The metaverse is a digital space that uses advanced technologies like virtual reality
(VR), augmented reality (AR), artificial intelligence (AI), cryptography, and
blockchain, among others, to mirror the real world, shared Ranga Jagannath,
Senior Director, Agora in an exclusive conversation with Sheeba Chauhan of
Elets News Network. Edited excerpts:
How has the metaverse impacted the education sector?
Even though the metaverse is in its nascent stage, it is safe to say that it has already
penetrated multiple sectors, education being one of the most prominent ones. The
metaverse is an immersive experience, and this is one of the reasons why it’s here
to stay. Developers are building metaverse experiences with accessibility in mind.
Features such as avatars, soundboards, voice-changing apps, and 3D audio enhance
hybrid physical-world/metaverse experiences. These features reduce the friction
students with any particular physical, or emotional needs might experience in the
classroom. When metaverse meets education, it promises to open a new world of
innovation, solving the problems of physical barriers and more. Making education
entertaining and accessible is bound to gain traction. Therefore, the benefits of a
metaverse in the education sector extend to teachers and students, allowing them to
explore new learning methods and deliver content.
How does RTE enable metaverse?
The metaverse is a digital space that uses advanced technologies like virtual reality
(VR), augmented reality (AR), artificial intelligence (AI), cryptography, and
blockchain, among others, to mirror the real world. RTE makes the metaverse
more inclusive. With RTE, one can bridge the gap between the limitless virtual and
physical worlds. RTE delivers metaverse connectivity from one-to-one to one-to-
many using any device, anywhere.
There are three pillars to RTE: shared context, interactivity at scale, and ubiquity.
Each is equally important when creating the necessary metaverse illusions
Also Read:- Metaverse meets Education: Transformation beyond traditional trajectory
Agora’s award-winning real-time engagement platform enables connectivity
between metaverses. Additionally, VR and AR are two components of RTE that
facilitate seamless interaction in the metaverse – leading to a more unparalleled, connected, and engaging user experience. RTE also removes entry barriers by
simplifying access to the metaverse to something as ubiquitous as a web browser.
In this context, real-time engagement will be the metaverse’s center. Educators and
platforms must, therefore, make that extra effort to find partners who can support
it, thereby making metaverse learning a better alternative than distance and even
in-classroom learning.
What are some of the solutions Agora provides in the education sector?
Education is one of those sectors that witnessed a significant transformation during
the pandemic. Frequent updates had to be incorporated by several ed tech players
to be relevant during the period. Agora provides everything one needs to build a
custom, branded virtual classroom at any scale. With Agora, one has complete
control of the branding and functionality of their app while keeping users’ sensitive
data safely in the hands of the end users, brands, and app owners.
Currently, some of the solutions Agora provides in this sector are:
● Customizable technology: Customize virtual tutoring spaces with high-
quality video/audio calls, real-time messaging, and engagement tools,
including Breakout Rooms and an Interactive Whiteboard.
● Immersive technology: Transform language training by building an
immersive environment with social activities and video/audio chat rooms
● Recording facility: Empower live proctoring with single/dual camera
settings and cloud or on-premise recording
● Meaningful engagement: Increase classroom efficiency with a suite of
collaborative and interactive tools
● Scalability: Quickly and easily scale the class from 1-on-1 to up to 1 million
students.
Agora provides real-time messaging, a courseware resource center, annotation
tools, and many more for possible use in the education process.
What are some of the future trends in the metaverse in the edtech sector?
The pandemic forced a massive shift in EdTech. Before the pandemic, teachers
were comfortable taking up a book and starting to teach, but the situation changed
almost overnight. It was nearly impossible to predict how virtual reality, the
metaverse, and its application, would change the educational landscape. In
response, educational institutions and Edtech firms started using online real-time mediums to eliminate geographical and physical obstacles to learning. However,
many need help adapting to it due to the application’s complexity. Metaverse helps
overcome this complexity. In the future, we anticipate the metaverse to
revolutionize education through techniques like virtual 3D classrooms, virtual
campus activities, and imitating real-world scenarios. The opportunity to study,
practice, and improve one’s skills is enormous, given the metaverse’s rapid
development.
In this regard, some of the trends we foresee are:
Augmented reality will be a crucial enabler: The metaverse helps people
understand concepts by bringing theories and facts and simulating realistic
scenarios to help students deal with complex topics.
Virtual reality will help overcome challenges: The virtual reality experience
provided by the metaverse will help overcome the gap between face-to-face and
virtual interactions. It offers a healthy setting to alter conventional learning
techniques with a real holographic character that comes to life. It gives students the
confidence to develop their social communication skills, form networks, and
access the virtual experience of being in a class at home. Students can
communicate with anyone from the comfort of their homes.
Playful learning is the next big thing: By fusing digital data with artificial
intelligence, metaverse pulls the past into the present, bringing imagination to life,
and has been widely used in the Edtech industry to transform the entire experience.
The AI-supported educational programs may introduce enjoyable learning to the
classroom. The ability to learn is improved when the surroundings are attractive or
alive.
How do you see the growth of 5G impacting the Metaverse in India?
5G is one of the critical enablers of the metaverse and will help make Web 3.0 a
reality. According to the Ericsson ConsumerLab report, 5G users, on average, are
already spending one hour more per week on metaverse-related services than 4G
users. They also expect two hours of more video content to be consumed weekly
on mobile devices, 1.5 hours of which will be on AR/VR glasses by 2025. 5G will
allow extended reality to connect anytime and anywhere in the (physical)world to
their preferred (digital) metaverse and embrace exciting and novel applications and
services. 5G will lower latency and bring computing power closer to the user.
Many opportunities are made possible by 5G networks’ ultra-low latency, especially in augmented reality (AR). 5G and metaverse interactions will help both
technologies advance and become more widespread. Thanks to the metaverse,
companies may now interact with and provide for their customers in fresh and
unexpected ways.
