Meta's First EdX Courses Provide Skills for Building the Metaverse

EdX has launched two Spark Augmented Reality courses from Meta, developed as part of the online learning platform's partnership with Meta Immersive Learning. The goal: to "build a learning ecosystem for the metaverse and give professionals broader access to the tools and education needed to build a career in augmented reality," the companies explained in a news announcement.

"The metaverse has vast potential to change how we experience and access education, much like how various technologies came together 10 years ago to increase access to high-quality education at scale with MOOCs," said Anant Agarwal, edX founder and chief open education officer at 2U, in a statement. "This partnership will provide learning opportunities that give creators around the world greater access to the skills needed to envision and build quality and impactful learning experiences within this exciting innovation."

The new courses, Getting Started with Spark AR and Creating and Designing with Spark AR, are the first of a suite of free-to-audit courses that will help learners of all skill levels prepare to become a Certified Spark AR Creator. Participants will learn fundamental AR design principles and AR creation skills using Meta's Spark AR Studio software; courses covering more advanced Spark AR skills will be released later this year.   

Together, Getting Started with Spark AR and Creating and Designing with Spark AR make up a paid Professional Certificate program in Spark AR for Beginners. Meta is providing free access to its Spark AR Certification exam for the first 200 learners who complete the certificate program and receive a certificate of completion from edX. Those who complete the certification will also have access to the Meta Career Programs Job Board, a platform that connects people who have any Meta Certification with employers and job listings.

"We're thrilled to work with edX to help students prepare for careers in augmented reality," said Leticia Jauregui, global head of Meta Immersive Learning. "Courses in the Spark AR curriculum will empower students to become the next generation of creators with skills needed to build for the metaverse."

About the Author

Rhea Kelly is editor in chief for Campus Technology, THE Journal, and Spaces4Learning. She can be reached at [email protected].

Featured

  • Silhouettes of business professionals stand against a blurred futuristic city skyline at night, with a glowing digital network data connection

    It's Time for Higher Ed to Get Serious About AI Strategy

    Without a coordinated strategy that involves multiple academic and administrative units across the entire campus, colleges risk wasting resources, duplicating efforts, and ultimately failing to deliver on the promise of deploying technology to improve learning and operations.

  • Hand holding a glowing AI sphere

    Beyond the Hype: 5 Actionable Steps for Higher Ed to Master AI in 2026

    AI has arrived as a powerful, pervasive reality, bringing with it a whirlwind of innovation, new tools, and pressing questions. Here are five practical steps to help your institution navigate this rapidly evolving landscape and accelerate its path to real transformation.

  • Digital cyberspace with particles and Digital data

    Report: AI Is Moving Faster than Data Trust

    AI agents are already in use or pilot at most organizations, but data visibility, governance and precision recovery capabilities have not kept pace, according to Veeam's new Data & AI Trust Gap report.

  • cyber security padlock

    AI Adoption Forces Trade-Off Between Speed and Identity Security, Study Finds

    AI adoption is forcing enterprises to trade security for speed — and identity controls are the first casualty, according to a new report from Delinea, a provider of identity security solutions for both human and AI agent identities.