A manifesto for the metaverse: opportunities and challenges for learning development

Authors

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.47408/jldhe.vi29.1127

Keywords:

learning development, metaverse, inclusion, virtual reality, augmented reality, reimagining education

Abstract

Drawing upon a section of the co-created Learning Development (LD) Manifesto (ALDinHE, 2018), in this workshop we invite participants to come and be creative – and imagine beyond what Learning Developers do now into what they may do in the future, inspired by the metaverse. The metaverse is a science fiction hypothetical iteration from the book ‘Snow Crash’ (Stephenson, 1992) set in a near future where the global political structure has collapsed (!), a tiny number of super-corporations control most aspects of life, and the rich spend their time in the metaverse (Ball, 2022).

Today the metaverse is the Facebook-owned platform Meta, which Mark Zuckerberg (2021) explains as “an embodied internet where you’re in the experience, not just looking at it”. Rather than our current 2D, screen-based internet, the metaverse will be a 3D virtual space, accessed by either a VR headset or AR (augmented reality) glasses, which superimpose a layer of digital information on top of the visible world. What impact might this have on LD practices, knowledge and beliefs? The metaverse is highly contentious, and we invite Learning Developers to take the challenge and look to possible futures and their potential value to the sector. The educational possibilities of the metaverse will build from the UNESCO (2022) ‘Reimagining education’ discussion paper.

There is also a need to focus the conversation on the ethics of the metaverse (Fielding, 2021), to consider how we can embed safety, privacy and inclusion at the core. It is fair to argue that these values closely align with LD, yet in the metaverse there is the potential for violence, harassment, isolation and bullying. How can we promote and enhance equality, diversity and inclusion in this space?

We will invite participants (who will work in teams) to co-create a #Take5 blogpost with us from our mapping and debates.

No technology is needed for the session, and no previous knowledge of the metaverse 

Our manifesto

What does Learning Development do? 

  • It contextualises, embeds and maps knowledge, and contributes to learning gain 
  • It teaches how to learn and scaffolds learning 
  • It widens opportunity, not participation; it can trouble what we mean by participation 
  • It infiltrates throughout the university and operates in a 3rd space, connecting and 
  • collaborating with the wider community 
  • It works with the hidden curriculum 
  • It legitimises the different forms of knowledge our students have 
  • It levels the playing field and widens the academy 

Author Biographies

Carina Buckley , Solent University

Carina Buckley is currently Instructional Design Manager at Solent University and a Principal Fellow of AdvanceHE. She is a strategic leader, committed to advancing the principles of emancipatory practice and partnership working, between staff and students and between colleagues. An active advocate for LD institutionally, regionally, nationally and internationally, Carina has held posts as Co-Chair and Treasurer for the Association for Learning Development in HE (ALDinHE) and is a prolific author, editor and collaborator.

Debbie Holley, Bournemouth University

Debbie Holley is Professor of Learning Innovation at Bournemouth University, where she leads innovation in research, teaching and professional practice within the Department of Nursing Sciences. Her expertise lies in blending learning and innovation to motivate and engage students with their learning inside /outside the formal classroom, at a time and place of their own choosing. As National Teaching Fellow and Principal Fellow of AdvanceHE she is a passionate educator, with research interests in digital frameworks and the affordances of technologies such as Augmented Reality, Virtual/ Immersive Realities and Mobile Learning.

Lee Fallin, University of Hull

Lee Fallin is a Lecturer in Education Studies, working for the School of Education at the University of Hull. He has particular interests in skills development, peer-based support and technology-enhanced learning (TEL) and his current research interests include learning spaces, research methodologies and geographies of place. Lee is an ALDinHE Certified Leading Practitioner, a trained PASS Supervisor, a Senior Fellow of the Higher Education Academy, an NVivo Certified Expert, a Microsoft Certified Educator, a Microsoft Innovative Educator Expert and a Fellow of the Royal Geographical Society.

References

ALDinHE (2018) Manifesto for Learning Development. Education, Association for Learning Development in Higher Education. Available online: https://drive.google.com/file/d/1KJnC7e2l5xnA44FWsOxaKkKNx4SQKlX2/view [Accessed

/04/2022].

Ball, M. (2022) The metaverse: and how it will revolutionize everything. Liveright Publishing.

Fielding, M. (2021) The Ethics of the Metaverse [Medium]. Available online:

https://medium.com/enjinstarter/the-ethics-of-the-metaverse-b532143cd4ef [Accessed

/03/2023].

Holley, D (August 2023) Exploring the Metaverse through Metaphor ALDinHE #Take 5 #92

https://aldinhe.ac.uk/take5-92-exploring-the-metaverse-through-metaphor

Stephenson, N. (2003) Snow crash: A novel. Spectra.

Techtarget (8.05.2023) The metaverse explained

https://www.techtarget.com/whatis/feature/The-metaverse-explained-Everything-you-need-to-know [accessed 25.08.2023]

UNESCO MGIEP (2022) Reimaging education: The International Science and Evidence based Educational Assessment. United Nations Educational Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) and Mahatma Gandhi Institute of Education for Peace and Sustainable Development (MGIEP). Available online: https://mgiep.unesco.org/iseeareport [Accessed 02/03/2023].

Zuckerberg, M. (2021) Founder’s Letter, 2021. Available online: https://about.fb.com/news/2021/10/founders-letter/ [Accessed 02/03/2023].

Downloads

Published

31-10-2023

How to Cite

Buckley , C. ., Holley, D. and Fallin, L. (2023) “A manifesto for the metaverse: opportunities and challenges for learning development”, Journal of Learning Development in Higher Education, (29). doi: 10.47408/jldhe.vi29.1127.

Issue

No. 29 (2023): Special Edition, ALDinHE Conference Collaborative Proceedings

Section

Conference Proceedings

License

Copyright (c) 2023 Journal of Learning Development in Higher Education

Creative Commons License

This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.

Authors who publish with this journal agree to the following terms:

  1. Authors retain copyright and grant the journal right of first publication with the work simultaneously licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution License that allows others to share the work with an acknowledgement of the work's authorship and initial publication in this journal.
  2. Authors are able to enter into separate, additional contractual arrangements for the non-exclusive distribution of the journal's published version of the work (e.g., post it to an institutional repository or publish it in a book), with an acknowledgement of its initial publication in this journal.
  3. Authors are permitted and encouraged to post their work online (e.g., in institutional repositories or on their website) prior to and during the submission process, as it can lead to productive exchanges, as well as earlier and greater citation of published work (See The Effect of Open Access).