Bringing the Metaverse to Higher Education: Engaging University Students in Virtual Worlds

Bringing the Metaverse to Higher Education: Engaging University Students in Virtual Worlds

Bringing the Metaverse to Higher Education: Engaging University Students in Virtual Worlds

By Gary E. Burnett, Catherine Harvey and Rebekah Kay

Abstract

“This chapter provides a case study on the use of a virtual world as the predominant mechanism for interacting with university students. In the Autumn Semester 2020, 49 engineering students partook in weekly seminars with teachers and each other on a fantastical virtual teaching island, known as Nottopia. The majority of students accessed the virtual world on desktop computers, although four routinely used their own VR headsets. Survey data indicated that the student experience was extremely positive and motivation to learn was very high. Interviews, together with video observations, established that five themes dictated the positive outcome, namely the design of the space, the nature of the integral content, the prevailing group dynamics, the role of avatars, and the magical interactions possible. These themes are realised in an initial design framework.”

Reference

Burnett, G. E., Harvey, C., &; Kay, R. (2022). Bringing the metaverse to higher education: Engaging university students in Virtual Worlds. IGI Global. Retrieved August 26, 2022, from https://www.igi-global.com/chapter/bringing-the-metaverse-to-higher-education/308897

Keyword

Gamification, education, university, students, virtual, research