The metaverse has become an exciting buzzword since Mark Zuckerberg made a rebrand of Facebook in October 2021, re-naming it Meta. The metaverse will allow XR (extended reality) - encompassing VR (virtual reality) and AR (augmented reality) - technologies to take us out of our physical surroundings and place us…anywhere, with the use of headsets and consoles. For higher education, the metaverse could be mind-blowing. Anything could be built, like a metaverse school, to a virtual sports arena, to a dangerous war zone that the students can safely learn about, via their VR headsets. Lessons plans can be adapted to feature an immersive experience in a 3D landscape. Physics can be taught within live simulations. Role-plays can be carried out during ‘actual’ historic events.
