In Virtual Reality News
April 6, 2022 – VictoryXR, a provider of augmented and virtual reality (AR/VR) content for schools and educational institutions, has announced ten “Metaversities” will be launching in the US this fall, with several educational institutions planning to roll out digital twin campuses in order to provide learning options for students in the metaverse.
According to VictoryXR, each school will roll out a digital twin replica campus for students to attend, whether they are on campus or learning remotely. In addition, each student will receive a Quest 2 VR headset for use during the course they are taking. Finally, courses will be synchronous, or multi-student, as if they were attending class on a physical campus.
“When the history of metaverse education is written, these are the schools that will be known as the metaverse pioneers,” said Steve Grubbs, VictoryXR CEO. “Remote learning is growing and these schools have decided to look for something better than a Zoom class.”
The partnership was funded, in part, by Meta Immersive Learning – Meta’s USD $150 million investment fund set up to help develop the next generation of metaverse creators, fund high quality immersive experiences that transform the way people learn, and increase access to learning through technology.
VictoryXR stated that Meta will provide Quest 2 headsets during the project on each campus as well as funding for the digital twin buildouts. Each campus is being built by VictoryXR on the EngageVR platform.
The List of Universities and Colleges participating includes one veteran school and nine new metaversities:
- Morehouse College
- University of Kansas School of Nursing
- New Mexico State University
- South Dakota State University
- West Virginia University
- University of Maryland Global Campus
- Southwestern Oregon Community College
Information on the additional three metaversities will be released in May.
“More than any learning innovation I have been involved with, Morehouse in the Metaverse has made the biggest difference for the students I teach,” said Dr. Muhsinah Morris, Associate Professor at Morehouse College.
Using either a virtual reality headset, or a PC, students will enter their respective “metacampus” with other students and their professor. There, they will be able to engage in classroom experiences like delving into human anatomy, history field trips through a time machine or astronomy on a starship.
“Just like the real world, students will be able to break into small groups and work on projects together, no matter their physical distance,” said Grubbs. “But unlike the real world, they will be able to shrink to the size of Ant-man and tour the human body. It’s no wonder student retention is so much greater.”
Last year, accountancy firm PwC published research on the advantages of using VR for learning*. The findings showed that 40% of VR learners are more confident in applying what they’ve been taught and 150% more engaged. In addition, VR was found to be 400% faster than classroom-based learning.
For more information on VictoryXR and its virtual reality solutions for immersive metaverse learning, please visit the company’s website.
Image / video credit: VictoryXR / YouTube
About the author
Sam Sprigg
Sam is the Founder and Managing Editor of Auganix. With a background in research and report writing, he has been covering XR industry news for the past seven years.
