In 2015, Palmer Luckey, Oculus founder, foresaw the integration of virtual reality (VR) headsets into education, revolutionising the classroom experience. He believed that traditional classrooms were insufficient for optimal learning. Now, Optima Academy Online, an online school established in 2022, is realising Luckey’s vision. Using Meta Quest 2 headsets, the Florida-based Optima Academy offers students immersive “field trips” to places like Mount Everest’s base camp, creating a novel educational experience. Erika Donalds, OptimaEd’s CEO and a proponent of the classical school movement, emphasises customisation in education, a feature made possible by Florida’s school choice program. The school’s enrollment has grown to over 170 full-time students in Florida in just a year, with plans to expand to Arizona and Michigan. Optima Academy combines VR sessions with online classes, providing students with a unique learning environment. Despite its advantages, VR poses challenges such as simulator sickness and blurred reality. However, students appreciate the social interaction VR can offer, especially those dealing with social anxiety or bullying. Optima’s founders envision decentralising education and offering students a more diverse and tailored learning experience.
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