Metaverse and 3D Virtual Reality

In futurism and science fiction, the metaverse is a hypothetical iteration of the Internet as a single, universal and immersive virtual world that is facilitated by the use of virtual reality (VR) and augmented reality (AR) headsets. In colloquial use, a metaverse is a network of 3D virtual worlds focused on social connection.

The term “metaverse” originated in the 1992 science fiction novel Snow Crash, as a portmanteau of “meta” and “universe”. Metaverse development is often linked to advancing virtual reality technology due to increasing demands for immersion. Recent interest in metaverse development is influenced by Web3, a concept for a decentralized iteration of the internet. Web3 and The Metaverse have been used as buzzwords to exaggerate development progress of various related technologies and projects for public relations purposes. Information privacy, user addiction, and user safety are concerns within the metaverse, stemming from challenges facing the social media and video game industries as a whole.

This course allows participants to get to know, experiment and practice Metaverse and 3D Virtual Worlds with a practical focus on the most innovative aspects of learning tasks- in a safe and truly international learning environment, through discussing and sharing best practices with fellow teachers and education staff from across Europe. With its highly interactive and practice-based structure, the course aims to provide concrete examples, ideas and tools to inspire and support educators in their lesson planning and task design in 3 Dimensional Virtual Worlds and Metaverse.

Learning Objectives

• Identify, evaluate and apply different types of tasks for varying levels, skills and interests of learners
• Learn how to design, prepare and deliver interactive learning tasks addressing divergent groups of learners by making use of 3D Virtual Reality’s task design elements;
• Learn how to engage students and motivate them to establish effective collaboration and develop problem solving skills through the use of 3D Virtual Reality and Metaverse;
• Construct and integrate tasks into their own teaching;