The inaugural Meta Educators Community Summit—held in Palo Alto, California on October 17-18, 2024—gathered approximately 70 college and university educators who are at the forefront of using immersive technologies. This gathering marked a significant milestone for Meta’s commitment to immersive technologies in education.
Meta for Education Beta
Back “[i]n April 2024, Meta announced its development of a new educational offering for Meta Quest headsets, aimed at providing teachers, trainers, and administrators access to a range of education-specific apps and features. [By] November 2024, the Meta for Education beta program launched with over a dozen colleges and universities across the US and UK. As of [February 2025], Meta for Education [was] widely available, offering schools and universities a complete VR/MR learning ecosystem. By combining powerful management tools with a rich catalog of educational apps, Meta is transforming the classroom into a gateway to worlds previously out of reach,” according to Forbes magazine who delved into the compelling use cases for VR in higher education in an article on Meta for Education. (Read the full article at FORBES.com.)
University of Miami | First Year Directions
At this inaugural Meta Educators Community summit, representatives from 26 universities, a few K-12 institutions, and several Meta employees experienced various universities’ VR initiatives and provided feedback on Meta’s VR education efforts. Recognized as leaders in the field, the University of Miami was well represented by the School of Communication Interactive Media Program Chair and University UMverse Lead, Kim Grinfeder, and by Tom Merrick, Sr. Project Manager of XR Initiatives, who delivered a presentation on UM’s “First Year Directions” (FYD) VR app that was met with great enthusiasm. The goal of UM’s First Year Directions is to expose every incoming student at the University of Miami to immersive cutting-edge technologies. The students use VR to complete an assignment, and dive into some amazing and unique experiences, available only to students at The U.
Meta for Education Expansion
Forbes contributor Ray Ravaglia spoke with Tom Merrick on students’ reactions to VR. “In classrooms, where some sessions are in person and others in VR, no one misses the VR sessions,” Merrick shared. Reports from universities who participated in Meta for Education’s beta phase showed an 87% increase in student engagement, Ravaglia stated. Now widely available, educational institutions can purchase Meta for Education online. The management software is included when a new Meta Quest device is purchased, or a subscription is offered separately. “Meta is lowering barriers to widespread VR adoption by providing an integrated system with managed services. The real question is not whether VR will play a role in education but how soon it will become an essential part of it,” Ravaglia concluded.
Read more about RXR in higher education at UM. Read more about First Year Directions.
