Students’ Perception of Metaverses for Online Learning in Higher Education: Hype or Hope?

Abstract

Online learning environments have been widely adopted, particularly during the COVID-19 pandemic. Today, their usage is envisioned for multiple teaching scenarios, including international courses involving students from different locations. However, as e-learning frameworks lack many advantages of physical interaction, diverse technologies to enhance the learning experience in this regard, including the use of metaverses, are currently in demand. In this study, we implemented an educational metaverse platform for engineering courses at four different European Universities from Poland, Portugal, Germany, and Spain, then had it quantitatively evaluated by students from these higher education institutions. The obtained results illustrate positive student perceptions of its ease of use, satisfaction and fun, and immersion, although their opinions with respect to learning experience and usefulness are less clear. The students seem to agree that interactivity remains insufficient in comparison with face-to-face teaching. For this reason, we provide an examination other related works and finalize this article by suggesting future research directions in the field.

Enhancing Language Learning and Intergroup Empathy through Multi-user Interaction and Simulations in a Virtual World

“…The presence of teachers in the virtual world was highly valued by participants, emphasizing the importance of human guidance and support in technology-enhanced learning environments [46,47]. This finding underscores the crucial role of teacher presence in facilitating learning, offering feedback, and fostering a sense of community among learners [48][49][50].…”

“…Language learning in virtual environments benefits significantly from active teacher involvement [46]. Teachers can provide essential guidance, feedback, and support while designing and implementing effective learning activities that leverage the unique affordances of virtual environments [47]. Teacher presence is a crucial factor in the success of virtual learning environments.…”

Unveiling the Metaverse: A Survey of User Experience, Social Dynamics, and Technological Interoperability

“…[ [27][28][29] Consumer experience, social presence, and immersive learning in Metaverse Importance of service quality, immersive experiences, and the influence of devices on social presence. [24,[30][31][32][33] User perceptions in educational settings…”

“…This synthesis provides a comprehensive understanding of the effects of social influence in the evolving landscape of the Metaverse. [25,40,49] Role of AR, VR, Augmented reality's collaboration potential, anthropomorphism in healthcare, cyberbullying in social media, and social influence in AR [19,35,44,50] and Social Media Consumer Behavior Social Media's role in Purchases, threats in VR, VR in Healthcare Adoption, and Manipulative Algorithms in purchases [9,15,42,51] Metaverse Benefits Advantages in healthcare, governance importance, misinformation concerns, social media risks, and educational roles [12,14,17,31,45] and Challenges…”

“…This trust extends beyond system reliability and encompasses trust in virtual identities, interactions, and the overall sense of community. [31] emphasizes that individuals familiar with digital technologies, especially immersive ones, are more predisposed to embracing the Metaverse, bridging the often-talked-about digital divide.…”