According to a news release, the two tech companies will offer their new VR Lab Starter Kit Program by 2023, which includes Meta Quest 2 VR headsets, curriculum and professional development training.
Inspirit co-founders Aditya Vishwanath and Amrutha Vasan said in the announcement that expanding access to AR/VR technology could revolutionize the way future generations learn science, specifically improving student memory retention, engagement and learning outcomes as educators across the country aim to boost student participation and combat learning loss that resulted from the shifts to and from remote learning during COVID-19.
"This is why Amrutha and I started Inspirit in the first place — to inspire curiosity and a sense of wonder in learning across the most diverse and underserved science classrooms,” Vishwanath said in the announcement, which noted that over 275,000 educators and students have used Inspirit's VR learning platform since its 2019 launch.
The launch of the starter kit program comes as STEAM charter schools, public K-12 schools and higher ed institutions have all shown an increased interest in adopting AR/VR ed-tech tools for a variety of classroom applications, such as experiential, project-based learning to make lessons more immersive.
The news release added that the program is currently taking applications, and plans to ship some kits as early as November 2022.
"I am beyond excited to have this opportunity to work with Meta to make meaningful VR experiences accessible to all science teachers," Vasan said in the announcement.
