The metach, the virtual universe in which several technological and very particular goal - new Facebook denomination - want us to work, relate and buy, it is still a promise of the future, but its technological foundations and even their business model can be studiedFrom next year in Spain.The Complutense University of Madrid presented on Wednesday two courses that seek to be the first that are taught in Spanish about this digital world.The initiative wants to combat one of the recurring criticisms suffered by education in Spain: that of not evolving to the rhythm that its environment does.Some experts fear, however, to respond more to a marketing strategy than to a real need.
Just 24 hours after the presentation, Cristóbal Fernández Muñoz, Vice Dean of Communication and Institutional Relations of the Faculty and director of the courses, says that ‘’ There are already many requests from people who want to inform themselves ’'about them about them.One of the programs is the diploma in design and development in virtual and augmented reality, which lasts seven months and a cost of 4.€ 950.The other is the virtual and augmented certificate, which lasts two months and costs 1.€ 500.The two will start in February.Teaching will be in the hands of the co -founders of Virtual Voyagers, a Madrid company that has participated in the embryo of the digital universe preparing the Mark Zuckerberg company.The COO (Director of Operations, for its acronym in English) of the company, Eduardo Herranz Sánchez will give the classes of, first and the second will be in charge of Edgar Martín-Blas Méndez, CEO of the same company.
‘‘ Right now, if you want to set up a metoverso formation, who can impart it?There are not many people who can do it in Spain.They have the knowledge that nobody has, ”explains Fernández Muñoz.Virtual Voyagers has carried out hundreds of virtual, augmented, mixed and immersive reality projects, including the Facebook virtual concert platform.They will also have Vodafone's support for project mentoring and that of the Empower Talent Educational Technology Company.
For Ainara Zubillaga, Director of Education and Training of the Cotec Foundation for Innovation, with this initiative "The University has taken the lead".'' I think he is hopeful, in that it is a new path that has long claimed himself, '' defends Zubillaga, who also believes that it would be unfair and wrong to accuse the UCM of getting too advancing to the times, since theMetaverso is still in development.‘‘ Perhaps in disciplines such as medicine you have to wait, but not in technology.The one who walks first comes first ’'.
Lucía Velasco, economist and author of Does it replace an algorithm?(Turner), however, it is that it is a somewhat risky initiative, since metaverso does not cease to be ‘a promise of future development of a virtual space that will depend on many things’ ''.According to Velasco, if I had to decide between a training in Big Data, `` which is already being demanded in the market and for which professionals are missing '' and metoverso, she would choose the first, being something that has a more professional exit moreimmediate.
According to Fernández Muñoz, ‘‘ professionals who are able to develop all kinds of content for this new universe are going to be needed ’'.Therefore, this training is aimed at students and professionals from all areas (and not necessarily university, since they are their own and unofficial titles).Nor are programming knowledge required.‘‘ In this world, everything is to be done and will have implications in all areas: tourism, education, architecture… ’’, explains the Vice Dean, who some years ago was director of communication of the social network Tuenti.And why a Faculty of Social Sciences develops two courses on a matter related to computer science?‘‘ This comes to stay (...) and the Complutense also has to be a reference in innovation ’', he says.
In the presentation of the courses, the representative of the Faculty stressed that people are going to be needed ‘‘ to give life ’'to that universe:‘ ‘Meta has revealed that it will create 10.000 jobs only in Europe, which add to the more than 800.000 million dollars that the industry will generate by 2024, according to Bloomberg ’''.
The Faculty has also decided to choose the payment of cryptocurrency enrollment such as Bitcoin.He claims to be the only Spanish university to offer this option, although he has not wanted to give too much importance to this service.‘‘ We have not wanted to emphasize it so as not to stay in the anecdote or in the marketing hook, 'explains Fernández Muñoz.The modality of both courses is in line with live explanations, so that students can connect from anywhere.As the two main teachers will continue with their work in the company, the offer of places will be ‘‘ very small ’''.The Vice Dean explains that ‘‘ The idea is to have about 30 students in each title and not take places and editions like Churros ’''.
Zubillaga celebrates that the training will be transversal: ‘’ The approach integrates three areas, the business, the design and development, when the university is normally.In this case, all the dimensions of metovers converge and, in addition, they will work on the approach of the launch of a real product to the market, which is novel because it is normally articulated around something so linked to the productive and labor world ''.It also considers an advantage that the formation ‘‘ is built on such a clear alliance between the business and academic world ’''.
Velasco, however, fears that the initiative will respond ‘‘ to a marketing strategy, with the advertising hype that is having the word “metaverso”, rather than a real need ’’ ’’ ’.In fact, although he considers that it is an interesting proposal, he insists: '' would take away the commercial part, although I understand what is attracted because, maybe, the concept of virtual reality does not have as much attractive as that ofMetaverso ''.The economist interprets the approach of the courses as `` something strange '': '' right now I do not know if Spain is highlighting in this and if there really is a market for it, because it does not seem that virtual and augmented reality are having aMass adoption ''.
Information Sciences is now working on the redesign of your curricula and the proposal to create a transverse university degree oriented to new digital challenges is gaining strength: '' The idea is precisely to be able to create a new degree that is not justJournalism or advertising, but integrates everything.We cannot be on your back to advances and new scenarios.Communication is suffering a bestial revolution and metaverso is clearly the third internet revolution, 'concludes Fernández Muñoz.
You can follow El País Technology on Facebook and Twitter or sign up here to receive our weekly newsletter.