A new grant-funded programme began two weeks ago with over 106 colleges and universities from across the globe attending the introduction in London, hosted by Bodyswaps with attending guests from Meta. The programme aims to allow wider access to immersive learning technologies in education and empower students with soft skill development that might have been hindered due to the pandemic.
During the 3-month programme, grantees will get unlimited access to the Bodyswaps library, including modules on diversity and inclusion, public speaking and employability training. Students and staff will be able to experience immersive learning via Quest 2 headsets donated by Meta, as well as via PC and mobile.
Matthew Sanders, Education and VR Lead at Meta said:
“When we embraced the idea of the metaverse, it quickly became clear that education and learning was going to be one of the most exciting and potentially significant use cases for immersive technology.
The research is very much still emerging, and we’re at a really early stage of this journey. I’m so pleased that [the grantees] are all coming along with us for the ride”
The grant will double up as a research project led by Thomas More University of Applied Sciences in Belgium. Gathering and analysing data from thousands of students and faculty members, the research will explore the education sector’s appetite for XR learning, map out emerging use cases and identify factors contributing to accelerated adoption.
Together, Bodyswaps and Meta Immersive Learning are unlocking opportunities for institutions to experiment with the technologies that will shape the future of learning.
Matt continued:
“Bodyswaps is amongst the most innovative and exciting applications of the technology that I have seen, and I can’t wait to see it being used by so many outstanding education providers.”
Christophe Mallet, Co-Founder & CEO of Bodyswaps ended with:
“The reason we’re here today is not to evangelise VR for VR’s sake, it’s to explore how we can leverage the technology to measurably impact student outcomes.
Over 106 institutions are part of the programme, making it one of the largest and boldest initiatives to transform how education institutions equip their students with essential, life-altering soft skills.
This is an unprecedented opportunity to have a real-life impact on the lives of many young people.”
