Brazilian university launches graduation in the metaverse and attracts influencers
Last Friday (27), the Pontifical Catholic University of Paraná (PUCPR) announced the launch of a new Brazilian higher education course designed to be taught at metaverse . The technical graduation in “ Economics of Digital Influence ” is aimed at young people interested in producing content and doing business on the internet. In addition to encounters in virtual campus , classes were also created with consultation from influencers and use of artificial intelligence ( AI ) tools.
In an interview with GALILEU, the entrepreneur, designer and coordinator of the course, Aguilar Selhorst, defends that the "fourth dimension" applied to education can solve some problems encountered in traditional distance learning ( Distance Learning ). "The biggest challenge of the modality remote is the lack of integration between students and professors, with the faculty and even with their classmates", he evaluates.
Education in the fourth dimension
According to Selhorst, the synchronous classes taught on the virtual campus should allow for a more immersive experience, as students will find, in the metaverse, visual and sound stimuli that emulate the real world.
According to Osley Fernandes, publicist and communication manager for students in the metaverse, virtual environments allow contacts similar to face-to-face ones. Users can, for example, interact via video and audio when approaching within the platform, allowing them to study together or even chat in moments of relaxation.
The idea behind the construction of the virtual campus was to create an environment that would provide both an infrastructure for conducting classes and for moments of socialization and rest. To avoid hyperrealism and make use "more fun and intuitive", those responsible say that the graphics of the domain platform, Gather Town , follow a pattern reminiscent of classic games such as franchises from Super Mario Bros e .
So far, there are six spaces available for use:
1 - the "agora", which was projected from the central square of PUCPR's face-to-face campus;
2 - the "temple of interiority", a space for relaxation, complete with a waterfall, bonfires and yoga mats;
3 - the "oracle", which saves shortcuts for students to solve doubts about the program through the FAQ or via WhatsApp ;
4 - the "theatre of dreams", where classes will be given and guest lectures will take place;
5 - the "knowledge portal", a kind of library for individual lectures and study groups to meet;
6 - the 'portal of trades', a laboratory environment with access to the university's graduation system.
The virtual campus initiative will be tested in practice for the first time this semester. “The metaverse is still very incipient and not all possibilities have been mapped yet, but we are sure that it is a space that allows translating social experiences from the physical world to the virtual one”, comments Cristina Pastore, Marketing director at PUCPR.
“In the course, the metaverse will be used as a meeting place, for building relationships, networking , construction of new projects and emerging ideas from the meeting of students, professors, invited professionals and whoever else can be there”, he says. The goal is that, in the future, other courses will also be taught on the virtual campus.
Overview
With a two-year duration and 1,600 hours to complete, the curriculum is flexible and can be built based on student interests and professors' guidance. The disciplines studied do not present proofs and there is no Course Completion Work (TCC). To be evaluated, students must develop projects each semester that will be published on the social networks of non-governmental organizations (NGOs), putting university extension into practice.
Several influencers and artists act as teachers in graduate masterclasses in Economics of Digital Influence. Some names are: Bianca Andrade (Boca Rosa), Marcelo Tas, Jhonatan Marques, Yasmin Yassine and Flávio Santos.
The monthly fee for the course is R$2,000, exceeding the price of distance courses and some on-site courses offered by the same institution.
