In March, we welcomed a record number of people to join us to discuss Employability Skills for Special Educational Needs (SEN) learners and launch our new consortium.

The level of interest in this topic shows a great need to create partnerships and new content to benefit SEN learners. Although this area can often be under-resourced and underrepresented, educators are passionate about supporting these learners.

We believe that learning should be accessible to everyone and that no learner should be left behind. By providing specialist content to SEN learners, we can support their transition through education and into employment.

Kicking off the webinar conversation, Dr. Nigel Newbutt, Assistant Professor in Advanced Learning Technologies at the University of Florida shared some valuable insights. His work revolves around technologies for autistic and neurodivergent populations. He has developed some of the first work to practically examine the use, adoption, and preferences of virtual reality head-mounted displays with these groups.

Nigel shared with us the latest research, which shows that 1.6million school pupils in the UK have been identified with SEN. These are students who experience low employment rates and a lack of support. Yet, their strengths can potentially expand creativity and innovation in industry.

There are challenges to overcome, but technology can be effectively leveraged when we create content in partnership with others to benefit the learners.

We also welcomed Tom Lloyd, Executive Director of Skills and Innovation and Strategic Development, Eastern Education Group and Rhian King, Head of Supported Learning, who shared their approach to using virtual reality technology and content to support their learners.

Eastern Education Group are already on board as a consortium member and are committed to creating new immersive learning content that:

  • Promotes inclusivity
  • Enhances engagement
  • Fosters social interaction
  • Fosters independence
  • Addresses the diverse needs of all learners.

Finally, Dr Majid Al-Kader, Co-Founder of Metaverse Learning, shared examples of immersive learning content already available in the Metaverse Learning Library.

Majid also shared the consortium details, how to join, and the timelines involved.

The consortium approach provides an affordable way for partners to join and share the costs and resources involved in creating new immersive learning content. Bringing together subject matter experts from several partners allows for different perspectives. Together, we can create immersive learning content that will truly support SEN learners.

If you would like to watch the webinar in full, please click here (insert link)

And to find out more about our library of programs or our future consortiums, please contact us at info@metaverselearning.co.uk

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