• by Colin Kirkland , November 12, 2024

As Meta continues to lose billions on virtual reality (VR) and metaverse initiatives -- a concern for investors -- the tech giant is beginning to test its VR tools with select universities, attempting to gain helpful feedback on whether or not education will be a successful use case when developing and promoting applications for its Quest devices.

The “Meta for Education” beta program includes partnerships with over a dozen universities across the U.S. and the U.K., giving institutions like the Imperial College London, the University of Glasgow, and the University of Leeds early access to a range of apps and features designed to introduce students to “expensive or out-of-reach educational experiences.”

Meta says that these institutions will “ensure regular touchpoints with educators who are trialing VR and XR prototypes and programs in their own classrooms,” as a way to help the company improve its products ahead of official launches.

Ultimately, the company and the partnered colleges want to establish a new learning ecosystem made up of creators, developers, educational institutions, research organizations, and tech companies as a means to “combine the digital and physical worlds,” according to Monica Arés, the executive director of Imperial Idea Lab at Imperial College London.

To showcase this merging of worlds, Meta is also working with VictoryXR, an educational metaverse company, to develop digital twin “metaversities” in Europe where educators and students will be able to explore, socialize, and participate in live classes remotely within immersive environments that mirror their physical campuses.

The University of Leeds began immersive Performance and Theater classes in September, while the University of the Basque Country plans to use Meta's immersive tech to host classes in Physiotherapy and Anatomy in February 2025, along with other European universities.

The educational VR push follows Meta's recent strategy of prioritizing education as a major use case for its Reality Labs creations -- especially Quest headsets.

The company launched its first pilot program for educational VR with 15 U.S. universities in 2023, touting the potential benefits of immersive nursing and surgical VR applications. And earlier this year, the company announced a training program to help educators utilize VR in the classroom.

As of now, it is unclear which U.S. universities have agreed to partner with Meta’s newest beta program.