenging times, advanced technology and innovations were developed.
The advancement in technology helped both the educators and children so that learning was not hampered. Various educational portals offer education online. Some of the genuine websites are Crazy for Study, CouseHero, Slader, etc.
At times, students are stuck with complex assignments. Textbook solution manual comes to their aid. Nowadays, online help is available to children. A child can discover and learn through various means like gamification, AR, VR, etc.
The Metaverse has gained popularity and entered various sectors in recent times. It is all-pervading just like Instagram, Meta (formerly known as Facebook).
So what is Metaverse, and why it is the buzzword today? In simple words Meta means beyond and verse refers to the universe. Tech companies practice the word to define what comes after the Internet.
A Metaverse is basically a place where you can work, travel, shop, watch movie, attend a concert with friends or have dinner with family.
Whatever one does in the real world can be replicated in the digital word.
So then the next question arises; how would the Metaverse work?
Ideally, logging on to the Metaverse would be like logging on to the internet. Except, in place of viewing content on a screen, you would use a headset.
You are given an avatar body to personalize and dress once you enter the Metaverse. It lets you to stroll, write, talk, and move as if you remain in real life.
Slowly and gradually, Metaverse has entered the education world. We have got new immersive and imaginary worlds; how we instruct children and prepare teachers must also advance to meet these new prospects.
During the pandemic, teachers and students touched a new understanding in dealing with technology. And that also means strategies to cope with the limits faced, particularly during synchronous classes!
Some advantages of choosing the Metaverse in education
· Students can use virtual reality to go on an excursion such as visiting museums. The best part is that their friends from across the globe can join them. Students get enriched learning through interactive experiences.
· Teachers can gamify learning. Metaverse allows user to have a virtual, collective and task-oriented character that permit students to learn without recognising it.
· Students can share experience based on their views and cultural backgrounds and see the world through their classmate’s perspective from other countries.
· Travel costs are saved. Virtual assessment allows students to visit any site they have in mind but are not able to see.
· When students interact with others, they learn skills like communication, collaboration, sharing content, etc.
The famous adage goes like, “Everything that glitters is not gold”. We have seen the benefits of Metaverse. Now we will learn about some disadvantages
Some disadvantages of Metaverse in education
· With the introduction of gamification, children will not learn with the traditional learning method.
· The administrator or the tutor cannot guess all the users actions due to high degree of freedom. Here he students will involve in playthings with no learning.
· The Metaverse will make students distracted from learning.
· Students can be recognised in a limited manner in the Virtual world as compared to reality. If students are playing the tutor will not even know about his mischief.
Implications of the Metaverse in education
Metaverse has entered the field of education, despite of the disadvantages we have learned above. If used appropriately and genuinely, everything reaps benefits.
How can the Metaverse be implemented in the field of education?
1. Brings curriculum up-to-date
The world is regularly changing, with new technologies and schools of thought developing. It is easy for the curriculum to holdup or step behind, but the Metaverse has the power to make the whole world a classroom with figures rooted around the globe. Related to the game but for learning!
2. Gamification
Metaverse can “Gamify” the learning process. With its importance on partnership and finishing tasks, the virtual world could make school feel like a video game, with modules structured like quests, inspiring students to finish their work.
3. Promotes interdisciplinary learning and encourages practical application of theory
VR-based teaching can break down the obstacles between subjects, helping to establish how different theories can be useful in real-life conditions. Furthermore, applied tasks such as wiring a plug, installing a drain, and even unconventional medical skills like surgery could be trained using VR in the future, joining learning without the concern of real-world concerns.
4. Improve test results
Studies show that the use of VR in the classroom has a positive effect on exam results. Students who usually averaged a C grade outperformed A-grade students in exams after using VR technology to help them study.
Summing up
The Metaverse has many potential applications in education and our lives.
Using the Metaverse, the institutions develop interactive classrooms and memory retention.
In short, learners enjoy the classes; this is a benefit for instructors as well. The benefits of Metaverse are immense if used properly.
