Building Capacity for the Collaborative Development of an Educational Ecosystem in the Metaverse in the ASEAN Region

The Metaverse represents an evolving virtual environment ecosystem beyond traditional digital experiences. However, collaboratively building this ecosystem would require specific skills. Furthermore, collaborating with team members spread across various locations poses unique challenges, such as coordinating across multiple time zones, managing asynchronous communication, and overcoming differences in work styles and local contexts. This study explores a blended approach to capacity building for the collaborative development of an educational ecosystem in the Metaverse, focusing on the latest case in the Philippines. By integrating asynchronous online learning, synchronous virtual sessions, in-person workshops, and internships, this approach fosters multimodal skill development among educators and students. The latest example is a project in the Philippines under the Metaverse Academic Nexus for Global Opportunities (MANGOs) initiative, which was developed in collaboration with ASEAN partners. Through online knowledge sharing and an in-person workshop, this initiative demonstrates how a blended learning model can equip institutions with the necessary tools to build inclusive, interactive, and globally connected educational environments in the Metaverse.