Avantis Education, creators of ClassVR, a leading virtual and augmented reality (VR/AR) solution for education, has announced a new partnership with the Morocco-based Islamic World Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organisation (ICESCO) that will see the global edtech specialist lead a pilot programme with a minimum of four member states. ICESCO consists of 54 Muslim member states.
Launched at the ICESCO Ministerial Conference in Oman (2nd to 3rd October), in Arabia, the pilot aims to evaluate the educational impact of immersive technology, provide actionable insights on best practice, and deliver a blueprint to inform future education improvement strategies.
Scheduled to commence shortly after the conference, the pilot is deploying a proven methodology which will support the countries with implementing ClassVR, an all-in-one hardware, software and content solution. This includes provision of student training and teacher professional development, and ongoing impact analysis to deliver a final evaluation for ICESCO.
Huw Williams, CEO, Avantis Education, said: “Successful countries always link the development of their education system to their national, economic, and societal needs. To do this, an effective process of thought leadership, planning and execution must take place. Avantis Education has developed a pilot methodology that enables an education system to most effectively and productively design, plan and implement successful digital teaching and learning, and allow Avantis to get first hand feedback from teachers and students in a variety of educational settings.”
The 21-week programme will equip pilot schools with the skills and understanding to integrate VR/AR into lesson delivery, with a particular emphasis on the interdisciplinary learning benefits of immersive technology.
Schools will explore the role VR/AR has to play in improving equity of education access for all students, learning how it can be used to improve student engagement in academic subjects as well as support social and emotional learning.
Williams continued: “Since ClassVR first launched, we have been engaged by ministries of education throughout the world to help determine how VR/AR can best contribute to regional improvement strategies. This latest pilot will gather meaningful and practical feedback that will ultimately help transform the future of education for ICESCO member states.”
