The emergence of the metaverse is creating a promising future for how people interact and conduct business. While the metaverse is arguably still in its infancy, the UAE is capitalising on the technology’s potential in becoming a hub for both talent and innovation in the space.
Dubai’s recently announced plan to boost the contribution of the metaverse to the economy to $4bn by 2030 will be supportive of the emirate’s overall growth and creating 40,000 jobs is a clear sign of the UAE’s ambition for the metaverse.
Considered as an integral part of Web 3.0, the metaverse is perceived as an immersive virtual world where people can interact with each other and various forms of digital media using advanced technologies ranging from sensors, to AR/VR, blockchain, NFT, spatial computing, 5G, edge computing to name a few.
This virtual world represents a convergence of our physical and virtual lives, and a concrete representation of digital identity and digital ownership. Using blockchain as distributed and immutable ledger, land plots can be sold as NFTs along with other digital assets such as digital clothing and avatar skins, thus enabling people to own a part of the metaverse.
Such transactions will be achieved using cryptocurrencies and will be recorded on the blockchain to preserve digital ownership, potentially leading to a parallel and thriving economy within these virtual worlds.
This then raises the question – how can the metaverse benefit key sectors, such as the education sector, in the UAE?
Considered as a pioneer and an innovation hub in the region, the UAE has often shown an openness to emerging and game-changing technologies, as well as a desire to lead the way in terms of their development and adoption.
Recent announcements such as the One Human Reality project, the establishment of the Virtual Asset Regulatory Authority, and the encouragement of blockchain adoption in the public and private sector are testaments to this pioneering and innovative mindset in the country.
Due to the interactive and experiential nature of education, the metaverse concept can bring significant benefits and innovative use cases in this field, such as: Distributed virtual campuses; Training and simulation in the virtual world; Virtual study tours and internships.
Universities around the world can invest and build branch campuses on the metaverse as a way to attract a wider and geographically diverse student audience. International students could choose to study in a metaverse virtual campus of a world-renowned university, which residing in their home country, thus gaining the benefit of a world class transnational education from the comfort of their home.
Furthermore, students from different campuses around the world can interact in the virtual world, thus creating an enriching, unique, and global educational experience for students. On the other hand, the use of VR/AR and metaverse related technologies open the door for advanced simulations and training in various fields.
An example is the medical field where medical students and veteran surgeons can use VR as a surgical training tool replacing cadaveric training which is expensive and sometimes impractical. Using realistic settings and live haptic feedback, the metaverse can enable medics to gain the necessary hands-on experience for performing surgical procedures and operations.
Another example is military training and simulations in the virtual world, where army cadets can practice dangerous and mission critical tasks such as detonation of landmines or tactical military procedures in a simulated and controlled environment.
Pilot and fire fighter trainings can similarly occur in realistic settings with rich sensory and contextual feedback, thus leading to a great educational experience. Finally, offering students the possibility of virtual study tours and internships on the metaverse opens a world of possibilities in preparing the future workforce for industry needs.
To sum up, the metaverse will revolutionise the way we interact and communicate. Combining a large set of advanced technologies, the metaverse will enable the convergence of the physical and digital worlds and the preservation of digital ownership and digital identities.
Such immersive, extended reality concept opens the door for exciting applications in the education sector – applications that can lead to a more interactive, immersive, and experiential learning experience.
Educational institutes should therefore contemplate and experiment with the adoption of the metaverse concept in order to create an immersive and interactive learning experience that suits the needs of the current and the future generations.