Building off this research, there’s an opportunity to analyze the effects of the metaverse and virtual reality in education and how these factors can influence the social-emotional side of students, said Michael Young, an associate professor at the University of Connecticut’s Neag School of Education with expertise in cognition, instruction and learning technology.

The idea of the metaverse is not new, it’s just been waiting for the technology and infrastructure to catch up, said Michael Young, an associate professor at the University of Connecticut’s Neag School of Education with expertise in cognition, instruction and learning technology.

“The concept is probably perfect for making schools more engaging and getting beyond the walls of a classroom,” Young said.

When schools were shut during COVID-19, teachers dealt with a lack of student engagement during online instruction, said Michael Young, an associate professor at the University of Connecticut’s Neag School of Education who has expertise in cognition, instruction and learning technology.

Unique to UConn is the highly-interconnected nature of its DMD game design and educational technology programs. The two coordinate to target practical skills for digital age collaboration, communication, and universal design, all of which are crucial in cutting-edge entertainment, educational, and interactive business spaces. This partnership allows UConn’s game designers to learn technical skills for their profession as well as concepts related to playful learning, human cognition, and accessibility with Dr. Stephen Slota, a DMD/Neag joint faculty appointment. Likewise, educational technology specialists enrolled in the one-year Master of Arts educational technology “Two Summers” program—whose motto is “Learn to Play & Play to Learn”—benefit from interdisciplinary courses that weave together best practices for interactive storytelling, instructional design, and classroom technology implementation.

“Teachers have new fluency and technology,” says Michael Young, who coordinated the educational technology program at UConn’s Neag School of Education. “Students have new fluency. Society and legislatures have a sense that this is doable now, because we did it for a year.”

In their recently published edited volume, Exploding the Castle: Rethinking How Video Games and Game Mechanics Can Shape the Future of Education (Information Age, 2017), Neag School faculty Michael Young and Stephen Slota — both longtime video game devotees — explore the value of games, the role of games in the future of K-12 and higher education, and more. Here, Young, associate professor of cognition, instruction, and learning technology, and Slota, assistant professor-in-residence of educational technology discuss the book and share their insights on the intersection between games, technology, and learning.