Esade has developed its own virtual campus in the metaverse where participants can experience immersive VR and appreciate the impact of technological disruption and how it can transform companies and society. In their commitment to innovation and technology, Esade seeks to seize the opportunities of the metaverse and apply these developments to the realm of education. Participants will be able to experience its capabilities and benefits firsthand, and then channel what they learn into developing high-impact projects for their companies and stakeholders.

Similarly, technology transforms the part professors play in guiding students and enhancing their learning. “Immersive technologies give participants a more intense, unforgettable experience. They also involve professors in the process, as either facilitators or participants”, said Marc Correa, dean of Esade Executive Education. “The added value professors provide should focus on understanding and controlling the process and the environment and facilitating the participant’s experience”, he emphasized. The digitization of the learning process will also make it possible to bring a greater number of students, leaders and collaborators together wherever they might be.

Using their own avatar with no physical limitations, Esade participants and students access a virtual space where they can interact with the other participants, experience virtual reality, learn about its practical applications and its possible impact on the transformation or development of new ways of working.

Esade's virtual campus features a lecture hall for holding sessions or viewing presentations and videos; several meeting rooms for discussions and teamwork; a recreation area offering experiences such as basketball and archery; and a yard where participants can mingle and move from one area to another.

Consolidated commitment to innovation

Technology and innovation are two cornerstones of an Esade education with its focus on new trends such as digitization, data analysis and artificial intelligence. These programs have a hands-on approach that provides the competences, skills and knowledge needed to drive the new technological age. Education, research and innovation are incorporated into all levels of the educational model in order to improve participants’ skills, boost the sustainability of companies and society, and equip professionals to deal with the challenges of digital transformation.

This campus in the metaverse is one of several ventures Esade has developed in this realm, including specifically the Custom programs for corporate clients in the form of the Executive Education ‘Corporate Learning Solutions’. “We take advantage of new technologies such as the metaverse and virtual or augmented reality to enable participants to experience, understand and visualize the opportunities these developments can offer in the development of new relational and business models in companies”, explained Idoia de Paz, managing partner of Corporate Learning Solutions at Esade Executive Education.

Esade BAN, the network of investors driven by Esade Alumni, has also launched the first investment forum in the metaverse: a meeting point for investors and innovative start-ups with high growth potential, in which more than one hundred investors participated. In addition, Esade's Information and Knowledge Service (Library) has VR facilities to help students acquire soft skills and new knowledge, such as public speaking, team motivation, emotional intelligence, teamwork, adaptation to change and decision making.