New Dedicated Servers power global collaboration for Nord Anglia schools in first-of-its-kind quest

Nord Anglia’s Quest

In their pilot program, Nord Anglia Education is bringing Minecraft Education into their Global Campus platform: an online space for students to connect and collaborate globally on competitions, debates and other fun activities. Minecraft Education has now become a new way for students to complete their exclusive MIT challenges which are bespoke, real-world challenges designed by MIT experts as part of the Nord Anglia’s exclusive MIT-NAE STEAM Collaboration. For the first time, students in different schools, countries, and regions can enter the same Minecraft Education world simultaneously, collaborating in real time within a secure, teacher-monitored environment.

Classes participating were paired intentionally, so students can learn, co-design, problem-solve, and build meaningful solutions within their shared virtual world with peers they have never met, strengthening global collaboration and global citizenship. This unlocks entirely new ways to collaborate across the globe, while allowing educators to design safe, structured, cross-school learning experiences that were not previously possible.

Levelling Up Global Teachers

Before entering the world, educators at Nord Anglia completed their own training quests with three Professional Development sessions, which are also available on-demand, led by the Minecraft Education team. They started with Minecraft Education 101, an introductory course designed for new users interested in bringing game-based learning into the classroom, followed by Minecraft Education 401, a course focused on project-based learning that prepares educators to use Minecraft Education to teach real-world inquiry, creativity, and collaboration, and concluding with an open Q&A session.

By the time the pilot launched on March 23, these educators weren’t just participants—they were server-ready leaders, prepared to guide students through every build, brainstorm, and breakthrough.

Project-based Learning Across Geographies

Students work in small groups within each class to ensure every learner has an active role. Teams delegate responsibilities such as planning, designing, building, materials selection, communication, and quality checking, mirroring real project teams, while coordinating with their partner school inside the shared Minecraft world. As they collaborate, students unlock essential skills such as:

• Effective communication
• Negotiation and compromise
• Decision making
• Adaptability
• Conflict resolution
• Shared ownership of outcomes

These competencies come to life as students debate ideas, adjust plans, solve problems, and collaborate across cultures to deliver a shared final build.

Powering Teacher Collaboration

The pilot is also a meaningful professional development opportunity for teachers. Educators from each participating school are collaborating across countries to design and facilitate every stage of the experience. They have been trained in using Minecraft as a pedagogical tool and are working together to model the same cross-school collaboration expected of students. This approach reflects Nord Anglia’s commitment to fostering global connections not only for students, but for educators as well.

What’s Next?

This is just the beginning. With Dedicated Servers enabling persistent worlds and global access, Nord Anglia is preparing for even bigger adventures—like Earth Day builds and challenges inspired by the UN Sustainable Development Goals.

Looking ahead, more schools will join the server, expanding this global network of creators. New worlds will be built; new ideas will emerge, showing that when students connect, collaborate, and create together—there’s no limit to what they can build.

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