The Hong Kong Polytechnic University (PolyU) and The Education University of Hong Kong (EdUHK) have signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) to establish the Centre for Immersive Learning and Metaverse in Education (CILME).

This collaboration between PolyU and EdUHK aims to develop a collaborative infrastructure for conducting interdisciplinary research to impact education. CILME will also serve as a powerhouse in the study of technology-enhanced learning and teaching.

The Centre will specifically focus on how immersive experiences, including those from virtual reality and the metaverse in general, can enhance students’ cognitive processing, attention, memory, brain function and ultimately learning outcomes.

Combining the strengths and expertise of PolyU and EdUHK in cross-disciplinary research, learning sciences and pedagogical innovation, CILME will nurture researchers, incubate technology-based innovations in education, and facilitate knowledge transfer in teaching and curriculum design at both institutions and for the benefit of the community at large.

Under this agreement, the two universities will conduct both basic and applied research in metaverse and immersive technologies, develop practical guidelines to shape the educational values of these technologies for students, and promote immersive learning among teachers and educators through regular workshops, seminars and conferences.

While metaverse is evolving, it holds new potential in healthcare, among other sectors, that combines new technologies like Artificial Intelligence, Virtual Reality, Augmented Reality etc.