Pioneering an Immersive Learning Ecosystem
Through Meta Immersive Learning, Meta is investing $150M to help develop the next generation of metaverse creators, fund high quality immersive experiences that transform the way we learn, and increase access to learning through technology.
Learning in the metaverse
What if learning could become a seamless experience that lets you weave between virtual and physical spaces?
Over the past few decades, we’ve seen a progression in how we learn based on the evolution of computing platforms. In the 80s, if you were curious about something, you looked it up in the encyclopedia and were lucky to get one paragraph and a picture.
In the 90s, we started to get our information from the internet via desktop computers. Most recently, mobile devices have given us access to the world from our pockets, allowing us to browse the internet whenever we are curious. The next step in this progression is the addition of immersive technologies like augmented reality (AR) and virtual reality (VR).
The metaverse is a virtual environment where you can be present with people in digital spaces. It feels like being inside the internet, rather than just looking at it on a mobile device.
The ability to create, explore and connect with people and places that aren’t in the same physical space will open up new pathways. This will increase access and economic opportunities, and fundamentally transform the way we learn.
The metaverse will evolve into a collaborative effort between creators, developers and organizations of all sizes. While it’s still early, the climate and appetite for new modes of learning is strong. For the first time, AR and VR technologies are broadly available enough to provide daily learning opportunities. Whether it’s using AR to help bring stories to life or VR to set aside the laws of physics with friends, our phones and VR headsets provide visually stunning blends of digital and physical worlds.
The pandemic accelerated a global shift in education, with a sweeping adoption of online learning. This universal hybrid approach, which includes both in-person and online learning, has shifted access to knowledge from a traditional one-way delivery to a more learner-centric model, where classes can be better accessed online.
The metaverse will add an immersive component to this model, so we can learn in person, online, or in simulated environments.
These environments will allow us to interact with 3D objects and explore through experience-based learning. If successful, the metaverse will break down the barriers of education, inviting people to learn with others whenever and wherever they want.
At Meta, we are focused on building an ecosystem to support learning in the metaverse. This includes empowering the next generation of AR/VR creators, transforming the way we learn through high-quality immersive experiences and increasing access to education through technology. Because our future will seamlessly integrate AR and VR into how we work, learn, shop and play, we know workforce development will be critical. Since these skills are not yet being widely taught in learning institutions, we’re doing our part to start training the next generation of creators and developers.
Providing professional training
Our first commitment to teaching immersive skills needed to build in the metaverse is the Spark AR Curriculum. This structured learning program teaches creators of all skill levels how to build AR experiences using Spark AR. Today, this ranges from AR effects that are applied to people and objects, and are increasingly applied to places and spaces in the world around us.
Developing skilled creators will lead to more high-quality immersive educational content through experience-based approaches, 3D visualizations and virtual presence. Imagine being able to play with scale, distance and time as you explore both the micro and macroscopic world, or build empathy and awareness by stepping into someone else’s shoes. Immersive training will enhance learning across all industries by offering simulated environments for exploration, discovery and practice. Additionally, creators will have new mediums and tools as their canvas.
Improving technology access
To understand the true value and potential that immersive technologies can have for learning, we must increase access and opportunity to nonprofits, educational institutions and key communities. We’ll not only partner with others to ramp up hardware donations, but also invest in community educational places such as libraries and museums — inspiring people by demonstrating the possibilities for learning in the metaverse.
The excitement for the metaverse is building because we can feel the change. The pandemic gave us a new starting point, one that won’t let us go back to the old way of doing things.
The metaverse will bring together tools, technology and opportunity that will push us towards a more curious, creative and connected world.
Transforming the way we learn
In 2016, as the first consumer VR device hit the market in Oculus Rift, Meta was already exploring foundational education apps for virtual reality. Our communities have profoundly shifted since then, and we believe we can do even better for the world as we enter a new era of learning.
Through Meta Immersive Learning, Meta is investing $150 million to help develop and empower the next generation of creators, launch high quality immersive experiences that transform the way we learn, and increase access to learning through technology.
This significant investment focuses on:
- Metaverse Creators: We’re developing new initiatives that will help creators learn new skills and build their careers.
- Immersive Content: We’re collaborating with partners to increase the amount of high-quality educational content in the metaverse.
- Increasing Access: We’re helping communities across the globe gain access to Meta technologies.
- Responsible Research: We’re investing in new research that explores the responsible development of immersive technology for learning.
For a thriving AR/VR ecosystem, we must create a virtuous cycle that supports these four focus areas, creating opportunities for educators and learners. Together, this investment will ensure Meta is leading the transformation of learning through AR/VR and the metaverse around the world.
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