Transition Towards Hybrid Learning Environments in Higher Education Institutions

The recent COVID-19 pandemic forced organizations to find new solutions for remote collaboration and refine hybrid education in the context of applied, praxis-based learning. Various tech giants have started investing in more immersive remote communication technologies, such as metaverse. This paper discusses hybrid environments and metaverse in education at Turku University of Applied Sciences (Turku UAS) as the site of the study. The new strategy of the university aims to support people and organizations in a hybrid world where physical and virtual worlds are merged. At Turku UAS, VR environment is seen as a platform that uses social communication for real-life integration through both hands-on skill development and theoretical knowledge transfer. The metaverse technology and collaborative learning environments can be seen as testbeds for future pedagogy and work life. Examples of implementations of interactive technologies in different fields of education are presented. In addition, a revised hybrid education model with future possibilities is introduced.