David Lucatch is the CEO, President and Chairman of Liquid Avatar Technologiesfocused on giving users control over their digital identity
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As the metaverse industry is expected to $800 Billion Market by 2024, we continue to learn new ways in which this immersive, virtual environment may better enable us to connect with each other around the world. This comes at a time when many are already participating in and benefiting from virtual activities that would otherwise not be possible due to distance, time or cost.
By enabling new possibilities for virtual rather than face-to-face instruction, the metaverse has the power to transform access to education and the way we learn. The types of education that the metaverse can accommodate are varied, from interactive school learning and workplace training to professional accreditation. In so many ways, the metaverse opens up new opportunities for people to learn what they want by reducing barriers to accessibility.
The rise of virtual learning and benefits of the metaverse
Today, several options are already emerging when it comes to virtual learning. We already have tutorial and tutorial videos, online courses, Zoom classes, and online executive certificate programs where students can interact with instructors from anywhere. The e-learning industry alone is expected to $457.8 billion market by 2026. In addition, innovative VR training courses are introduced that can teach people how to perform a range of complicated tasks, from perform echoes until fighting fires†
Some may wonder in what capacity the metaverse really enables a significantly better virtual learning experience than what we already have. The answer seems to point to the old parable in which the short-term value of giving a man a fish so he can eat for a day is compared with the long-term value of teaching him how to do it himself. fish so he can eat for the rest of his life.
Today, “teaching a man to fish” is best reflected by providing students with the kind of multidimensional, immersive experiences made possible by the metaverse.
Here are just three examples of education models that can be transformed with the wider access to rich learning opportunities that the metaverse provides.
1. Workplace training
There are certain types of hands-on training that require the physical presence of a person who can guide you through the steps. In this capacity, the metaverse can give students an edge in understanding certain concepts and techniques. Bartenders, for example, can experience the moment-to-moment details needed to mix the perfect cocktail – they just can’t taste it.
The same could be true for those involved in industrial training. Interns may not be able to feel or touch the materials, but by using VR and/or AR-enhanced visuals, they can recreate the experience of building a table or taking a trading training course. Workplaces could even place multimedia spaces in their training centers, where this immersive type of training could be of great benefit to standard training programs.
2. Interactive learning in the classroom
Students may enjoy the experience of going on a field trip without ever leaving a classroom. They would be able to get up close and personal with a myriad of natural and man-made wonders without leaving the classroom or strolling through their 19th century town.
Imagine being able to visit the Grand Canyon in a way that brings the classroom experience as close to your stay as possible. Imagine learning chess from Bobby Fischer or discussing physics with Stephen Hawking.
Overlaying AR elements over materials gives students a better feel and feel for what they are learning, making lessons more engaging and educational.
3. Professional accreditation
Could the metaverse be able to help people gain advanced accreditation in areas such as real estate, accounting, or coding? We think so.
The metaverse provides individuals with the interactive tools necessary to navigate the various aspects necessary to truly understand the tasks and functions of these professions in real time. It elevates the material above a one-way supply of theoretical information.
In addition, the metaverse has the potential to open up new fields as formally established learning disciplines due to past limitations on existing media delivery. Once upon a time there were no classes available for HTML coding or JavaScript. With the evolution of technology, including that of personal computers, you can now earn a degree in these disciplines.
In the same way that we’ve started teaching people how to build websites and mobile apps, for example, it becomes even more possible to teach people how to build metaverse experiences on their own.
Some additional considerations
Many can – and should – doubt that metaverse-based education will replace personal learning. The future of education in the metaverse should not be seen as a replacement, but as an enhancement of personal learning. Metaverse-based learning does not attempt to remove the human experience, but rather to capture and replicate it technologically, giving more learners a rich perspective on the material.
However, there are some more substantial concerns when it comes to these new learning opportunities. One of these is the question of how we can best ensure that people who receive information in these spaces are actually entitled to it. This is where digital identity comes in: ensuring that those who have the right to teach and take the courses are actually the ones who do so. Just as this technology is used to prevent identity theft, it can be used to protect against fraud and deception in the educational environment. As a disclosure, digital identity is a solution offered by both my company and others.
As the advent of distance learning technology marked a major turning point for education a decade ago, today is an opportune time for people of all ages to access learning in a way that reflects personal experiences. As the industry advances, it offers potentially untold opportunities to equip the next generation with the training, skills and education they need, wherever they are.
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