CEU Universities already have their own metaverse

Fundación Universitaria San Pablo CEU has developed a prototype of CEU university metaverse to make available for its academic community a teaching tool oriented to the future of education. Based on Minecraft: Education Edition, the virtualization process has started with part of the campus of Universidad CEU Cardenal Herrera and in one first concept trial with 200 university students they have evidenced how technological innovation allows students to reduce stress, review concepts and acquire skills to successfully face official examinations in a more relaxed and attractive manner.

The project intends to create a virtual universe or complex metaverse where students can interact between them and have a virtual teaching experience to reinforce face-to-face classes and serve as training for the different examinations. Also it seeks to offer students a centralized platform to know the installations of the university and its environment, carry out administrative proceedings, give access to university services and from third parties and finally enable interaction with the real world.

To this end, Rosa Visiedo, director of CEU Universities explains that “at CEU we believe that the future of education shall be guided by technological innovation and with this project of metaverse we take a firm step towards the future providing our academic community with a participative and gamified experience that approaches with innovation the teaching and learning process”.

Today’s technology for a future investment

The project whose technological partner is Microsoft uses the following apps in an integrated manner:

• Minecraft: Education Edition, as platform to support the whole project.
• Microsoft Power Automate, for the creation of automatic flows depending on the results obtained in evaluation tests.
• Microsoft Outlook, as communication tool to the university email addresses of students of different information to continue with the adventure.
• Microsoft Forms. for the creation of evaluation tests.
• Microsoft Excel, for the management and analysis of results.
• Microsoft Stream, for videos supporting and guiding the adventure.
• Microsoft PowerPoint, for the presentation of the information based on the knowledge to assess.
• Microsoft Teams, as an application to develop virtual desks.

After this optimal experience the objective is to expand it to other CEU University campus (Madrid and Barcelona) and contact with the Townhall and local retailers to take part in the project. With five years of experience, Minecraft: Education Edition has demonstrated how technology and learning from gamification open innovative possibilities in the field of education to boost creativity, collaboration and resolution of problems in an immersive digital environment.