Mark Zuckerberg Chairman and CEO of Meta Platforms (formerly Facebook, Inc.) | Meta Platforms (formerly Facebook, Inc.)
Meta Platforms has announced the general availability of Meta for Education, a mixed and virtual reality education offering. This new service allows educators to use Meta Quest devices in conjunction with Meta Horizon managed services to provide immersive learning experiences.
Initially announced in April 2024, Meta for Education aims to offer educators, trainers, and administrators access to apps and features tailored for educational purposes. These tools are designed to help students engage with content through immersive experiences that might otherwise be inaccessible.
The introduction of mixed and virtual reality (MR and VR) into education is seen as transformative. The immersive nature of these technologies offers students interactive experiences that traditional methods cannot provide. For instance, students can explore complex scientific structures or historical events using headsets like the Meta Quest 3 and 3S.
Feedback from schools already utilizing this technology indicates positive outcomes. At 83 Inspired Education Group schools, 90% of students reported increased engagement and interest in their lessons. Additionally, there was a noted 25% boost in student confidence regarding their knowledge, while teachers found MR and VR valuable for enhancing teaching methods. Students also showed a 15% improvement in academic performance on multiple-choice assessments.
Meta for Education builds on the company's enterprise solutions by offering a package that includes a Meta Quest headset and a subscription to managed solutions aimed at educational settings. This bundle seeks to maintain educator control while providing an engaging platform for third-party content across various subjects such as science, history, and language arts.
During its beta phase, Meta collaborated with over a dozen colleges and universities in the US and UK. Institutions like Savannah College of Art & Design, Imperial College London, Morehouse College, and the University of Michigan participated in providing feedback that contributed to product improvements. Educators noted that MR and VR made educational content more memorable for students while aiding in explaining complex concepts.
Dr. Sean Hauze from San Diego State University commented on the initiative: “We’re not replacing things that we can do in person…we’re empowering students to do things that would be out of reach otherwise.”
Meta sees this development as a significant advancement in educational technology, offering new ways for educators and students to interact beyond traditional physical boundaries.
