The High School for Gifted Students (HSSH) at Vietnam National University’s University of Social Sciences and Humanities (USSH) played host to a groundbreaking pilot program on Friday, May 10th, 2024. This program marked the first test of the M2L2 (Mobile Metaverse Learning Lab), a revolutionary learning environment designed to provide a fully immersive virtual reality (VR) experience for students, even in remote locations with limited internet access.

The M2L2 project, spearheaded by project coordinator Jeanne Cottenceau, aims to bridge the gap in educational resources. The design and development of this innovative system presented significant challenges, but the first prototype has now been successfully trialed with a geography class at HSSH.

The session began with a brief introduction to the project by Jeanne Cottenceau, followed by a detailed explanation on utilizing the M2L2 and VR headsets by Technology Development Officer Arthur Brugiere. This empowered the students to navigate the virtual environment independently.

Divided into four teams, the students embarked on a thrilling competition through RAC games. Each player had a two-minute window to complete the game, with the highest-scoring team emerging victorious. The session was filled with enthusiastic exploration and discovery within the M2L2, generating valuable feedback for the project team.

The collected comments and suggestions will be instrumental in refining the M2L2 for the second prototype. This enhanced version will provide a more practical and helpful learning tool for widespread implementation in Vietnamese and Thai schools during the project’s second year.

As a token of appreciation, each participant received a certificate and a small gift from the M2L2 project team.

This successful pilot program paves the way for a future where innovative learning technologies can break down geographical barriers and empower students across Southeast Asia.

The project team at HSSH (from left to right): Phung Diep Anh – Administrative and financial officer, Arthur Brugière – Technology Development Officer; Alexis Drogoul – Team Leader; Mrs. Hoang Thi Thu Huong – Teacher at HSSH; Patrick Taillandier – Modelling expert; Jeanne Cottenceau – Project Coordinator; Laurence Lombard – Pedagogical Advisor and Nguyen Gia Bach – Pedagogical intern.

Photo credit: HSSH, SIMPLE