Beyond Walls: The Metaverse's Role in Shaping Tomorrow's Classrooms
At the recent “Classroom of the Future” panel at Edutech Asia 2024, leaders in immersive education came together to discuss how the metaverse could address some of these challenges—engaging students, breaking geographical boundaries, and rethinking the learning experience.
Panelists:
Moderator:
Engagement beyond the classroom walls
Pan Hui, professor specializing in the metaverse, made the crowd smile in agreement with his observation: “Traditional classrooms are boring... teachers give lectures, students listen, and they get sleepy.” He underlined that the metaverse changes this by immersing students in “90% experience” rather than passive listening, transforming classrooms into lively, engaging spaces where learning is memorable.
Ulla Hemminki-Reijonen, director developing educational technology from the University of Helsinki, shared how the university is introducing increasingly immersive solutions to teach more students with the same resources. Ulla sees this as a powerful way to scale education: “There’s pressure to teach more students with the same resources. The metaverse can help us scale while keeping students engaged,” particularly in lab-intensive fields like chemistry or pharmacy, where virtual labs can help overcome limited physical resources.
Helmi Norman, associate professor at Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia, highlighted why immersive technology is essential in addressing gaps in traditional education. “In history alone, thousands of students struggle to pass,” he explained. With today’s digital natives, who adapt quickly to tech, Helmi emphasized, “We must integrate immersive tech to meet the needs of this new, digital-first generation.”
Breaking down borders: collaboration across different places and times
One of the metaverse’s exciting applications is its ability to connect students from different locations in shared, virtual classrooms. Pan highlighted a project where “students from Hong Kong and Guangzhou can sit together in the metaverse, interacting and collaborating across campuses.”
At the University of Helsinki, Ulla presented the new AI-powered sustainability course called Serendip, which combines disciplines across all 11 faculties. “Sustainability is critical to our university,” she explained, describing how students can virtually explore environments like boreal forests, rainforests, and oceans, experiencing real-world challenges in diverse ecosystems.
Helmi covered the accessibility of creating metaverse spaces, saying, “It’s not that hard—I can introduce how to create a metaverse in one minute.” Using tools like Unity and generative AI, educators can build 3D environments without coding, enabling teachers to craft their own metaverse experiences, some of which are now collected in a collaborative educational book.
Immersive learning: making the impossible possible
Helmi Norman shared how the metaverse empowers both learners and teachers to create personalized worlds, which brings learning to life. “Empowering everyone to be co-creators transforms learning,” he explained, whether it’s designing a virtual city or a lab.
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Pan Hui described the unique advantage of VR in creating a sense of “embodiment and presence” that remote learning on platforms like Zoom lacks. Citing neuroscience research, he noted, “In face-to-face communication, certain brain regions are more active.” His team is studying whether VR, through avatar embodiment, can replicate these effects.
Ulla Hemminki-Reijonen reinforced the transformative potential of immersive learning: “It’s about tools to make the impossible possible... travel in time, experience someone else’s life, solve global challenges in simulated worlds.” Research highlights the importance of “flow”—when students are so motivated and immersed that they don’t realize they’re learning. In the metaverse, students can gain transferable skills in authentic environments, learning to apply their knowledge in uncertain futures.
Designing for user experience: the key to successful immersive learning
The moderator Jerry Chua raised a common criticism of metaverse education: Are we using tech for the sake of tech? The panelists shared insights on how to design meaningful learning experiences.
Pan explained the importance of iterative design, recounting his team’s experience building a metaverse castle: “When you build things, you encounter unexpected issues—moving speeds, angle turns, users feeling dizzy.” He stressed that refining these environments requires ongoing feedback and adjustments. “You have to consider user experience—starting with short 10-15 minute sessions and gradually extending to 2 hours as users adjust.”
Ulla pointed out that some teachers are initially skeptical of VR, seeing it as “sci-fi nonsense” or designed only for technical users. She highlighted the importance of easing educators into the technology by addressing real teaching challenges. “It’s about widening perspectives. Get them to try a little bit at first, then go deeper.”
Helmi noted that empowering students to create their own metaverse spaces is transformative. Reflecting on K-12 students in Malaysia, he observed, “When children are given the tools, they create wonders—some built the pyramids of Giza in a day.” In higher education, this approach gives students real-world context, whether it’s medicine, nursing, or architecture. Helmi emphasized, “They get it, and they buy into the idea when it’s relevant to them.”
Ulla emphasized that examples are essential for adopting new technology that isn’t yet widely used: “People need to see it’s been done before. It’s much easier for others to say, ‘Hey, I want that.’”
What’s next?
Looking forward, all panelists agreed that the metaverse will continue evolving, with hardware becoming more affordable and content shifting from entertainment to educational and other purposes.
Pan Hui pointed out that cities across China are seeing a growth in XR and AR experience centers, with generative AI further empowering content production for the metaverse. Ulla shared her hopes for the future, having seen progress with XR startups creating tailored solutions for various disciplines. “Currently, many XR solutions focus on engineering and related fields, but I look forward to seeing more diversity in approaches, and solutions reflecting authentic places, cultures, and a variety of disciplines,” Ulla added.
Helmi predicts this high-end tech will become more accessible, allowing content to reach both practical applications and more mainstream educational settings. “If it makes sense, it will happen.”
Final thoughts: a collaborative future
The panel explored the role of collaboration and standardization in building a metaverse that supports education and industry needs.
In Ulla’s view, the success of the metaverse in education requires a coordinated effort: “Finland has a national metaverse strategy bringing together public and private sector efforts.” With collaboration, education and technology can advance hand-in-hand, making classrooms of the future accessible and effective for all.
Pan highlighted the challenges of interoperability, as private companies build their own metaverse platforms: “The metaverse will be the future of the internet, operating as a system, but companies might not want to open their platforms.” He suggested that within 2-3 years, companies and governments will develop their own platforms, with standardization taking another 5-10 years. “In 10 years, we’ll see a standardized, immersive internet where platforms can communicate and share data,” he predicted.
Helmi emphasized the metaverse’s potential in fields requiring precision, such as engineering and medicine. “In Malaysia, we’re already seeing business platforms using VR and XR for remote operations, conferences, and even commerce,” he noted, seeing a strong future for both commercial and educational applications.
What are your thoughts on the future of immersive education? How do you envision the role of the metaverse in classrooms worldwide? Let’s continue the conversation in the comments below.
Associate Professor of Digital and Futuristic Education at Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia
2 周Thanks for the excellent reflections!